The hard work and anticipation of that special hunt finally paid off with you taking the trophy of your dreams. No matter if the trophy happens to be the record book whitetail you’ve hunted for all your life or if it is your child’s first squirrel, a trophy is in the eye of the hunter.
The care you take with a deer you’ve bagged, whether it’s your first animal or a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife trophy, can determine the quality of the mount you end up hanging on your wall. To get the best mount possible, consider the following advice from veteran taxidermists Lewis Lee, of Plains, Virginia, and Lee Fleming, of Bear Ridge Taxidermy in Maurertown, Virginia. Both of these experienced taxidermists have won numerous awards for their work.
Every year I hear horror stories about hunters who, after years of dreaming and pinching their pennies, were finally able to go on that hunt of a lifetime to some faraway place only to have their hard-earned trophies from the hunt ruined, lost or stolen. They may still have their memories of the trip, but nothing to put on their walls.
Many of us dream of bagging a record-book whitetail buck, moose, bear, etc. Of course, few people ever do. But that doesn't stop us from adorning the walls of our homes with taxidermy mounts of our favorite game animals and with good reason. A beautifully taxidermied mount is a work of art, as well as a reminder of a memorable experience in the field, and the people and places that helped make it special, regardless of the size of the animal. To help ensure that your trophy is something that you will be proud of and enjoy looking at for many years to come, here are some tips:
