question I have for those who know.

A several years ago, I killed a big axis buck. Deer weighed over 200 lbs, was in full rut, the whole nine.

I didn't take the measurment of his neck, but i would say his was over 24 in in diameter. a pretty big bodied deer. we also killed an axis a year later that dressed like 225lbs that was a freaking toad.

anyway, when I recieved my mount back a year later, i was happy with the quality of work but the deer had been shrunk down to the size of a 3 1/2 year old whitetail buck.

Since then, I've noticed mounts of axis typically do not represent an accutrate body size of the mature ones i've seen taken.

same thing with blackbuck, i watched one last week that was about 80 lbs, but was very muscular, all the mounts i've seen make them look like dainty little things.

All my whitetail mounts are approx the same size mounted that they were when they were alive, why is that seeminglly unachievable for axis and blackbuck?

Can't really give you a good answer there are to many variables from animal to animal/ taxi to taxi. If you take another in to have mounted, voice these concerns to your taxidermist and in between now and then gather photos of your target specie, take them with you when you go to the taxidermist, that way you'll get a mount more to your liking. I get way to many customers that want to drop there animal on the counter, ask me to mount it then are ready to head out the door. I know this doesn't answer the question, but it is a good method to get a mount your happy with.

I've looked at the work of several different taxidermists and only one(the one i'm currently using) has seemed to get it right.

my theory was that forms of suffecient size are harder to come by, less variety than say, whitetail forms. they have to accomodate axis from young, thin necked bucks to big mature bullish looking bucks

i know we have sizes available for whitetail that can accomodate capes from little bitty coues deer all the way up to 300 + lb canadian giants.

Thera are not many sizes in axis especially the ones we typically use but most axis I mount are to small for the form and I have to shave The form down a little bit.when there to big I build up the rut pads and sometimes have to cut the form in half an expand it out a little bit. if the neck on the animal isn't as big as when you brought it in means they just mounted it on the closest form the had.We could put as much detail as the customer wanted especially on axis and whitetail as there short hair let's you see alot of muscle detail

I have noticed this also. Where I really have noticed it including one of mine , is on a 30# bobcat. All said and done it looked like bobcat, not a huge bobcat.

Bobcats are the same as the axis more times then not the taxidermist is gonna have to alter it instead of just tucking the excess skin under the arms and legs