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DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? #4045233 02/12/13 02:23 AM
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deewayne2003 Offline OP
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This mount is about 5 years old and within a year after I got it back from the taxidermist the hair started to fall out.

In the last couple of years its started to get REALLY bad and now its destroyed; and I will be looking to have it recaped.

This deer was shot, skinned and the head in a deep freezer within 2 hours of killing it and I have several other shoulder mounts from the same taxidermist and they all still look good.

What caused this and what could be done to prevent it in the future?

Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: deewayne2003] #4045535 02/12/13 03:38 AM
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Deer Creek Taxidermy Offline
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Its hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like you have a bug problem, if it is you need to get it out of the house. If you have other mounts they will get them too. Then you need to set bombs off in that room acouple of weeks apart because of the incubation time of their eggs. If you have existing mounts they need to be treated. You can put each mount in a trash bag and spray an insectacide in the bag and seal up,or I've been told that front line fea and tick spray you can get from the vet works great! Your deer mount doesnt look to be a tanned cape, but I cant say I seen hair just fall out like that because of dryed perservative. Hope this helps!!


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Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: Deer Creek Taxidermy] #4045714 02/12/13 04:28 AM
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richm Offline
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Looks like some serious slippage to me. This comes from any number of things, basically it's a bacteria that causes the epidermal layer to loosen and the hair follicle becomes loose and falls out. Are you seeing loose hair around the mount? Can you pull hair out pretty easily with your forefinger and thumb?
If so, I recommend you approach your taxidermist and ask to have it remounted with a replacement hide.

Reasons for slippage are not necessarily your taxi's fault.

1) Bad field prep - usually water is the biggest villain
2) issues at the tannery
3) Heat is another problem, I've seen slippage when someone takes their time skinning out a animal and their body heat from their hands cause area slippage, especially when you turn ears.

If the rest of the hide hair is in pretty solid, I'd have to say its a bug issue as well.

Beetles, Moths, all sort of little bugs can do that.
Even though the hide is ruined, you will still want to fumigate the room its in, so if you do remount it, then it doesn't happen to the next one.

Im really sorry that happened to your trophy. The good news is all is not lost, a good taxi can remount that with a new hide (good time of year for that right now also).


rich
Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: richm] #4045726 02/12/13 04:33 AM
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BMD Offline
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Bigs or wasn't fleshed properly.

Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: richm] #4045736 02/12/13 04:37 AM
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richm Offline
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Don't want to SPAM, but thought I'd share:
There is a product you can get at most Taxidermy supply stores (Online)called "Stop-Rot". Most Taxi's I know, live by it, I've never had a mount slip that I use it on.
It's a quart spray bottle, you just spray on the inside of the hide , even the hair side will help.
You can do it right after you cape and it will save many a risky hides. Especially if you take an early season deer and it's pretty hot outside.


rich
Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: richm] #4045930 02/12/13 05:58 AM
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Sniper John Offline
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Originally Posted By: richm
Don't want to SPAM, but thought I'd share:
There is a product you can get at most Taxidermy supply stores (Online)called "Stop-Rot". Most Taxi's I know, live by it, I've never had a mount slip that I use it on.
It's a quart spray bottle, you just spray on the inside of the hide , even the hair side will help.
You can do it right after you cape and it will save many a risky hides. Especially if you take an early season deer and it's pretty hot outside.


That's a good tip! Your not spamming, Every taxidermy supply sells it.
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/STRQ-P3916.aspx


At first I thought you were talking about "stop slip" which I used on a poorly mounted aoudad that was slipping and raining hair on our couch. It only slowed it a little. Fortunately Mulie Mike gave me a cape and I had Texaswildlife remount it.

That is definately what you need to do DeeWayne. Shoot or find you a nice cape next season, or ask around, a lot of people cape deer to mount and change their minds. Then get one of the forum member recommended taxidermists remount it for you. I know for me it was nice to get my aoudad mount back on the wall again. My wife even likes it now.

Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: Sniper John] #4046179 02/12/13 01:48 PM
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Bob in TX Offline
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I would also recommend treating your mounts periodically with Protex. My taxidermist recommended it to me years ago:

http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/K859-P3988.aspx


The Texas Predator Posse
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Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: Bob in TX] #4046567 02/12/13 03:23 PM
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Stop Rot works on raw fresh hide to stop bacteria growth but it does not prevent beetle infestation. This damage was caused by most likely dermestid beetles. Dermestid beetles like dried out hide including tanned hide. They also lay their eggs in the mount and it is the larva that can destroy a mount in a matter of a couple of weeks. Judging from the pics this mount is not safeable anymore. I would suggest to take the antlers off and discard the rest. I would also suggest to fumigate your room where the deer was hanging in especially if you have other mounts there. Set a fogger out beneath the mounts and let the fog get into the hair. You can also put the mounts in the deep freeze for a few days if you have room. If you have any questions feel free to give us a call.


