if you know its the same buck you shot,then its your trophy . just hang on to the antlers and mount it on another cape ,we do this all the time.

back around 1985 i shot a huge 6pt near a big swampy thicket,he was bleeding like a stuck pig when he entered the swamp. we looked for days and couldn't find him. there were no buzzards near there for a week, then 10 days later it warmed up and i found him while hunting the other side of the thicket,there was one buzzard setting in a tree . now i knew i killed this buck, he was the biggest 6pt i'd ever seen. i kept that rack and about 5-6 years ago i mounted it,with the cape from another buck i killed. the buck is 22 1/2 outside spread and heavy .you just don't find many 6pts that size in va.

well-did you find any sheds?

Great buck, congrats!

Yes I found one side to a nice 8 pt.

Don't give up keep looking if you know you hit him good. Hopefully you will find him when you are shed hunting.

I would definitely agree with you. Somepeople on here don't see it that way. Or should I say one guy on here doesn't. My taxidermist already said he has a cape for me if I wish to use it.

CONGRATS !!

dd

How much is a cape to get a mount done?

I got a 13 pt last year and it killed me to know that it's likely the biggest deer if not one of the biggest I'll get in my lifetime and since I'm in school, I couldn't afford to get a mount made. Eventually I want to get a cape and have him mounted, just wondering how much it will run me.

He would have made a cool mount too, thick brow hair of an almost red color. I'd love to find a cape from an older deer since the rack has some broken points and I think an older cape would add to the overall character, but I'll be thrilled to have it mounted regardless!

Here's what he looked like alive:


And on my med student budget ($10 for a saw and $12 for a mounting kit at Scheel's) here's what I have hanging above my desk in my office:

Just depends, some taxidermists won't charge for the cape and some will. On ebay a nice cape will go for over $100.00. And around here the average deer mount will be around $350.00. SoI would say it would cost you between $350.00 and $450.00.

Thanks for the info!

Maybe I'll see if I can talk the wife into letting me get it done next spring as a graduation present!