Woods to the wall ... in 3 days!

[Texastaxi]

The only deer I have ever seen with a red tinted noise came from Mexico

I've seen them come from any area ... just like people with blonde hair.

On the other hand, I've never seen ANY deer with a black nose.

[MountainMan]

Good post and good info.
However, I don't think that you can accurately judge a taxi's work based on price. You can judge it on time and previous work, but not on price alone. I'm sure there are some expensive and very bad taxis in the world just like there are those guys that like doing it, that are excellent at it, and who don't charge an arm and a leg.

Just my .02

[TAMU Hunter]

very good thread... There are alot of bad taxidermist out there, and it really hurts when you get burned by one. Luckily I have already made that mistake but hopefully this thread will save some one elses trophy of a lifetime.

[Clint]

here is more of a profile,Kevin chop it up if you want

Dang That's a good looking buck Josh.

[D C]

Congrats to you again Clint... That deer is amazing and a great way to show him off with Rooster's unbelievable skills!

[Atfulldraw]

Josh forgot the eye boogers......

BTW, passed Rooster's shop last weekend --- really wanted to stop in, but just didn't have enough time -- maybe next time.

[Smart]

Good post Kevin. I am amazed at what some taxis these days get away with and still walk away with a happy customer. I have seen it more in waterfowl than deer but then again, I have several times the waterfowl mounts as deer mounts and have been around a taxi that showed me what to look for much like you have provided us with today. I have seen some ducks that looked like they've had their neck rung or scraped off the front bumper of a car before they were stuck on the wall.... I understand everybody has differing opinions on how something should look and everybody does things a little bit different. But some of this stuff should almost be against the law.....lol...

Again good post.

[Smart]

I've seen them come from any area ... just like people with blonde hair.

On the other hand, I've never seen ANY deer with a black nose.

Can you expound on this Kevin?....What color are you calling it?

I am just trying to learn here....but I go back and look at some of my TC pics and several of my deer in West Texas do have a black nose.....and some even go very dark into the nostrils.

[Texastaxi]

Jason,
It just depends on the deer. Some deer will have a really dark nose, but never black, God didn't make black nosed deer! And some deer will have a really fleshy undertone on their nose. The ones with the fleshy undertone will usually have a greyish, chocolatey nose. Pictures, especially trail cam pics, don't normally show this level of detail. Next time you're sitting in a stand, use your binoculars to look at the actual colors around a deer's eyes and nose. You'll be surprised what you see.

That fleshy undertone is one of the hardest things (for me) to reproduce on a mount. IMO, Josh did an outstanding job on that nose and I know for a fact that it will look even better in person; if you're not a professional or semi-professional photographer it is almost impossible to capture the depth of the nose colors in a picture. So, if the picture looks that good, the mount will look even better.

[Loneaggie]

I don't think you did any bashing. You didn't mention names or say how much he sucked. You simply showed things an educated consumer should look for, and provided a valuable mini-education. Well done and thank you.

[Smart]

Here are a couple of the pics that are closeups....seems some deer have darker insides that others..albeit probably not jet black like those above....and like you said these are tc pics

I guess for somebody that sits right up on a mount to look at it, jet black might be a little much but at a distance like up on a wall it would be hard to distinguish at least for my blind butt... A pedestal would be a different story no doubt.

Looking at the mounts I got back last year, the nose is a little more "grayer" than I thought and the insides of the nose are not black although not as "flesh colored" as Roosters...... I would have never been able to tell without getting up on a ladder to view though....of course I'm not a taxi either. Good info to have for those looking at a new taxi....I know I'll be looking a little more closer with the binos this year

[Texastaxi]

I knew the site where this picture is posted, so it was easy to find.


Not knocking your trail cam, Jason, but those pictures really do suck for showing the colors/detail.

Can you see the fleshy colors in the lip of that deer? The same colors are on the top lip and the underside of the nose as well, even though you can't tell it in the picture. You really do need to see live deer, in person, to appreciate God's color pallete on a whitetail.

[TxAg]

Excellent post.

One thing I've noticed with cats is that they're always mounted with slits for eyes. If you do a google images search of bobcats, you see a lot of round eyes.

Can anyone clear this up?

[Low Fence]

Something I have never understood.....

Why "most" deer hunters will be more than eager to spend hundreds to thousands on a gun/bow, thousands on a lease, hundreds on a feeder, several hundred on corn and protein, gas to and from lease, sometimes guide and trophy fees......and then look for a "good deal" on the product of their time and money?
Duck hunters are even worse, we will buy any and every gimmick out their, through thousands at a gun we dont need, $12-$35 a box on shells, thousands on a boat, and then look for a guy to do a $50 duck mount and find a "dog" (most important tool one can own) at a "great price".

I know money is an issue to most (me included) its just odd when you stand back and think about it.

Great post, Thanks

[TxAg]

http://www.agarman.dial.pipex.com/bco/fact4.htm

I guess I just answered my own question. I still prefer round over the the big slits, though.