Unhappy with my new coues mount

[GTT]

I think they both look good...yes the eye set & shape on the velvet buck looks different from the other one, but it's not that bad. The hard horn buck is an up right pose, different form company, winter cape, & a "different taxidermist". The velvet buck looks like a semi sneek pose, summer cape, different form company, & a "different taxidermist"...All these things will make a mount look different from the next. As far as making major adjustments to the finished "dry" mount...once the clay & glue dry, that's it. You would need to get another cape & have it remounted...Beautiful bucks! Congrats.

[hunter4life]

I think the mount looks pretty similar to the picture of the actual deer as far as the width of the eyes. However, I do see what you are saying about the eyes looking forward. I think the only one to blame is actually yourself because as you said in your post "I was looking at his web page and all of his coues seem to have this look." Do your homework before sending your trophy to a taxidermist so you know what to expect.

[bowsniper]

It is really important to visit different shops and look at the different taxidermy styles with a very critical eye. There are many really good taxidermists, and reputation is important, but if we're gonna fork out high dollars for taxidermy we need to go and look - real hard! I'll bet from now on, Mark you will be studying the eyes on every coues mount you see.

Mike

 

 

Boy, you can say that again Mike. I spent a couple of hours studying the coues mounts in cabelas last night. BTW, if you haven't noticed, my avaitar is a picture of this buck a few weeks before I got him.

 

Thanks for all your comments guys.

 

Mark

[shortpants]

If your not happy then it should be fixed. However, I think you should ask yourself why your unhappy. If it is because the mount does not look exactly like the picture of the real deer then I think your going to run into this problem with every animal you ever have mounted. If however, you can look at the mount and see something about it that you feel is not right then there is definately a problem.

[bowsniper]

I am unhappy with it because to me the eyes look much different than the animal in the picture with me. But from what people are saying, the only way to fix it would be to use a different cape. To me, that would be worse than putting up with the eyes the way they are. If I am wrong, and the deer's eyes can be fixed while keeping the original cape, somebody, please let me know.

 

Couestaxi, what is your opinion?

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

[shortpants]

I would think going with a different form or altering the one you have would be possible but what do I know?

[triton]

As a taxidermist myself and studying coues deer obcessively as I do, here are my 2 cents:

 

1. The eye muscle and eyes are bulged out too far on the side of the deers' head.

 

2. The forward looking eyes are not very far off (From what I can tell from the photo). On the photo of the dead deer, dead animals' eyelids relax and fall down a little. Look at some of the photos in the live coues photos and trail cam pics to get a real "live" picture of a deer's eye. They have a forward tilt to them so they can look "at" what they are looking at.

 

3. You get what you pay for. There are some taxidermists out there that take alot of measurements and alter forms like crazy to match it as close as they can to the original animal. But that take alot of time, and time is money. You will pay alot more for that extra time spent on your mount. Most guys take a few main critical measurements before they order their forms(Neck circumference/eye to nose/nose to back of skull) and use that form. Not every coues deer is exactly the same.

 

4.It is probably too late for the cape to be reused on a different form. I would talk to the taxidermist and tell him your concerns and talk over any options he might have to offer.