Shoulder vs European
- Thread starter adamcline20
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niacrtwi
New member
For whitetails, the buck has to be larger than any I have taken before to "qualify" for a shoulder mount, otherwise it's a European these days.
Any new species that I, wife or son takes, gets shoulder mounted. The only exception to date is a hippo.
Generally all animals where we've taken more than one, are European. There's a couple species I still shoulder mount regardless, purely personal preference and because of the quality of the hunt experience. Those being Cape buffalo, wildebeest and kudu.
Any new species that I, wife or son takes, gets shoulder mounted. The only exception to date is a hippo.
Generally all animals where we've taken more than one, are European. There's a couple species I still shoulder mount regardless, purely personal preference and because of the quality of the hunt experience. Those being Cape buffalo, wildebeest and kudu.
ellis51lee
New member
I’ve alway gone euro, no real rationale except it was what my grandfather did.
I did have some initial remorse over a cougar euro, but it has really grown on me.
I think, at least right now, I’d probably only go shoulder for a really unique PG animal or a goat or bighorn
I did have some initial remorse over a cougar euro, but it has really grown on me.
I think, at least right now, I’d probably only go shoulder for a really unique PG animal or a goat or bighorn
I used to shoulder mount most everything. Anymore, I opt for Euro's. I like the look of them more, they don't collect dust and they don't fade with time like a shoulder mount. There will be some exceptions of course - leopard, ibex and big ak/yukon moose will likely get shoulder mounted.
gelhaargerald
Member
Funny I just posted this question to the Sunday Q&A.
We have 10 shoulder mount whitetails right now with another on the way. I haven’t done one since I killed a 165 in 2016. Had a really cool 8 point with kickers that I should have probably done but I did a Euro instead.
I like mounts a lot I just don’t have a good spot for them right now. We should have a lake house or a farm cabin in the near future.
I have a mule deer shoulder, 29” walleye, bear and a turkey my younger son shot last spring. That maybe my favorite. It was over 30 lbs, 12.75” beard and 1-5/8 spurs. Those aren’t cheap but it’s pretty bad ass.
We have 10 shoulder mount whitetails right now with another on the way. I haven’t done one since I killed a 165 in 2016. Had a really cool 8 point with kickers that I should have probably done but I did a Euro instead.
I like mounts a lot I just don’t have a good spot for them right now. We should have a lake house or a farm cabin in the near future.
I have a mule deer shoulder, 29” walleye, bear and a turkey my younger son shot last spring. That maybe my favorite. It was over 30 lbs, 12.75” beard and 1-5/8 spurs. Those aren’t cheap but it’s pretty bad ass.
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pattesonfamily
Member
I don't think I'll ever do another shoulder mount unless its literally a world class animal. And even then maybe not.
My only shoulder mount is the kudu in my profile pic. It was world class but it 6 feet tall from base of the mount to tip of the horns. A bitch to find a place to hang it.
Space, money, leaving it to the kids etc all come in to my thinking.
My only shoulder mount is the kudu in my profile pic. It was world class but it 6 feet tall from base of the mount to tip of the horns. A bitch to find a place to hang it.
Space, money, leaving it to the kids etc all come in to my thinking.
niacrtwi
New member
Great turkey mount and awesome turkey. Did a WI based taxidermist do that mount for you? If so, who?
adamcline20
New member
Thanks for the input gents. I guess I was really asking permission to only do European mounts forever. Sounds like that’s fair.
On whitetails I do the same as niacrtwi, only of it is larger than one I have already killed, and honestly needs to be significantly so.
On other big game it just depends on the species, and how much I dig it or enjoyed the hunt.
I have killed nearly 400 turkeys and never mounted one, aside from my first Ocellated.
At one point I was planning on mounting one of every waterfowl but that petered out around number 15 or so, mostly because nothing is a bigger pain in the ass to keep clean than bird mounts.
I do plan on mounting a Harlequin or my next King Eider, my first was immature.
On other big game it just depends on the species, and how much I dig it or enjoyed the hunt.
I have killed nearly 400 turkeys and never mounted one, aside from my first Ocellated.
At one point I was planning on mounting one of every waterfowl but that petered out around number 15 or so, mostly because nothing is a bigger pain in the ass to keep clean than bird mounts.
I do plan on mounting a Harlequin or my next King Eider, my first was immature.
gelhaargerald
Member
It was a guy in Iowa. He hasn’t been doing them long but he is excellent at it. He charges a lot though so he better be.
