Planning your taxidermy?

buddy48

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How do you guys "plan your taxidermy" in that how do you decide how to have the animals mounted as in shoulder mount, wall pedestal, or pedestal as well as the direction they are the turned? I have 8 animals that @The Artistry of Wildlife will be mounting for me. I have no idea the size of the mounts or how to plan them on the wall. I currently have three white tails mounted and they are turned exactly how they were standing when I killed them. Two shoulder mounts and one wall pedestal. Wall space in my room is somewhat limited but will definitely hold all of these 8 with no issue.

With the 8 animals that are coming I'm struggling with a plan. I like wall pedestals and most all of them will be that way except for an impala and one springbok. I may have one floor pedestal but I haven't decided yet.

My proposed plan is to sketch out my wall and then try to determine the area/space each mount will take up, make a "paper doll" and them move those around on the wall sketch until I have the layout I want. We have a kudu, gemsbok, blue and black wildebeest, two springboks, impala, and a blesbok.

I also need to decide on what color I want the walls to be and if I want barn wood on the bottom half.

Any guidance here would be appreciated. My skins were back to Dennis a month or so ago so I am guessing I have 12-18 months before the mounts will be here but I need to get a plan together on type/direction etc.
 
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$$$ + space = happy trophy room. If you have the resources and the room to put them, go big! I personally like barn wood as long as it's not to dark . Toung and groove also works. If you use wood it can help with placement on the wall so you don't have to always be on a wall stud.
 
$$$ + space = happy trophy room. If you have the resources and the room to put them, go big! I personally like barn wood as long as it's not to dark . Toung and groove also works. If you use wood it can help with placement on the wall so you don't have to always be on a wall stud.

Well, the space is an existing space. Sheetrock at the top, with judges paneling at the bottom. Maybe planning to pull the judges paneling off to place the barnwood. Another option at the bottom is tin that has rust. I really want a wall pedestal of my gemsbok and kudu in the room but I think it would be way too big.
 
I started with hunter green. I then changed to dusty orange that reminded me of the sand color in the Limpopo. I am considering changing to a light blue with a gray hue to set off the skins of the mounts. I have worm wood to chair rail height. I have a combination of euro mounts, wall pedestals, shoulder mounts, and a three mount pedestal with kudu, bushbuck, and nyala. I am running out of room...

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Hopefully I will have a sable pedestal for Dennis to complete after my next trip across the pond that begins in 35 days 15 hours and 8 minutes. But who is counting...
 
I started with hunter green. I then changed to dusty orange that reminded me of the sand color in the Limpopo. I am considering changing to a light blue with a gray hue to set off the skins of the mounts. I have worm wood to chair rail height. I have a combination of euro mounts, wall pedestals, shoulder mounts, and a three mount pedestal with kudu, bushbuck, and nyala. I am running out of room...

I have considered the light blue/blue but I am leaning more towards tan. The worm wood looks nice!
 
Thank you! I thought about the tan but to my eye it just went to a blend look with the deer and waterbuck and euro mounts. There was a thread on here a month ago about paint colors and their were some great photos of trophy rooms with various colors.
 
I struggle with this every year and somehow always sort it out. I understand that European skull mounts do not suit everyone's taste but they allow you to make the most of your space while still representing your experiences and the trophies taken. Of course there are some animals that demand something special where only a shoulder mount etc. will do. For those I choose the type of mount and position in the room that will highlight the important traits of the animal.

One thing my taxidermist told me after my first trip was try to avoid positioning larger species close to small ones. The larger species have a tendency to diminish the appearance of the smaller. A world record steenbok will look tiny beside a mediocre kudu.

Good luck and I think you are in good hands with Dennis and the crew at The Artistry of Wildlife.
 
That's great advice also!!
 
I struggle with this every year and somehow always sort it out. I understand that European skull mounts do not suit everyone's taste but they allow you to make the most of your space while still representing your experiences and the trophies taken. Of course there are some animals that demand something special where only a shoulder mount etc. will do. For those I choose the type of mount and position in the room that will highlight the important traits of the animal.

One thing my taxidermist told me after my first trip was try to avoid positioning larger species close to small ones. The larger species have a tendency to diminish the appearance of the smaller. A world record steenbok will look tiny beside a mediocre kudu.

Good luck and I think you are in good hands with Dennis and the crew at The Artistry of Wildlife.

Positioning small next to large is great advice! And, I agree on the European mounts. When I go back I will definitely go that route on some to save space. And yes. I agree that the animals are in good hands with Dennis. I have a bobcat to send him also that I just totally forgot to send earlier this year. I was busy trying to get a house ready to sell and it slipped my mind. The wife reminded me this evening when she was looking for some more freezer space! :)
 
Sketching it out and mixing up sizes is a good idea.

Another idea is to ask Dennis. Send him pictures of your space and let him suggest poses and positions.
 
I try to think about where I want to place the trophy first and that has a lot to do with the pose I ask for. As mentioned above there is that consideration of money as well. Dennis can be very creative as you know so I would consult him in advance and get his input!

Color wise I had to negotiate with the wife a little but settled on a tan color for the hall entryway.
 
Happy wife happy life a wise South African friend once told me!
 
You could also do a pedestal mount like Royal did with his small antelope. It was very classy and well thought out.
 
I'll have to check out @Royal27 mount. And I guess it would be as easy as sending pictures with dimensions to Dennis for his ideas as Royal suggested. I really want a floor pedestal but man that just think I'd regret losing the floor space later down the road.

Also gotta work the bobcat into the mix!! :)
 
Multiple animals on a single pedestal is definitely a great way to get bang for your buck. Lots of great looking examples to get you started.
 
I suggest to think about the turn of the head depending on where the animal will go in the room and where you will sit. I prefer the animal looking at where I'm sitting. Our entryway has my elk looking into the great room and in the great room the kudu is looking towards the entryway. It kind of frames the rest of the animals between them.
 
This pic was while the mount was still at taxidermist. It looks even better in the corner.

This was all I had on my phone but will try and remember to take a better pic later.

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This pic was while the mount was still at taxidermist. It looks even better in the corner.

This was all I had on my phone but will try and remember to take a better pic later.

View attachment 185040

Looks nice! I need to think about which animals I'd organize like that. I would love have some of the smaller antelopes like that.
 
Looks nice! I need to think about which animals I'd organize like that. I would love have some of the smaller antelopes like that.

Remember odd numbers work, so 3 or 5. You can also stack them of course, but 3 of impala/bushbuck size can fit on a smaller pedestal like the one I used.
 

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