What animal to shoulder mount

[Adie]

Ditto. Unless your kudu is a 60 inch monster, use your one shoulder mount on the sable. They have a lot of contrast in the dark brown/black and the white markings on the face and yellow on the back of the ears. Makes a beautiful and unusual shoulder mount.
I have done euro-skull mounts on almost all of my 3 dozen African animals. On buffalo, I recommend that you get the taxidermist to lift the chin of the buffalo up so that when it's hung on the wall, he is looking right at you with that "you owe me money" stare.

I tend to agree with this 100%. Shoulder mount the sable unless you shoot a giant Kudu bull.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

If only and absolutely only one…..the Sable. A Euro mount does not do a Sable justice. But man if I end up also shooting a monster Kudu, I’d find ways to make that fit the budget to also do a shoulder mount.

 

[trperk1]

If only and absolutely only one…..the Sable. A Euro mount does not do a Sable justice. But man if I end up also shooting a monster Kudu, I’d find ways to make that fit the budget to also do a shoulder mount.

Can’t agree more. The only animal I don’t have room for is the Buffalo.

 

[Ngaka]

How does a wall pedestal mount save room?

Wall pedestal protrudes much less from the wall (ideal for not a very large space).

Look mine in a living room 5 x 4 mt.
I also prefer the sable mounted on cape.
However, the kudu looks very good euro mounted: look It in the living room of my flat in Madrid

 

[Rickmt]

Last spring I went on our first (and likely only ) safari to SA. Similarly, due to budget and space, we had a limited list: Kudu, Impala, Zebra, Warthog, and added an Nyala. Originally we were only planning on mounts for the Kudu, with european for the impala, and a rug for the zebra.
Once we were there and had the critters on the ground, we decided without question that it would be a crime (to us) not to do shoulder mounts of the kudu, impala, and a quartering mount of the Nyala. The warthog ended up being truly exceptional, but I knew there was no way the wife would want to look at that every day, so we went with the carved skull. Even while we were there, we sketched out the house,figuring what we could put where. Now, that darn zebra rug the wife insisted on ....I doubt it will be on the floor, most likely a wall.
It is a very hard decision if you have limited space, and a lot of folks simply dont get that the size of the house and wallet for most people are limited. Truly, both the sable and kudu are beautiful. Perhaps wait to the day and see which one strikes you? I think without question the sable has the most beautiful hide, but I think the kudu is the most beautiful and amazing of the two animals.....

How about some pictures? Daveboone , I would really like to see your carved warthog skull and pics of quartering Nyala .

 

[Gerald Boyd]

Can't find fault here!! For just a few more pennies you can mount both!! Don't cheapen the hunt, preserve the memories and look at both of those fine animals daily!!!!!!!

 

[MT Griz]

If you can mount only 1..... do the Sable!

 

[Daveboone]

How about some pictures? Daveboone , I would really like to see your carved warthog skull and pics of quartering !

Here is the carved warthog skull...It will be mounted on a pedestal/plaque for the wall. The Nyala is a work in progress, hopefully have it and the rest of my critters (Zebra rug, the Nyala, Impala shoulder and Kudu ) for the end of march/april.

 

[Brod]

Different perspective, why not bring back the hides on all 3. Then decide what you have space for later when home? Your space may change over the years.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Folks- I’m hunt SA for the first time this spring; buffalo, kudu and sable. I’m only considering a shoulder mount for one, doing European mount for the others. Ruling out the Buffalo due to space. Interested in opinions for the kudu and sable

@trperk1
I went the shoulder mount for my kudu. Only a 52" kudu but to me it's impressive. I also had my impala shoulder mounted.
It's not as expensive as you think.
If you can't decide get both the kudu and Sable caped and back skins.
That way you can choose which one you want and have the Cape for the other when or if you want the other done. Kudu make crap floor rugs anyway.
The animal I regret not having done is the majestic and beautiful oryx. An absolutely beautiful and impressive animal especially when the horns get to 38" and above.
Bob

 

[Switup]

 

[mark-hunter]

Interested in opinions for the kudu and sable

sable.

 

[Safari Dave]

Different perspective, why not bring back the hides on all 3. Then decide what you have space for later when home? Your space may change over the years.

I would do this.

If the capes and quality of the horns are good, then I would try my best to do all of them over time.



IMO -

- all sable shoulder mounts are impressive.
- kudu's are great also, but don't spend the money, if the horns are not really good.
- The Cape Buffalo is a Big 5 animal! It deserves a shoulder mount if it's a mature bull, and has decent horns - IMO, a European does not do this impressive beast justice. Only experienced hunters will even know what it is.


Shop for taxidermists.

I had 7 shoulder mounts and a zebra rug done in RSA for $1,200.00 in 2007 (+ Shipping - $600)

Maybe my situation doesn't exhist anymore



I also may be mis-remembering PHC, but I think he wrote something about that all you need to do to quieten the braggadocios white-tail deer hunter, who is pounding his chest about his 12-pointer, is just to jester a motion toward your Cape Buffalo shoulder mount.

 

[buffybr]

I'm not a fan of Euro mounts. I don't think that they do justice to the animal. At last count I have 80 shoulder or full mounts in my house. I don't mount everything that I shoot (there are over two dozen elk racks hanging in the rafters in my garage), but I have mounted most of the animals that I shot on international hunts.

The only Euro mounts that I have are a pronghorn antelope that I had given his cape to my taxidermist and the next time I saw him he gave me the euro mount. I put it on a wall in my reloading room.

The other is an American buffalo that I shot. It's kind of an icon of the old American west. I had a shoulder mount of my buffalo and had my taxidermist put fake horns on the skull which I hung on a wall downstairs. The shoulder mount is much more impressive.

When I started to run out of wall space I started doing floor pedestal mounts. I now have 10 shoulder floor pedestal mounts (including both my common and Roosevelt sables) and 3 full body floor pedestal mounts. I made all of my pedestals out of either oak, cherry, or alder wood, and included panels with the back skins in the pedestals of my zebra and sables.

This is the pedestal mount of my Roosevelt sable...

I thought that the long shaggy hair on my Musk ox deserved a full mount and was my first full floor mount...

I had shoulder mounts done of both my Southern Greater and Cape Kudus...

I also had wall pedestal mounts done of several of my small African antelopes and of my Red Stag. I think that the actual "wall space" is the same for shoulder or wall pedestal mounts, but the shoulder mounts may extend a few inches out into the room than a wall pedestal mount would.

Here's my Red Stag wall pedestal mount...

And I thought that the leg colors of my Nyala deserved a half body mount...

 

[FrontLines]

I only have one which is a moose from 2020 and it’s still at the taxidermist.
I also don’t have a house to put it in so I’m in no hurry to get it back.

 

[Inline6]

Pictures take plenty of pictures!

The mounts and the shipping are not cheap. If you can find a way to make it happen do it. Don't max out CC to make it happen. It will give you a reason to go back.

I don't regret getting mounts, if I had it to do over again I would not. Could have gone on another safari for what was spent on taxidermy and freight.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Based on coloration alone, I'd go with the Sable. However, as others have recommended you should wait until after the safari and consider mounting the one with the better story and memories. Given current wait times on shipping and taxidermy, it is not a decision that you have to make immediately. Of course, that assumes that you save the capes for both animals.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Here is the carved warthog skull..

.

Who performed that's exquisite work?