Side note he was just going to use a random head. That bird was so big u made him send the head to a guy to get freeze dried.
niacrtwi
New member
My taxidermist stopped doing turkeys so I'm looking for a turkey replacement shop. Don't really want to drive to Iowa though. Thanks for the reply.
rigriffin91
New member
I only shot small bucks and does my first several years hunting so when I shot a decent 8 point as a teenager I got it shoulder mounted. Then I killed a full velvet 10 point and had that one done as well. I also had my first and only mule deer (a decent 4x4 ) shoulder mounted. The last of these was 2011 or 2012. I've shot mostly does since then and cut the horns off or euro mounted the bucks since then. I will do my next mule deer as a euro just because I like the way they look better and I will get another whitetail mounted but it's going to have to be once in a lifetime big. I moved into a house with high ceilings last year so I'll shoulder mount a bull elk if I shoot a nice one since I have a place to put it now.
wburns
Active member
I shoulder mount new species as long as they are a good representation. Anything else even if larger gets a euro. I have a ton of bird mounts. Almost all the North American upland birds as well as a good chunk of waterfowl. They all go in my office so no one can bitch about the number of them lol. Only animal besides a javelina I’ve done is a full body mount of a musk ox. Probably my favorite hunt out of all the ones I have done. I did my bison as a rug. The bison was given to me by some friends on the Ft Peck Reservation. They had to do a culling of young bulls so they gave me one. Was a memorable time. We butchered it and I gave all my friends some meat. We were all fat and sassy that winter lol. 
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deadeyejunior
Member
I have a dozen shoulder mounts, which is about 6 too many right now...
I'll probably cut the skull caps off a couple of the whitetail shoulder mounts and do leather covered horn mounts on them to take up less space. Going forward I'm only mounting a few more epic species that will most likely be once in a lifetime hunts, i.e. Sheep, Mt Goat, some international adventures. I have the Shiras Moose in my avatar currently being worked on. I have over 30 euro mounts, most of which are stacked in a corner of the basement for now.
I have my first trip to Africa booked for next year and 13 animals are on that list, I'll prob mount 2-3 and euro the rest.
I'm fortunate to have the wall space and a forgiving spouse, but as my wife says she doesn't want our house "looking like Cabela's".
Like @Tony Caggiano I was working on the N. American waterfowl slam and N. American Upland slam and stopped at about 20 taxidermied birds, it's too much and too expensive. Just high quality photos from now on which will be printed in a coffee table style photo book.
I'll probably cut the skull caps off a couple of the whitetail shoulder mounts and do leather covered horn mounts on them to take up less space. Going forward I'm only mounting a few more epic species that will most likely be once in a lifetime hunts, i.e. Sheep, Mt Goat, some international adventures. I have the Shiras Moose in my avatar currently being worked on. I have over 30 euro mounts, most of which are stacked in a corner of the basement for now.
I have my first trip to Africa booked for next year and 13 animals are on that list, I'll prob mount 2-3 and euro the rest.
I'm fortunate to have the wall space and a forgiving spouse, but as my wife says she doesn't want our house "looking like Cabela's".
Like @Tony Caggiano I was working on the N. American waterfowl slam and N. American Upland slam and stopped at about 20 taxidermied birds, it's too much and too expensive. Just high quality photos from now on which will be printed in a coffee table style photo book.
deadeyejunior
Member
Thats the first Bison rug with a mounted head I've seen, pretty cool.
wburns
Active member
Thanks! Yeah my taxidermist thought I was nuts when I asked for it but afterwards he said that was actually really fun to do and turned out cool.
Godfather
Active member
This is a great thread.
I shoulder mounted my first kill, almost like a right of passage. Given my age, I’m pretty sure that pre-dated the combustion engine.
Since then, I’m biased to euro mounts for space and simplicity. That said, I fall prey to great takes and awesome animals, such as the shoulder Cape Kudu on the wall, and a Greater Southern on the way, paired with a Nyala. The “slams” where you have to delineate by color also compelled me to do shoulders for Springbok, and similarly that then leads down the slippery path of unique takes, so add to the list of shoulder mounts a Golden Wilderbeast, and a Black Impala. Deer and elk and everything else from Africa has been euro. So in essence, I’m all over the fucking map, with wall space shrinking, euros and shoulders, not to mention flat skins, stacking up like cord wood. Is there an intervention service for this?
