What makes a wall hanger

[394-NTELK]

Hello all, trying to stir up a little controversy here.so please answer the following poll.what "to you"makes a deer worthy of a shoulder mount money aside.I ask this because I have a buddy who shot a beautiful 140class buck this year ,his best to date.now he holds out all year every year for a buck and always seems to take 100-115 class deer.says he doesn't care for the meat (gets it all made into sausage)so he has no problem waiting for the big one.Well to me a 140class deer is more then worthy of being put on my wall.In my opinion a trophy is in the eye of the beholder and no one should have to justify why they would mount a particular deer.so lets her what you think.

[Dillershortbow]

part of mounting a deer or any animal should be size but mostly the memory of the hunt should a lot to do with the reason to mount it.

[Kirby]

To me there are many things behind a mount. Money, space, and memories, score doens't really go that high up on the list. Last year I took a nice bull moose for the Kamloops area, a 37" wide, with 36" paddles, by all means not a big bull, but I had it mounted, for two reasons, one it was my first moose, and two, I will never have room to mount a 60" or 55" bull moose. Also, I have a limited desire to take big bull moose, moose to me are a meat hunt. Plus my mount is small enough that I can keep it around. However my 183" mulie this year isn't getting mounted. To me the reasoning behind mounting an animal can be for many different reasons. However, any B&C animal I shoot will be mounted. :D

Kirby

[jackal]

A wall hanger is the ones the wife gives the OK on then I can put them on the wall took until this year to finally get one LOL.

[calgarychef1]

Damn!!! I like them all. When I look at my small collection of whitetails I remember the hunt. I don't really take pics that much so that's my little memento. I don't really want a huge wall full of average sized antlers though and my next smallish set will be used for rattling after that I'll make buttons etc. I have no objections to taking a doe instead of a small buck so next year that might be the case.

the chef

[Valley Lad]

IMHO it's the story or personal significance of the animal that means more than what a tapemeasure says.

In our whitetail hunt camp, all antlers get mounted on the "Wall of Shame" no matter how big or small. The really big ones, which for us is probably 110+, get skull mounted inside.

[Ruger]

It depends on what you call mount. I mount all the horns I get if they have any kind of a rack. I'll put them on a board and hang them up in the house for a year or two. Then they get relegated to the garage wall. I have my first buck and my biggest buck shoulder mounted. I'll only do another shoulder mount if it's a book deer.

[Taxman]

I voted for kid's deer and first buck, but really feel I'd hang the antlers of almost any buck I get.

That being said, I've only shot two bucks and both are mounted with part of the skull on a board and a plaque. My first buck and my best buck to date (and second buck).

My first buck was a 9 pointer (but one brow tine was broken off) and I scored it roughly at about 95. My best buck to date was a 10 pointer (same year actually and two days later) and I scored him just under 130.

The ten pointer is a beauty! The nine is puny in comparison.

Here's a pic of the 10!

http://forum.bowzone.ca/gallery/files/2/5/4/2/TenPoint001.jpg

The nine's mount looks the same.

Now, the nine was about 100 yards out when I shot it through a whole mess of trees and the like. It was my second year of hunting and I had to endure listening to a doe browsing around (although I couldn't see her) for about 10 minutes. Finally, the buck bawled at her and that was his demise. My heart was in my throat for the better part of 40 minutes.

Not only do I have the rack, but the bullet and the cartridge as well as a tree branch that I hit with my first shot at the deer.

The 10, even though my best to date, was getting away from my buddy doing a dog over a hill and passed 30 yards behind me in a wide open hardwood.

Shooting wise, the 9 was much tougher and is still a vivid memory, but the 10 pointer hangs over my beer fridge in the garage (where I'll see it most often). The 9's in the garage too, but over the workbench that I don't see the top of very often.

The doe I shot in 2004 was 185 yard shot that was one of five fired at her and the thrill was just about equal.

I still may get the 10 pointer mounted, but for now they're all trophies!

Mike

[Arliss McNalley]

Like most of you I'm sure, I'll stand and admire any rack on a wall, from a forkhorn to a monster. Personally, though, I reserve my own shoulder mounts for anything 150+ OR any decent rack (120+) boasting any non-typical features. My first decent whitetail green-scored 147, but because it was a 7x7 (counting 4 nice sticker points), it was a no-brainer. If it doesn't quite qualify for a shoulder mount, I'll do up a nice antler plaque. My brother and I also make regular contributions to the "wall of shame" in the shop where the smaller ones go. They make for good conversation and ribbing.