Caribou Antler Pedestal: Another Option
Caribou
Contributors to this thread:
Got my 2013 Caribou antlers back from my taxidermist (I dropped them off early in June so it wasn't a real long wait)...but I had them freeze-dried ASAP when I returned last September. I really don't need, nor do I have room for another head mount in my house so I opted for an antler pedestal mount. I thought they came out pretty nice and are another option for those of us running out of room in our man cave. Take care.
The other side of the mount.
looks cool. I like the idea.
The panel the skull rests on can be rotated 180 degrees and changed from a pedestal to a wall hanger as well.
Did you have the antlers cut off for freeze drying and then reinstalled with pegs?
Nearly went this route with my caribou from last fall, but given the astronomical cost saving the velvet added I just stripped and stained it instead.
Fine animal and mount, looks great.
Looks Great, Sounds like you need a bigger man cave!!
The skull was split in camp and freeze dried for three weeks just as they came out of the camp. Of the four bulls taken by our group, two were rubbed and two had velvet. We were hunting during a period when about a half of the bulls were rubbed or in the process of rubbing and the rest were in velvet. The velvet on my bull was 'tight' and it never got lose on me (got lucky there). One of the other bulls taken during the hunt started dropping its velvet as soon as it was touched. The taxidermist cut the antlers at the base and reinstalled on a fake skull (bolts?..).
Nice looking mount! Velvet looks very good!
CD
Believe me, I baby-sat the velvet hoping it would make it all the way to Colorado. Lots of bubble wrap and duck tape kept it from being damaged.
Looks awesome! Good idea with the wall mount option also.
I like that mount. for me that would be my only option in my house for a caribou or an elk mount. I don't have the space for a whole head mount for anything bigger than a whitetail.
Was the Velvet split on the back of the right beam?
At, who is your taxi? are you in the Denver area?
Wildwilderness: No, in my last picture at camp the closest bull (with the splitting velvet) is one that my good friend shot. It started peeling off as soon as it hit the ground.
Wkochevar: Gary Bohochik at GB Taxidermy in Swissvale...about 5 miles east of Salida. Good guy and he's doing some great work. I live in Pueblo.
PS: Before anyone asks and feelings get hurt...this was a rifle hunt. I can't wait to go back (tentatively in 2016) to that area.
What what make and model of artificial skull was used?
Looks great At! Where were you hunting?
Woodsman416 X2.
At... Any more pics of your hunt?
Razorsharp: You might give Gary a call at his shop. To be honest I looked over his shoulder while he was going through the dozen or so catalogs but I couldn't give you a straight answer about make and model of the skull.
Was it this one? http://www.jimallred.com/Reproductionskull.aspx
Oops..my bad on previous post
A great mount for sure!!! Maybe I missed it.....did you have to split the skull for transport home or were you able to score it for P&Y?
Mark
I've made a couple floor standing rack pedestals. This one is made with hickory and black walnut. Caribou is from Adak Island.
Razor: Looks very similar to mine...which is the pedicle type of skull.
Mark: This was a rifle hunt so no PY scoring...but to answer your question we did split the skulls. Shipping a complete skull would have been pretty expensive (we called a shipping expediter) so we bubble wrapped left sides / right sides together and built cardboard boxes for each group of antlers. Frontier Airlines treated us great and only charged $50 extra for both boxes. One of my partners is pretty good at sweet talking and he got the deal for us.
I had a guy here at home boil mine. He also stained the antlers as they had not been out of velvet long.
Anxious to get my shoulder mounted one back, nearly everything on it is double that this bull was ( width, tines, shovel)
Scott...that looks darned nice!! Did you ship it home in one piece?
I can't get the image tool to turn it.
Yes, I had both of my bulls uncut. My dad and I each could have one uncut, and since he was mounting one and not doing a skull mount on the other I brought both back intact.
We actually brought our capes and horns home on the trip as we had driven to Winnipeg and did not have to ship them at all other than the in-canadian flights we had.
Getting across the border was filling out a form at a desk and putting it in a wooden in-box on the same desk and no check whatsoever.