You guys had me so nervous that I called my taxidermist about how he tans the hides. He uses the same process as commercial tanners except he doesn't "break" the hide. Not "breaking" it allows the hide to adhere tighter to the form to show more of the forms definition.

I was also surprised to hear that RATDAWG isn't a fan of the Rinehart form because of lack of realism. Is it possible that WI and IL bucks are that different? I realize the neck looks really big on my buck but that is really what he looked like.

My mounts are in the same room as my fireplace and even the first coat of "Pledge" took the dry look away. "Pledge" is only a light spray wax with a little lemon oil. I wouldn't think that couldn't hurt anything.

Time will tell if my mount will last or not but one of my employees husbands has used this guy for ten years and all of his mounts still look great. Thanks for the concern and good info. There really are some hack taxidermists out there and they should be avoided. Mounts in my area cost from about $250-$600. Mine was $325 and he does this for a living not just a side hobby like some. I have seen the other guys mounts and I feel I am getting a really good value.

One more thing, what do you guys think of the "details" on that buck?