does this antelope mount look right?

BigPig · May 2, 2005

LAST EDITED ON May-02-05 AT 03:38PM (MST)[p]
Some of you may remember a while back I posted a thread where I just got my antelope back from the taxi and it had an odd bulge on the neck right by the cheek patch. The general consensus is that it was normal for a Northern antelope with longer hair. Well I finally got around to posting the pics. What do you think?

http://community.webshots.com/album/336940628vWlEbS

searcher · May 2, 2005

Looks like a great mount job to me. Congratulations on a nice trophy. The hairs flairing outward just below the black cheek patch is natural. My goat mount is the same way.

Searchin' for a 4X4

GJM · May 2, 2005

You want opinions? Personally I think the head is Great, good lookin horns also, but that is a really big lump of hair on the neck, kinda looks like a poodle with horns, you know the slick face then the big tuft of fur! I have 4 on the wall and none of them look like that,3 from NV and 1 from WY could mail them to you if you want to compare? I'm too stupid to figure out how to post on here JMO!...Greg

BigPig · May 2, 2005

LAST EDITED ON May-02-05 AT 09:05PM (MST)[p]GJM,
I do kind of agree with you. I've seen some that do have this bulge and some that don't. I can't tell if the bulge is due to hair or the form itself. I shot this buck in Wyoming and he does have really long hair. The mane on the back of his neck is about 4". The taxi was a friend of the rancher (who is a friend of mine) who owned the property where I shot this back so I wouldn't really want to take it back to the same taxi, even if it costs me some more money. It is odd as this taxidermist came very highly recommended and I know he has done hundreds of antelope. What could I have done now? I'd kind of like to keep this same cape. Could it be remounted? Any cost ideas? Is it even worth it or was this actually mounted correctly? nmtaxi, where are ya? I need an honest, unbiased opinion from a professional.

Here are some field photos. You can see that he definitely has a bulge in his neck hair where it joins the head, but not as large as in the mount. I also just noticed that in the mount the black cheeck patch is a lot narrower. The mount almost looks like the hide is not slid down the neck far enough and the skin is bunched up at the neck, making the cheek patch look narrow and the hair bulge more than it should. But that is just my unprofessional opinion.

http://community.webshots.com/album/337311125ILkAUI

Lien2 · May 3, 2005

Could somebody post these pics please? I am blocked from opening the link for some reason.
Thanks.

Lien2

Bura Nut · May 3, 2005

Great goat.....something definitely looks wrong to me.....I have shot quite a few goats and the two I have mounted (one Montana, one Wyoming) dont have near the amount of skin bunched up like that. Maybe nmtaxi or some others can help stear you in the right direction...... Allen Taylor......

nmtaxi · May 3, 2005

LAST EDITED ON May-03-05 AT 04:24PM (MST)[p]It is a little odd. The taxidermist did a nice job overall, and seems to know what he's doing. I remember us discussing this a few months ago, but it's not what I pictured. It looks to me like there is a fold or wrinkle in the skin right where it meets the head. Feel around that bump, and see if the skin feels smooth, or if it is wrinkled. The way pronghorn hair is, if there is a fold, it really makes it stick out. It's either that, or he likes the way a beefed up neck looks. I hate to critique other people's work. The taxidermist might have a good explanation of it.
By the way, nice pronghorn. Great mass and prongs.

BigPig · May 3, 2005

LAST EDITED ON May-03-05 AT 04:40PM (MST)[p]Thanks fellas. I do think the cape is wrinkled up in there. It is hard to tell by feeling, but there is a definite bulge there and it is not just the cowlick of hair. I think the real give away is that the cheek patch is narrower than the field photos. On the field photo you can see a nice large, symmetrical cheekpatch. On the mount it appears to be scrunched into an oblong shape of about 4" long and only 1.5" wide. How else could this have happened? What can be done now?

I sucked it up at the risk of offending the landowner and called the taxi. I tried to be as nice as possible. I know this taxi is good and he has done tons of pronghorn. He came highly recommended, and lives in the antelope capital of the world, so I can only surmise there is a logical explanation for it. I sent him the pictures, so I'll wait and see what he says. I'm a bit bummed as this is a trophy goat and I paid good money for the mount. It sucks to kill a bomber animal and then have a mount that you are not completely happy with.

norby · May 3, 2005

The head looks good, eyes, nose, mouth all look great.
He does look like he's wearing a fur turtle neck. I've
never seen one quite like that.

nbjbhunterman · May 3, 2005

Both nice sage goats!

NBJB

BigPig · May 4, 2005

LAST EDITED ON May-04-05 AT 09:23AM (MST)[p]Well I heard back from the taxi and he seemed to think the mount looked beautiful. As I expected he said that it's just the cowlick and the bulge is natural. I'm not sure what to do about it now.