Evelyn and Michael Billington
BILLINGTON RANCH TAXIDERMY
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Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: MikeBillington] #4046980 02/12/13 05:04 PM
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Bulldog4949 Offline
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Slippage by not properly caring for hide prior to mount and/or dermestid beetles.

Did the taxi use dermestid beetles to clean skulls?


JB European Mounts
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Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: MikeBillington] #4047030 02/12/13 05:19 PM
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richm Offline
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My apologies if I implied Stop Rot was a pesticide, that is not the case. And true, this cape is well past saving.
My recommendation would be for those who are doing field preparation, skinning and capping.


rich
Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: richm] #4047225 02/12/13 06:31 PM
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rob valle Offline
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I would also feel the cape...is it wet or soft? If so, your tempature is too humid where you keep your mounts.....it may have rehydrated itself and the bugs moved in....


Rob Valle
www.hillcotaxidermy.com
Originally Posted by Texsun
The three things you need in life are a good doctor, lawyer and taxidermist.

Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: rob valle] #4050740 02/13/13 08:20 PM
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deewayne2003 Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: rob valle
I would also feel the cape...is it wet or soft? If so, your tempature is too humid where you keep your mounts.....it may have rehydrated itself and the bugs moved in....


Nope the hide is BONE DRY

The Taxidermist who did these did have some skulls cleaned for me with dermysted(spell check) beattles...but he sent the skulls off to a guy with beattles.

As for proper field care while skinning it....ive caped alot of deer and this is the only one I have never had an issue with; this deer went from alive to head in the freezer in 2hrs, and it was 35 outside when I shot it.

Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: deewayne2003] #4051249 02/13/13 11:17 PM
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richm Offline
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Sounds Like some of the beetles might have made it back on the skull. Those guys are tough. Definitely fumigate. What's crazy, is that when it gets hot, those beetles can fly, at least mine do. It's possible they got to the mount.

IF you can, you may want to stick that skull in a freezer, if you have room. There's a lot of little nook they can hide in.

FYI: I wasn't implying you did anything wrong, just that there are a lot of different things that can cause a cape to slip.

I'm really sorry that happened to your mount.


rich
Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: richm] #4051267 02/13/13 11:24 PM
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Looks like Moths. They can ruin a mount in no time.



"A hunt based only on trophies taken, falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be." -Fred Bear
Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: Big Tony] #4051277 02/13/13 11:27 PM
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If the beetles are not killed before being transported to his shop they WILL do damage. I have put a skull in a freezer and pulled it out 3 days later to end up with a tub of live dermestid after it thawed. They are tough critters and can survive almost any weather conditions.


JB European Mounts
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Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: Big Tony] #4056731 02/15/13 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted By: Big Tony
Looks like Moths. They can ruin a mount in no time.


Funny I have no experience with mounts, but I have seen deer mounts that hang in garages barns etc. that are completely exposed to bugs and humidity that are older than I am and they dont have problems like this. I would think it was somethign that happened either at the taxi/tannery or care/weather before the taxi.


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Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: redchevy] #4057008 02/15/13 10:49 PM
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Wouldn't you be able to see the meat eating beetles if they were the cause? I think I would look to the taxidermist who did the mounts and hide prep to give me an answer that was reasonable.


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Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: Big Tony] #4057013 02/15/13 10:52 PM
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Originally Posted By: Big Tony
Looks like Moths. They can ruin a mount in no time.

Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: Navasot] #4059382 02/17/13 02:00 AM
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deewayne2003 Offline OP
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Well I took a second look at the head after pulling it out of the storage area and I can see small larva that are not dead on the back of the neck; so It looks like a bug infestation.

ACTION TAKEN:-Every head I have has been sealed in 55gal contractor bags and fumigated using a bug bomb!

Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: deewayne2003] #4071197 02/21/13 09:37 AM
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If the hide dried completely, and the hair didn't fall out, it is NOT from slippage. I've been a taxi a long time and the only reason I've ever seen something like this is from bugs. If the hair is breaking, that's a different story. I've seen mounts from old school taxis that use "dry preserve" to "tan a skin, and the hair would break at the skin line. I'm guessing that's not the problem though. I'd bet its a bug issue.


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Re: DESTROYED Deer mount!.....What caused this????? [Re: elite-taxidermy] #4075818 02/22/13 11:06 PM
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Looks like what is called a Case Bearing Moth, the moth itself does not eat the hair but the larva does after it hatches. Look this moth up and you can see what it looks like , there are several articles on this.

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