Critique My Mount

[batten_down]

I got this mount back a little while ago. And I am impressed with the job. However, I do want to train my eye better on what separates an average job from a very good job. We all know what a bad job looks like.

Looking at the detail around the eye and the nose, it looks good to me. A big concern I have is I'm seeing some orange-ish tint showing up in the throat patch. This could be a by product of the tanning method used?

For the guys with a more experienced eye, how does this mount look to you? Is this average, above average? What about the throat patch?

 

[pockets]

Looks pretty good to me. Nice buck and mount.

 

[pockets]

If anything, maybe a different form with more muscle detail.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I think it looks really good. If I had to choose one thing, it would be the glass eyes - I'd point them more forward. May be just me, they look pointed out as opposed to forward, if that makes sense.

Great buck and great mount

 

[mayberryrick]

Looks good! Did that one come from Fort Campbell?

 

[batten_down]

Looks good! Did that one come from Fort Campbell?

It did. Did you see him there?

 

[Specializedjon]

Looks good. He's a little small though. I probably woulda waited another year to shoot him

Holy crap bro. That's a doozy. Good looking mount.

 

[backyardtndeer]

I can't see anything wrong with the detail on your mount, looks good. Very nice buck too.

 

[clwg97]

I'm with JC on the eyes. They look fine, but look to be faced more spread out then focused on something. A great looking mount though!

 

[fairchaser]

The real test of great work is if it instantly takes you back to the moment of truth when you look at him. The taxidermist literally breathed life back into him for you to immortalize that moment in time.

 

[cbhunter]

I'm just over here admiring your humble brag….seriously that's an awesome deer, congrats

 

[batten_down]

I'm just over here admiring your humble brag….seriously that's an awesome deer, congrats

Ha! Thank you. I did put it in the correct forum though.

 

[batten_down]

The real test of great work is if it instantly takes you back to the moment of truth when you look at him. The taxidermist literally breathed life back into him for you to immortalize that moment in time.

Then he passes the test. I spend a lot of time looking at him and remembering that hunt. Was a very exciting and memorable experience.

 

[Shooter77]

Great looking buck!!

As others have said, the eyes look different. in the first pic, the nose looks a little funny, but it looks good in side pic. I would give it a 7.3 out 10.

 

[AT Hiker]

 

[AT Hiker]

Three pictures to help anyone critique a taxidermied whitetail.
What I would give to be able to recreate something so realistic, all we can do is get as close as possible.

 

[Specializedjon]

That looks awesome AT. Thought I was looking at a live deer "why the heck does he have a tag in his ear" hahaa

 

[Andy S.]

Great buck and solid mount, congrats to you. My #1 critique would be the eyes, but that is the case for A LOT of whitetail mounts. His eyes appear to be looking down and away. What size neck did the buck have when you killed him (inches, measured right behind the ears)? Date of kill may shed light on where he was with neck size. Hard to tell his real size without anything next to him for scale.

 

[UT-longbeard]

Looks great and an awesome buck. If there's anything to critique, I would agree on the eyes.

 

[batten_down]

Great buck and solid mount, congrats to you. My #1 critique would be the eyes, but that is the case for A LOT of whitetail mounts. His eyes appear to be looking down and away. What size neck did the buck have when you killed him (inches, measured right behind the ears)? Date of kill may shed light on where he was with neck size. Hard to tell his real size without anything next to him for scale.

I shot him Oct 24th 2020. I put a tape on his antlers and came up with high 120s. (I'm no expert, first deer I've ever measured) He looks bigger in the pics. He had a small body, relatively speaking, and it made his rack appear bigger through the brush. I'm not complaining though, I was very happy to put my tag on him. I did learn from the experience and I have adjusted my goals because of it. Mainly, now I'm trying to target a certain age-class of deer. I hunt public land exclusively so while I'd like to say I will only shoot a 4.5+ year old buck, I've decided 3.5 and older is a worthy goal.