I’ve brought this up before but I’m still on the fence as to what to do?

Several years ago, I killed a deer at my buddies ranch. My first true ten point. Nothing outwardly special about the hunt but it was a good time.

A few weeks later I killed a bigger ten point and not wanting to absorb the taxidermy bill at the time I mounted the bigger one and horn mounted the other.

Fast forward to present day....the mount is hanging in my bathroom (kinda Texas themed so it fits in). I started considering mounting it again after striking out on my hunts and not having a deer at the taxidermist of my own. My taxidermist has a good south Texas cape in his freezer thst he will give me for free. When I shot the deer it rode around with me for the better part of a week before I could get it cut up, one of my buddies looked at it and said it wouldn’t go 130”. I’m not much of a score guy so I never had it measured. I measured it tonite and it goes a tad over 140”.

So my dilemma is this:

Should I mount this deer or leave it in the bathroom? I have a euro mount that would fill its place perfectly.

Would a 140” ten point be worth mounting? It’s the 2nd or 3rd biggest whitetail I’ve taken and as it sits now I only have 2 wt shoulder mounts. There is a potential situation ahead where it may be more practical to have an additional shoulder mount than a horn mount thst doesent show off the horns well anyway ( it’s one of those flat base types that lay against the wall with the horns in full charge position ) but right now getting another head in my office would require re-adjustment of a few heads, nothing more, but would create a slight imbalance.


The cost is what it is ( normal shoulder mount cost for quality work )





What to do.....???

Count memories not money.

In my opinion, score should have nothing to do with whatever you decide. Are you mounting it to look at and personally enjoy the memories of the hunt and a beautiful animal, or to impress your buddies? Some of the best looking mounts I’ve seen have been smaller bucks, but I personally look at the quality of the taxidermy over the size of the head gear. To each their own, but I’ve never looked at a mount on someone’s wall and questioned it based on score. I’m more apt to ask for the story behind it. If it’s a special deer for you, I wouldn’t hesitate to take him to a taxidermist. In fact last year I dropped off a buck I shot my senior year of high school. Over seventeen years ago. I didn’t have the money at the time, and his skull has set on a shelf forgotten all that time. My son was born in April, and shortly after we found out we were pregnant, I decided now was the time. That head will hang in his nursery, and I doubt he’ll score 120”.

I would have mounted both to start with but since you didn’t I’d just leave it as is.

I just like to look at taxidermy. My plan is to have a well rounded taxidermy collection thst will be something of a showpiece in the home. That’s why I’ve always opted for shoulder mounts over euro or horn mounts.

This would be a opportunity to have another representative buck in the collection

In hindsight I should have but when your 25 and self employed you tend to watch your spending

Get it mounted!!!!

Leave it as it. Euro mount. I only have 2 shoulders and rest euro. Next mount will be 140 inch and so on. Rest euro if smaller. I love euro mounts.

I would probably leave it and go after a bigger one....

Remember to budget for your South Africa trip taxidermy.

If you made a poll I'd vote to leave it as is. The cape wouldn't be your deer. To me that would matter.

I’m not a shoulder mount fan. I think a horn or Euro mount is much nicer.

My rule is that for a shoulder mount it has to be bigger than the last. I’d leave it.

Leave the euro as is and wait for a really big buck for the next shoulder mount.

a trophy is in the eye of the hunter. Your first 10er sounds like a trophy to me

its not a euro its just a skull cap horn mount. And I will mount the next big buck regardless

When I got my first mount back I pulled up a pic and said, that is not my cape! Deer I shot was very dark. Called taxi guy many use here and he said he couldn't use it and never told me. Still looks great and he didn't charge me for another cape but I wanted the dark one! I hope it really went bad and wasn't sold. Never seen one like that since.

I have 12 shoulder mounts as of now with my wife’s on the way. A little late to start the reversal

Yeah, already started planning for that.

African mounts arnt cheap

I have never ask anyone about mounting a deer I like. They did not kill it and they are not paying for the mount. Quit being a wedgeazz and mount the deer if you like him.

I'm quite the opposite. The only deer I've ever shoulder mounted was my first buck. All others to date have been euros if done at all.


2016 Euro

Agree, wont make one difference to an observer, go with what you want and roll with it.

Agree, score is a number, don't hunt for a number. Hunt for the fun, memories and friendships. If the deer makes you think of a number leave it as is but if the memories are good take it to be redone.

If you like the shoulder mount, go ahead and get it done. You won't regret it.

You're posting about it now because you regret not already doing it...

i'm gonna go ahead and get it done I think

Obviously your regretting not doing it in the first place,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,mount it !!!!

I'm a huge fan of taxidermy and love having as many mounts as possible in my home. Mostly I like different species, and I could care less what they score or if they make any of the record books. I do measure them to make sure it's a mature animal, but rarely remember what they score. I think my ten point whitetail scores around the mid 130's. He's a nice clean buck that I shot back in the 90's. I haven't shot another whitetail since then. My wife has shot a few bucks on our land and to me, that's more exciting then shooting one myself. She always gets first shot!!!! I tell her that if another shows up, I'll take that one, but it's never happened. I have close to 30 different species in my collection. I don't really need or want another whitetail.

From what you have said, it sounds like that's a special buck to you, and it's nice enough that it will look good on your wall. I try to go through life with the plan of not regretting not doing something. Will you regret not doing this? It sounds like you already do, so getting it mounted sounds like something that should happen. I don't care what it costs, I have an envelope that I put cash in almost every week to save up to pay my taxidermist. By the time it's done, I have all of it saved up, or enough that what I'm short isn't very painful.

I guess im weird, I don't care to have a whole mess of shoulder mounts so I am pretty selective on what gets a mount. I only have one mount so far, its my biggest buck to date, a typical 12 and the first non cull buck I shot on our place. Im going to have to bust a big one before im ready to mount one again.

I like euro mounts and I do them myself so I like that they are cheap and done on my timeline not someone elses, but im running out of room to put them.

Sounds like you're shooting too many bucks

Well.....update.


after I had posted this I had waffled back and forth and had talked myself out of doing it.


A few weeks back we went to a charity dinner and we were walking around the silent auction and I noticed that my taxidermist had donated a WT shoulder mount and no one had bid on it...…..



So tomorrow the buck goes to the taxidermist to get shoulder mounted.


Kinda Excited about it. I was reminiscing about the hunt earlier and it brought a smile to my face. I think that is the answer I needed.

Sounds to me like it was meant to be.
Glad to hear the charity got their share and you get your buck mounted.

Lol off topic on an old post. Ive been hunting since I was 10 and im 33 this year so I have 23 years of deer. That doesn't count a few that Are actually my dads that he shot when I was with him as a kid and several of my wifes bucks. In a few years my son will start adding to the count also. There are just so many places to put them. I don't have and don't want a wall of heads in my living room and don't want a trophy room. I have a few where I want them and that's what I want. Also have a few that we picked up dead on our property that we had on camera for several years. It just really starts to add up. Im not the buck buster, ive shot far more does in my hunting life than bucks.

I told my Wife that I was through mounting deer after I shot my Comal county monster a couple of years ago. WRONG! The big 10pt I shot behind my house last year blew that plan out of the water. He's at 'Double nickel' taxi. Biggest buck that's ever been killed on our place.

Dropped him off this morning, should be ready in 4-6 weeks.


I’ll post some pics of him when he is done.

You carried a deer in your vehicle for a week before you could get it cut up....? Am I missing something?

Yes. Was busy at work.

He tasted fine