RE: Judge My Mount ...
To DD and ALL others...
The point at which this post took the nosedive is when folks who were green with envy took cheap shots at DD, etc. Ive judged work all over the country for 15 years, Im considered an expert, like it or not. As such, it was obvious that the mount, which WAS the focus of the original post, is top knotched by any standards, including good clean commercial standards. Knowing Brian Dobson personally, I knew to expect such work from him.
DD, the only, ONLY mistake I saw in this whole silliness was that you were posting this buck on more then one thread, which might lead some to believe that you were bragging. Guess what folks? Taking a trophy and displaying it is ALL about bragging. Its ok. Its an accomplishment. Taxidermy in general is to preserve the memory of the hunt, the accomplishment.
As for those who dont understand guided hunts, again, DD, dont sweat it. We all know the difference between a guy somewhere holding your hand, helping you into a blind in the dark, and whispering over your shoulder when to shoot, and a decent guided hunt. Guided meaning, when you hire someone that knows the terrain, knows the difference in the animals traits, has access to the ground, and can put you in the most likely spot. Anyone can figure out that you increase your odds at success by putting yourself in the right place, whether that be picking the right tree in the right public ground, or planting the correct mix for a foodplot, or researching where and when the best odds of being in the vicinity of a big buck might be. Those who take and laugh at DD are simply unable to afford to go where they too could score big. But theyll sit in some spot nearby, doing nothing to gain permission, and sit waiting like some idiot for a trophy sized buck that doesnt even exist there. Like the kids fishing with a fake pole in a puddle. Whats that, guys? Didnt quite like that analogy? What, you mean not ALL guys who dont go on guided hunts are that way? No kidding, because not all guys who DO go guided are the OTHER way either...Lets be fair here. Id LOVE to do it DDs way, but I cant. But Ill not take shots at him for it. Heck as a taxidermist I didnt take shots at the work, I complimented it. Come on guys, its real easy to just say something positive, or not say something at all.