ORIGINAL: jackflap
The taxidermist did a fantastic job with what he had to work with, but why bother to get him mounted.
I mean seriously, where you hunt anybody could get one like that in about two afternoons of hunting,or at least thats what I've read somewhere.
On a really serious note, very impressive. While I would be proud of all of them, the 181 is the one that impresses me the most (I like the width and the kizzilian points).
Just curious as how you rank the two as to which one is your favorite and is it due to the antlers (height,width,mass,symmetry,etc) or is the the story behind the two that separates them apart?
Thanks for your comments about the mount.
The question thoughis one of the best I've been asked.
Some info: I've been bow hunting since 1967 (gun hunting since 1969). I started hunting for mature bucks in 1991 and have taken 17 of them. The 4 you see in the pic are my favorite ones. I have never really sat down and ranked them specifically. Now that you have asked, I'd have to say that the largest one on the left is my #1 favorite. Not because he is my biggest but because he was my first mature buck and gave me the most heart stopping action of any hunt in my life! My #2 is the middle, top one He doesn't make P&Y, only nets 115+. He was the king of the area and I had a chance at him and blew it. The very next year, from the same stand, I was blind calling and he came rushing in and almost caught me off guard. Almost!
Again, quite the rush. My '07 buck, top right is #3. I saw him twice in '06 and once had him at 15 yards, no shot. He was the best buck I saw in '06, so to take him the next year was very rewarding. The bottom one is #4. He was my third P&Y and that was when I finally started feeling that I knew what I was doing when it came to mature bucks.
Great question, thanks for asking.