Fixing the ears on a deer mount?
01-26-2009, 07:10 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location:
Posts: 250
Fixing the ears on a deer mount?
How difficult is it for a taxidermist to fix the ears on a deer mount? I shot a nice 8 point a couple years back with some nice height to him, but he was only 14" wide. I asked for the ears to lay back to make his lack of a spread not seem so bad. 12 months later I go to pick him up and...........wouldn't you know it they're in the full alert position! I should have spoke up at the time, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. To this day it bothers me. How much am I looking at ($$$) to have this fixed?
01-27-2009, 03:10 AM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cambridge Ohio USA
Posts: 744
RE: Fixing the ears on a deer mount?
They can be fixed by a competent taxidermist, IF the hide was well tanned and not dry preserved. They would look fine if they weren't shaped like sausages and placed too low.Done properly, forward ears would look better on that pose than relaxed, but that's mostly my opinion.
01-27-2009, 09:24 PM
#3
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location:
Posts: 246
RE: Fixing the ears on a deer mount?
I disagree that "any competent taxidermist" can fix your ears. I don't mean to sound rude, and I'm certainly not trying to disrespect another taxidermist, but since you asked...
...your deer mount has way more problems than just a different ear position than you requested. If you asked for back, you should have gotten back, but the reason those look so terrible forward is because they are not anatomically correct. Those ears are sticking way too far out from the head. There is no way the ear canal could attach to the skull on that deer, so it looks like it has wings for ears. Not to mention, the ear shape itself is wrong, and elongated. From the picture, it appears that the antler set is tipped forward. The eyes look strange, and the finish work on the eyes and nose look poor in the pic, and I imagine they look worse in person. If it were brought into my shop I would say fixing it is not an option, and a re-mount with a new cape by a "competent" taxidermist is in order. Expect to pay between 450 - 650 for a quality shoulder mount.
...your deer mount has way more problems than just a different ear position than you requested. If you asked for back, you should have gotten back, but the reason those look so terrible forward is because they are not anatomically correct. Those ears are sticking way too far out from the head. There is no way the ear canal could attach to the skull on that deer, so it looks like it has wings for ears. Not to mention, the ear shape itself is wrong, and elongated. From the picture, it appears that the antler set is tipped forward. The eyes look strange, and the finish work on the eyes and nose look poor in the pic, and I imagine they look worse in person. If it were brought into my shop I would say fixing it is not an option, and a re-mount with a new cape by a "competent" taxidermist is in order. Expect to pay between 450 - 650 for a quality shoulder mount.
01-28-2009, 11:03 AM
#5
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location:
Posts: 250
RE: Fixing the ears on a deer mount?
ORIGINAL: TimberlandTaxidermy
I disagree that "any competent taxidermist" can fix your ears. I don't mean to sound rude, and I'm certainly not trying to disrespect another taxidermist, but since you asked...
...your deer mount has way more problems than just a different ear position than you requested. If you asked for back, you should have gotten back, but the reason those look so terrible forward is because they are not anatomically correct. Those ears are sticking way too far out from the head. There is no way the ear canal could attach to the skull on that deer, so it looks like it has wings for ears. Not to mention, the ear shape itself is wrong, and elongated. From the picture, it appears that the antler set is tipped forward. The eyes look strange, and the finish work on the eyes and nose look poor in the pic, and I imagine they look worse in person. If it were brought into my shop I would say fixing it is not an option, and a re-mount with a new cape by a "competent" taxidermist is in order. Expect to pay between 450 - 650 for a quality shoulder mount.
I disagree that "any competent taxidermist" can fix your ears. I don't mean to sound rude, and I'm certainly not trying to disrespect another taxidermist, but since you asked...
...your deer mount has way more problems than just a different ear position than you requested. If you asked for back, you should have gotten back, but the reason those look so terrible forward is because they are not anatomically correct. Those ears are sticking way too far out from the head. There is no way the ear canal could attach to the skull on that deer, so it looks like it has wings for ears. Not to mention, the ear shape itself is wrong, and elongated. From the picture, it appears that the antler set is tipped forward. The eyes look strange, and the finish work on the eyes and nose look poor in the pic, and I imagine they look worse in person. If it were brought into my shop I would say fixing it is not an option, and a re-mount with a new cape by a "competent" taxidermist is in order. Expect to pay between 450 - 650 for a quality shoulder mount.
01-28-2009, 03:31 PM
#6
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 721
RE: Fixing the ears on a deer mount?
I agree with both guys above. Having the deer remounted by a competent taxiwould result in a good looking mount regardless of forward or back ear positioning. The rack being tipped too far forward along with the too-low placement of the too-long earbutts and mis-shapened ears is what looks out of place.
