Not mounting
International
I'm seriously considering not mounting anything of my animals from Africa this year has anyone ever done this and regret it later? My walls are so full and the cost is almost another trip
Not at all. I made it a point not to, I instead bought a sweet camera to capture the moments. A camera I can use on many more occasions unlike the hassle and $ it costs to bring trophies back, and I have zero regrets.
At my current position in life I have no desire to transport 1000's of dollars worth the taxidermy, nor did I care to have them hanging collecting dust. The memories afield were all I was after. Also no one I know would know the difference between a trophy animal vs a cull animal. Its your money, time, and wall....
You may regret a challenging animal to hunt or a high scoring animal, but I'd imagine you'd make that call when it happens.
Pick your favorite animal and that in a Euro. Pictures for everything else. Video is really cool if you can get that done... When I go to Australia, I am only doing a Euro for my Water Buffalo. If I get a REALLY nice hog, I might do that as a Euro as well.
Good Luck,
Scar.
I have a handful of trophies in the house: shoulder & Euro. I could probably add another 1-3 somewhere, I personally can't envision having 50(+) heads on the wall or dedicate oodles of floor space (and $) to full-body exhibits.
Totally fine for those who want to do so, but as Ohio points out, tasteful, quality trophy photos are worth as much or more to me than a mount. At some point there simply isn't enough $ or wall space.
We have another thread going on about selling one's mounts, which drives home the point that they have no intrinsic or lasting value and will eventually be tossed or gotten rid of for pennies on the dollar, so it's really only a matter of what they mean to you personally.
I look at photos of some folks' trophy rooms and think "ye gads, that's too much" (FOR ME PERSONALLY - no offence to those who like to display a bunch of trophies).
I've found that I personally spend more time looking foward to whatever upcoming season is next than I do reminiscing about past seasons and trophies.
Make your own decision and apologize to nobody if you don't consider it worth it to save every set of antlers or hide.
To each his own. I often do a mount of some sort for several reasons. To remember the hunt. To honor a special animal. I think that mother nature creates better art than any painter or photographer.
I make a living tying flies for fishing I simply cannot afford the money for a mount just having gone on the trip is more than enough for me!!
When I hunt zimbabwe with the Duckworths a fellow was in camp who never mounted anything. He said he could do 3 trips instead of 2 with mounts. Never took anything home.
I can tell you that when you are done, and I mean really done, there is a good chance all your mounts will end up in a garage sale.
My total taxidermy bill from Africa for 6 animals was $36 after I got the stuff here. I just took the horns , made a back base and wrapped the center in velvet. My wife said "no heads, but you can put up all the horns you want". Much cheaper my way.
TMBB
Thanks everyone , the people on this site are so awesome!
I only do euros after a recent battle with the bugs that eat hides. No bueno. Is a vacation home I visit about 20 days a year and was amazing the damage in around 100 days of me being gone.
It truly is a great expense, and I have proportionately less and less as taxidermy and more as Euro mounts or just horns as the years have passed. A special animal deserves better and I do love to sit and look at the shoulder mounts that I have and remember the experiences. I have hundreds and hundreds of pictures and yet, it is just not the same. And yes, they will probably be in the garbage the day I die, but so what. It is all nostalgia and "remembering" and " being there". They mean nothing to anyone but me anyway. I have quit bothering with the back skins and will never again tan a full hide to put on the floor: I have a pile now that have never even made it out of the wrappings.
Out of 9 animals last trip... only did Zebra rug and a full body mount Klippie. Everything else was euro
Why would you go and kill something and not have it mounted or maybe Euro?? If you're going to do that, just go on a photo safari. it would be different if you could bring the meat back.
