Ways to Mount a Deer

After having a successful season in your hunting blind, you took the trophy you were following for 2 years.  The question then becomes, what kind of mount do I want. Some mounting options are very simple and others can grow quite complex. Most hunters choose to take their trophies to the taxidermist, but others will choose an easy mount and do it at home. The following six mounts are the most common ways to mount a deer.

 

Antler Mount

To begin, an antler mount is the most simple way to mount a deer. You mount the deer’s antlers to a piece of wood or purchased mount. You can purchase the mount base online and in most sport shops like Cabela’s or Scheels.

 

Synthetic Skull Mount

A synthetic skull mount is very comparable to an antler mount. Instead of mounting the antlers to a piece of wood, you mount the antlers to a synthetic skull. In other words, it makes the mount look like a real deer skull but without the extra work.

 

Traditional Skull Mount

A traditional skull mount consists of the deer’s true skull. You leave the antlers attached to the skull and decay the head. Some hunters will choose to put a coat of white paint on the skull to brighten the mount up.

 

Shoulder Mount

Next, a shoulder mount is the most common way to mount a deer. The mount consists of the deer from the shoulders forward. You preserve the hide and reattach it to the mount. Also, fake eyes are added to the mount, which make it as realistic as possible. This mount has a variety of options because of the different ways the deer can be positioned.

 

Pedestal Mount

A pedestal mount is when a shoulder mounted deer is placed on a pedestal. Most of the time, the pedestal is rustic and designed with elements from a deer’s natural habitat. Also, there are wall pedestal mounts where the pedestal is coming off the wall.

 

Full Body Mount

Finally, there is the full body mount. Full body mounts can be expensive and hunters will choose them for their biggest game. With this mount, you preserve the whole hide of the deer and the full body is on the mount. Just like a pedestal mount, you design the base of the mount to feel like the deer’s natural habitat.

Check out our tips for tracking deer! Or, read about shed hunting here!