Need ideas for my shoulder mount!
 

I got my first big buck mounted in 2008, moved to a new house this past month and the landlord won't allow me to hang it on the wall. I'm thinking of making a pedestal to display it on. Can you guys please share some ideas of pedestals and how to hang a wall mount on one? Thanks!!

Why does the landlord need to know?

My last mount that I had done was a pedestal mount and I got a cedar tree that had blown over and ripped it from the ground. I took my chainsaw and cut a hole in the back side of the stump and then bored a hole on the top. Worked great but the roots have to be cut back and that's tricky. My idea for your shoulder mount would be you could bolt a metal rod onto the back of your mount and then fashion some kind of pedestal to set it on. Good luck and post some pics once your done. I would like to see it.

Really so you can't hang anything on the walls?

Does the lease say that nothing can be hung on the walls? Are deer mounts specifically noted as being prohibited while pictures, mirrors etc... are allowed? What about a bear skin? Can you hang it up? If the lease doesn't specifically mention deer mounts, I'd hang it and simply use spackling paste to patch the wall when I moved out. Renters have quite a few rights and I seriously doubt the landlord can enforce such a thing. In most places the landlord can't even enter the premises without the renters permission so how would they even know about it?

Now, if you don't want to risk a pissing contest you could get some decent lumber and make a stand to mount it on and put it in the corner of a room. It would have to have a pretty substantial base to be stable though. If it was me, I'd be looking around and I'd get out of that lease as soon as I could. Who needs aggravation like that anyway?

A typical deer shoulder mount is much lighter than most think. Your LL might be thinking it will take a huge bolt to anchor it to the wall(??) Heck some of mine are hung on average sized wood screws only into the sheetrock. That said, if you simply want to do as they insist I'd suggest something like this; a 12"+ diameter log split in half. I'd suggest a length of 18" to 2 feet for this base. Using the flat side as a base bottom, use (as already suggested) a metal rod or metal strip bolted to the back of the plaque. Using some trial and error bend it at an angle that will tilt the mount & plaque a bit rearward. Find a piece of a tree branch or small tree of 3-5" in diameter and 4-6" (or more?) in length. Drill a hole through the limb top to bottom (lengthwise) big enough to thread/fit the metal rod (strip) through.

Drill a hole into the curved top of your split log/base and epoxy the rod at the proper angle to hold the rod straight up out of the base and have it bent so to hold the plaque at the desired angle. This bend/angle would be right where the bottom of the plaque is. Then, adjust the overall lenth of your branch (with drilled hole) so as to be proper length to hide the metal rod between the plaque and base. Should be pretty natural looking and very inexpensive to make.

Good Luck!

I'd be more worried about getting out of your lease. If they are worried about a deer on the wall, I can't image what is going to follow. I leased in Chicago for 7 years before I bought a place and I never had a landlord say that and they are real ball busters here!