How many of you DON'T mount all your trophies?

[meigsbucks]

I’ve mounted too much. On my first safari, I did do two euro mounts on duplicate animals. My second hunt, I did a couple of euros and a few culls I couldn’t bring back. Now I’m pretty much out of wall space, so going forward it will be just photos with only a few exceptions: I’ve always wanted a Nyala with those yellow legs showing, so a pedestal mount. A shoulder mount bush pig. A jackel rug. Maybe a few full mounts on some night critters or T-10.

 

[Rare Breed]

Our colleague mr @Red Leg has put it perfectly!
I can say nothing more.

I am about to finish my trophy collecting, exactly for the reasons described.
I can see myself collecting very few more trophies, and that is about it.

At the same time, this opens an entirely new set of possibilities in hunting non-exportable or management animals, at very reduced prices. (like two safaris for the price of one)

I just got my exporter invoice for my trophy blue wildebeest rug with felt lining. I paid $700 for the taxi work, $350 for the exporter just to the drop off point to ship from SA. I will probably pay another $350 when it arrives at Coppersmith. All in I will have a $1500 to $1750 rug thank heaven it will be my last and it took 15 months to get and I still do not have it yet from Splitting Image Taxi.

 

[Altitude sickness]

We have done the photo books for the last three trips. I wish I would have paid for filming the last trip.

Wish I could sell 1/2 of my lifetime taxidermy bill for 1/2 of what I paid. I would be going on a trophy elephant hunt.

 

[revturbo9967]

I mount/euro everything for the most part other then local deer and small game.

 

[Russ16]

We have done the photo books for the last three trips. I wish I would have paid for filming the last trip.

Wish I could sell 1/2 of my lifetime taxidermy bill for 1/2 of what I paid. I would be going on a trophy elephant hunt.

This is an interesting point. My hint next year filming is an option and I’ve been hesitating as it is about $3000 but that’s a lot less than all the taxidermy and a good way to keep the memory.

For those that are doing picture books what app are you using to create them. I used to make quite a few but the app I was using stopped working and I can’t find a new one I like.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I think Mixbooks

 

[Rubberhead]

My lord that wood duck photo is spectacular!

What camera did you order? Could a dummy like me operate it? I’ve never dabbled with modern digital cameras as the smart phone took over to fast.

I need one

That's so nice of you to say.

I used Canon cameras for years mostly with a 70-200mm F4L lens. But, cell phones are just as good anymore since it's mostly in the shot set-up and post processing. I used to never talk about my set-up and post processing but I'm getting old and don't care anymore.

I try to have neutral light in most of the photo like under a tree but allow a beam of light to highlight something in the photo. I want the light to fall on the third or fourth place that someone will look, not on the first or second place where the viewer's eyes will go. This makes the photo more interesting in my opinion. Here's another favorite example. My eye tends to go to the gun, then the duck's white cheeks, then the shells, and finally to the shoulder of the bird being hit by the early morning light. The color of that light is important too - humans tend to like warm lighting of the morning and evening hours when the angle of the sun through the earth's atmosphere.

In post processing, I always use the Lighting Histogram and pull the left (black) slider to get some amount of pure black in my photos. This really makes them pop without looking "over saturated".

 

[Hogpatrol]

Twenty two mounts over four hunts, if I had to do it over again, I'd do zero and spend that money on another adventure. Two whitetail bucks shoulder mounts and the others I just throw on the pile. When I'm gone, all of it'll probably go in a dumpster.

 

[TnKen]

I won't mount multiples of the same animal. I do like having the mounts to show friends animals they have never seen before. It is one thing to describe them and show pictures, but when they actually see the size and feel hair and horns it is a much different experience.

 

[RichD]

In 1983 I shot a nontypical cactus buck mulie and did a shoulder mount. A few years later a 9x7 droptine mulie shoulder mount. Had them for years, then sold both and bought a fishing boat. 1995, nice pronghorn shoulder mount, still have it, but it dropped during a move and 1 horn "wiggles", and now hide is losing hair. 2023 Botswana hunt, Euro mounts on Blue wilde, warthog, gemsbok, and eland bull. My wife liked the kudu pic and said to shoulder mount, so did that. Only pics of eland cow and zebra.

September East Cape hunt, not sure what mounts yet, but probably Euros if any. Mostly pics, and put $$ towards 2027 Africa hunt.

 

[bowfishoholic]

We mount most of them, but our 3000 sq ft log cabin is getting full. One room is dedicated to elk, another antelope(American), another deer, entrance way with staircase is mostly African. We have a dedicated hunting room with an American buffalo and turkeys. Looks like Cabelas here.
We havent received our last trophies yet and have another trip to SA next year. We even have a full body mount of a bushbuck in the living room.
My springbok is coming down and joining a couple other springboks on a post, which we will be making after we get our trophies from last year.
Our next trip will have a black impala and maybe a bushbuck, or smaller mounts but the cape buff will be only pics.
We have an audad from the FreeState that is a half mount, especially since it was #5 with a bow. Only animal mounted taken with a rifle was the black wildebeast. All others were with bow and arrows. The cape buff will be with a crossbow.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I have had select animals from last 2 safaris mounted in South Africa and when got shipping quote decided to donate to PH lodge. It just wasn’t worth the added expense now. I am and have gone to cull or non export hunts only. The hunt now is all I am after. Good pictures will do for memories.

 

[jimbo1972]

After my first safari and getting too many mounted I would only get Euro mount on a Buffalo everything else just take pics. I would hire a cameraman again. Very reasonable and you get to share your experience with your friends and family.

 

[Cucuy]

The only trophy I’ve mounted is my wife - skulls and skins for other mammals.

 

[trperk1]

I usually mount 1 animal each trip and then skull mount the rest. I have been having some painted by a fantastic artist in S Africa. I like it better than just the white skull

 

[LWPhunt]

I saw the comment about the cost spent could easily pay for another nice hunt, elephant or otherwise. it's a tough deal as the cost of shipping and etc doubles the cost of the taxidermy. I have invested like many too much in to the taxidermy. Going forward, after reading comments, if the animals are worthy, the filming might be a really neat deal. A cool animal is in the eye of the beholder, I will have to think hard about what might be yet to come. great topic.

 

[Spearhead]

That's so nice of you to say.

I used Canon cameras for years mostly with a 70-200mm F4L lens. But, cell phones are just as good anymore since it's mostly in the shot set-up and post processing. I used to never talk about my set-up and post processing but I'm getting old and don't care anymore.

I try to have neutral light in most of the photo like under a tree but allow a beam of light to highlight something in the photo. I want the light to fall on the third or fourth place that someone will look, not on the first or second place where the viewer's eyes will go. This makes the photo more interesting in my opinion. Here's another favorite example. My eye tends to go to the gun, then the duck's white cheeks, then the shells, and finally to the shoulder of the bird being hit by the early morning light. The color of that light is important too - humans tend to like warm lighting of the morning and evening hours when the angle of the sun through the earth's atmosphere.

In post processing, I always use the Lighting Histogram and pull the left (black) slider to get some amount of pure black in my photos. This really makes them pop without looking "over saturated".

@Rubberhead outstanding photography and perfect composition. Thank you very much for sharing. Fantastic alternative ideas.