I'm trying to hang up my animal mounts in my upstairs game room and it seems that there isn't a beam anywhere. I don't know if this is typical or just my luck. My question is can I use toggle bolts or something similar (maybe less permanent) to insert into the drywall and will it hold? I know drywall isn't made for strength but I thought maybe with the proper bolts and weight distribution it would be alright. Thanks in advance..

Studs are there, buy a stud finder or measure 16 inches from a corner and use a small drill bit to locate the stud. Look for electrical plugs, there is always a stud on one side of the plug

Yup, just gotta measure and know that your 2x4 studs are not actually 2" thick. It'll come into play once you make it so far down a wall.

Depending on the contractor and if you are in an area with wind-load requirements or not, the wall studs may be on 24" centers.

I found it and got 1 mount up, thanks for the reassurance guys.. I guess I just needed to know they built my house correctly lol

Now we need a

They're nothing too fancy man I'm not a big trophy hunter or anything... Just my first buck I shot in 2014 and a ram I shot shortly after.. I'll see if I can post it.

So you're saying I didn't need to build my blind on 16" centers?

Nice mounts

Looks good.

Always use a stud. I thought I could use a drywall anchor for one of my mounts and it didn't hold up to the task. There wasn't a stud in the center of the short wall, hence the reason for the anchor. It hung for about a week, and one evening while watching tv in the other room, we heard a big crash. Sure enough, it let loose and broke the skull plate between the antlers. Talk about upset!!

these buildex EZ ancor

and the twist and locks next to them are amazing

a stud is always better, but sometimes......................

Thanks for the advice guys and I am real sorry to hear that ZK, I can't imagine the feeling.. I think after years of learning from my own mistakes I'll learn from yalls for a while

Thanks I appreciate that.. I'm quite proud of the deer, he scored about 127-128 but it was free range and my first buck after getting out of the Army and moving back to Texas and really starting to hunt. The ram was more of a canned hunt and I didn't get the same satisfaction. It showed me what kind of hunter I want to be and take pride In being though.. I don't knock anyone for their choices though man, I'm prochoice when it comes to hunting.

My stomach did drop a bit when I saw it laying on the floor. I picked it up and all was well, but one antler was a bit loose. My taxidermist said he could fix it but was going to be some mucho money. Basically he would have to re-wet the cape, pull it off, secure the skull plate, then put the cape back on. So I just hung him back up (on a stud this time), and moved his antler to where it should be and that's how he'll stay. It definitely could have been much worse.

Knock on the wall. I can find a stud almost every time by the sound. Between the studs sounds hollow, on the stud sounds solid. As a last resort, pull away the baseboard and poke a few holes and find them, then put the baseboard back.

I understand the stud finders work very well. I just can't seem to get the hang of them. I pick it up, I turn it on, it goes off immediately. Worthless...

I would take and back and get your money back cast, it took me some trial and error to get it right as well because it goes off at the beginning of the board all the way to the end of the 2x4. The weird part was I would put in a screw and completely miss the board. I tried using it a few more times and I hit the stud the first each time so I think I got it down. Mine only cost $10 at Walmart and makes the task a whole lot easier.

I have had stud finders that didn't work worth a darn. Bought a new one when I hung my last mount and that thing worked like a champ!

Well, it is a little weird. I gave it to Mrs Cast and told her it was junk. She used it just fine. I guess she has experience locating good studs.

If you question the stud finder use a heavy straight canvas needle and vice grips. Grab the needle with the grips and put the point on the wall....Push it in with another metal object. You'll know if there's a stud there and the needle leaves very small holes you can patch with tooth paste or filler....

Yeah my wife and I were standing in the living room and I pushed the button and put it on my chest and it went crazy, I said yeah it definitely works.. She said haha you're so funny (not).. Whatever I like a cheap laugh every once in a while

Both are nice animals!