But here is the question, or scenario, to contemplate: @Tony Caggiano sets you up with a Narwal hunt, and at the moment you un-alive that bastard, your African taxidermist calls to confirm how you want to set up the Baboon you shot a few weeks earlier. Meanwhile, your walls are full and the narrative at home is you are out of control, and it’s trending to a problem. What do you do (select all that apply):
(A) you have them make the Narwal horn (it’s actually a tooth) in to a gentleman’s cane
(B) you have them euro the entire baboon skeleton, pinned at the joints, with one hand holding the severed head of said baboon, the other flipping off the audience
(C) you do a simple baboon skull with orange LED lights in the eye sockets and use it in the window at Halloween
(D) you make boots for you and your besties out of Narwal skin, which upon reflection would pair well with the gentleman’s cane
(E) you have them shoulder mount the Narwal coming out of the floor as if it’s rising from the sea, with the option of a wet floor pond, of course with bubbling jets and froth and a filtering set up behind the scenes, and then you have them place the baboon in full body mount, being skewered by the Narwal horn (did I mention this is actually a tooth?), with the Baboon depicted in absolute agony, fake blood at the point of penetration, and of course the Baboon flipping off the audience
(F) none of the above (this selection requires an alternative option being provided)
These are the first world problems that perplex mankind….what say you?
I shoulder mounted my first kill, almost like a right of passage. Given my age, I’m pretty sure that pre-dated the combustion engine.
Since then, I’m biased to euro mounts for space and simplicity. That said, I fall prey to great takes and awesome animals, such as the shoulder Cape Kudu on the wall, and a Greater Southern on the way, paired with a Nyala. The “slams” where you have to delineate by color also compelled me to do shoulders for Springbok, and similarly that then leads down the slippery path of unique takes, so add to the list of shoulder mounts a Golden Wilderbeast, and a Black Impala. Deer and elk and everything else from Africa has been euro. So in essence, I’m all over the fucking map, with wall space shrinking, euros and shoulders, not to mention flat skins, stacking up like cord wood. Is there an intervention service for this?
But here is the question, or scenario, to contemplate: @Tony Caggiano sets you up with a Narwal hunt, and at the moment you un-alive that bastard, your African taxidermist calls to confirm how you want to set up the Baboon you shot a few weeks earlier. Meanwhile, your walls are full and the narrative at home is you are out of control, and it’s trending to a problem. What do you do (select all that apply):
(A) you have them make the Narwal horn (it’s actually a tooth) in to a gentleman’s cane
(B) you have them euro the entire baboon skeleton, pinned at the joints, with one hand holding the severed head of said baboon, the other flipping off the audience
(C) you do a simple baboon skull with orange LED lights in the eye sockets and use it in the window at Halloween
(D) you make boots for you and your besties out of Narwal skin, which upon reflection would pair well with the gentleman’s cane
(E) you have them shoulder mount the Narwal coming out of the floor as if it’s rising from the sea, with the option of a wet floor pond, of course with bubbling jets and froth and a filtering set up behind the scenes, and then you have them place the baboon in full body mount, being skewered by the Narwal horn (did I mention this is actually a tooth?), with the Baboon depicted in absolute agony, fake blood at the point of penetration, and of course the Baboon flipping off the audience
(F) none of the above (this selection requires an alternative option being provided)
These are the first world problems that perplex mankind….what say you?
You're immature.
Shoulder mounts are awesome, euro mounts are awesome, flat skins are awesome. If you have the space and discretionary income, shoulder mounts are dope but I personally would only shoulder mount an animal that was significant in some way - not necessarily due to size but due to the quality of that particular hunt and the memories associated with it.
The only whitetail I've shoulder mounted is the first buck I killed and he was stud of an 8-point that I worked my ass off for and targeted specifically over a period of time.
I also have shoulder mounts of a kudu and a zebra. In process are shoulder mounts of a nilgai and an nyala. I have a ton of euros - some on plaques and some straight skulls and like both options for different reasons. Then I have flat skins of fallow deer, zebra, and springbok. My one taxidermy regret is not getting either a shoulder mount or at least the flat skin from my first African kill, which was a blue wildebeest. I have his skull on a plaque and it looks great, but their brindle coat is incredible and, if I had it to do over again, I would have gone shoulder or added the flat skin to the euro order.
The only whitetail I've shoulder mounted is the first buck I killed and he was stud of an 8-point that I worked my ass off for and targeted specifically over a period of time.
I also have shoulder mounts of a kudu and a zebra. In process are shoulder mounts of a nilgai and an nyala. I have a ton of euros - some on plaques and some straight skulls and like both options for different reasons. Then I have flat skins of fallow deer, zebra, and springbok. My one taxidermy regret is not getting either a shoulder mount or at least the flat skin from my first African kill, which was a blue wildebeest. I have his skull on a plaque and it looks great, but their brindle coat is incredible and, if I had it to do over again, I would have gone shoulder or added the flat skin to the euro order.
