Which animal makes the most impressive taxidermy mount?

[Bullthrower338]

Hyrax in full charge, mouth open!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Hyrax in full charge, mouth open!

That’s a hell of an idea.

 

[neckdeep]

The bongo at DSC last year by the gun area was one of the most impressive mounts I have seen. LDE full body was a close second. The size of the Cape Buffalo pedestal mounts remind you how big they are.

 

[neckdeep]

found a pic on my phone

 

[harden]

One of my Bongo Mounts, click to enlarge a little

 

[Dr Ray]

Full mount BONGO.

Definitely followed by kudu.

 

[Mort Hill]

Nothing instills more memories or more warmth of the soul then my lion. The sheer size and majestic look are awe inspiring.

 

[rinehart0050]

Elephant.

 

[Rick Cox]

The most memorable mount I have personally seen, stands in the trophy room of a local taxidermist who has a real gift. It is a full mount huge bull moose. The black hair is shiny, the eyes are fixating, the nose is moist...

 

[Firebird]

Full body sheep with some habitat showing some movement-although I’ve seen some lying down I loved. A leopard or cougar full mount done well gives me goosebumps-

 

[MAdcox]

I really enjoy all good taxidermy. I agree with the OP that a big bull elk is top of the list. But a big Kudu is right up there as well. However the most impressive mount I have ever seen was a pedestal mount of a Lord Derby Eland at DSC several years ago. The sheer size of the animal with all that color from his ruff back to the stripes in his shoulder and those wonderful horns were incredible.

 

[Major Khan]

For me , without a doubt , it has to be royal Bengal tiger . Below , are 2 examples shot by a friend ( who is a forum member here ) and l .

 

[Red Leg]

Hard to say really because I haven't seen every animal possible and so many of the ones I have seen look like old, moth eaten, poorly done, worn out movie prop specimens from the B Westerns. The caveat would be a quality mount! The one that seems obvious but hasn't been mentioned, except as a shoulder mount, would be a full body mount of a large African Bull Elephant. You'd have to have a natural history museum attached to your house but hey the OP's question was, "Which animal makes the most impressive mount?". Good grief.... if they are impressive standing 10-15 yards away in the wild, imagine standing next to one in your special room!

Now from a practical sense, the ones that are a little more common than elephant that I remember looking at and being impressed by include the following examples of large male specimens, correctly full body mounted and in good condition: Northern Gray Wolf, Brown Bear, Lion and Tiger.

The one in the entrance of the Smithsonian Natural History museum is spectacular.

 

[Philip Glass]

Leopard

 

[buffybr]

OK, one of my most impressive mounts...

Last summer I was fortunate to be able to attend the Boone & Crockett Club's 30th Big Game Awards ceremony held at the Bass Pro Shop's Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield, MO. Describing the taxidermy in that museum as spectacular is an understatement. I have never seen mounts or wildlife dioramas in any museum of natural history or even in Safari Club's wildlife museum in Tucson, AZ that are as impressive as those that are in the WOW museum.

I personally think that shoulder mounted animals look better than European skull mounts, and that full body mounts are more impressive than shoulder mounts. The amount and quality of habitat in full mounts does a lot to increase the impressiveness of the mount.

I also think that mounts of rare or exotic animals are more impressive than mounts of common animals.

Usually a larger mount is more impressive than a smaller mount. A shoulder mount of a bull elephant is more impressive than a warthog shoulder mount, a standing Kodiak bear mount is more impressive than a black bear rug.

In my 50 some years of big game hunting, I've been fortunate enough to have acquired (I think) a pretty good taxidermy collection. I have many of the mounts that some previous posters said they would like to have just like there are many previously posted mounts that I dream of.

In my own trophy room, very often I think that my newest mount is my most impressive. My newest mount right now is the pedestal Caribou mount that I was invited to have in the 30th B&C Awards ceremony and I think that it dominates my trophy room.

 

[Doc Lightning]

I am blessed to have both a large elk and nice greater Kudu mounted on my wall. While the elk is great, I think the Kudu is the best of all mounts
I have seen.

 

[Fishing and Hunting 12]

Ok a bit different but technically you never said it couldn't be a fish. Below are some of my favourite fish mounts I have ever seen.

 

[Ravensview]

I know this is an old post, but I am going say a bull moose head mount, everytime I see one it brings back great memories of the one hanging over the stone fireplace in camp while growing up and reminds me of many friends, and family that are no longer here and the accompanying memories.

 

[meigsbucks]

A taxidermist I used to use had a full mount mountain goat climbing on rocks on the wall of his bedroom. It was a log home with dark logs. The stark white of the goat against the rustic dark wall was jaw dropping.

 

[chiefdale]

full sized lion sitting with big mane