Displaying Deer Taxidermy: An Overview
Are you a deer hunting enthusiast? All-Taxidermy has decades of combined experience providing taxidermy services for deer mounts.
Deer hunting has been a popular sport in North America for many generations. Few things make a gun or bow hunter feel more proud than displaying their buck’s antlers, or mounting an entire deer running gracefully in a full-body mount.
In this article, we’ll cover 6 popular ways that hunters and taxidermy enthusiasts should try to display deer taxidermy. We’ll also discuss the pros and cons of each option, and even the estimated cost of each type of deer mount.
Whichever your choice, a whitetail or mule deer taxidermy display is a very standard, but also beautiful, addition to your North American taxidermy collection.
1. Antler Mounts
While antler mounts are the most simple among deer taxidermy options, this option is an excellent way to showcase the number of prongs in your buck’s antlers. If you are a DIY-er, you’ll find that antler mounts are a cheap and easy choice if you’re looking for a more simple deer taxidermy option.
Why Choose Antler Mounts?
- Description: Antler mounts emphasize the unique prong count on a buck’s antlers. Its minimalistic approach provides an uncomplicated way to showcase your success
- Pros: Cost-effective, easy DIY project for beginners
- Estimated Commercial Price: $50-75
- DIY Cost: $10-$25
If you ever have questions about antler mounts, our taxidermists are here to help!
2. Deer Skull Mount
Another alternative is to have our taxidermists preserve the deer’s skull, along with the beautiful set of antlers. Traditional skull mounts are the oldest form of taxidermy and are well suited for being mounted on your cabin or living room wall.
Why Choose Deer Skull Mounts?
- Description: An age-old taxidermy form using the actual deer skull
- Pros: Authentic, almost zero-cost for DIY enthusiasts
- Cons: Requires thorough cleaning, can be messy
- Estimated Price: $80-$125
- DIY Cost: Low price overall, cost is mostly just the cleaning materials
If you are a DIY deer taxidermy enthusiast, you’ll find that it’ll cost you next to nothing to handle the project yourself. You’ll have to slow boil and pressure wash the skull. However, at All-Taxidermy, we highly recommend using Dermestid beetles to do the dirty work (more information here about Dermestidae beetles).
Related: Guide to European Mounts
3. Shoulder Mount
Possibly the most popular of deer taxidermy options out there, the shoulder mount showcases your buck in a sneak, semi-sneak, or upright stance, with alert eyes and a beautiful rack. Whether you choose the DIY or professional taxidermist route, the shoulder mount is sure to be a winner!
Why Choose Deer Shoulder Mounts?
- Description: Features the buck’s head, with alert eyes and majestic antlers, in various stances
- Pros: Versatile and visually striking
- Cons: May lack uniqueness
- Estimated Price: $400-$500
- DIY Cost: $100-$200
If you’re looking for something more unique and memorable for your deer taxidermy display, however, this option may not be for you.
4. Wall Pedestal Mount
Another eye-catching alternative to the popular shoulder mount is the wall pedestal mount. Displaying a magnificent buck as a pedestal mount will look stunning alongside the rest of your North American mammal collection.
Why Choose Deer Wall Pedestal Mounts?
- Description: A variation of the shoulder mount that adds more depth
- Pros: Diversifies your taxidermy collection if you already have shoulder mounts and want something a little different
- Estimated Price: $450-$550
- DIY Cost: Variable, based on design and materials
This deer taxidermy display option is great if you have quite a few shoulder mounts already and would like something a bit different.
5. Pedestal Mount
Displaying your deer taxidermy in a corner as a pedestal mount is a great way to draw the viewer’s eyes to a particularly beautiful specimen. While it’s a beautiful option for your taxidermy collection, the major downside of a traditional pedestal mount is that it takes up more space than shoulder mounts or wall mounts.
Why Choose Deer Pedestal Mounts?
- Description: Ideal for highlighting a special specimen in a dedicated space
- Cons: Consumes more space
- Estimated Price: $450-$550
- DIY Cost: Varies with design complexity
However, if you have enough room in your North American mammal collection, you may want to consider this deer taxidermy display option instead.
6. Full Body Mount
Do you dream of showcasing your buck as a full body or life size mount? A hunter or taxidermist enthusiast’s dream, this deer taxidermy option can get quite pricey. In addition, it’s best for an experienced taxidermist to handle this type of mount, so most DIY-ers don’t take on a project of this size and experience level.
Why Choose Deer Full Body Mounts?
- Description: Lifelike mounts of deer in action or at rest, capturing their full beauty
- Pros: Immensely detailed and impressive
- Cons: Requires expert skills and can be expensive
- Estimated Price: $1,500-$3,000
- DIY Cost: Varies greatly, recommended mainly for experienced individuals
There are lots of creative options for how to mount your life-size deer. You can display the animal running or leaping for a majestic look, or have the animal lie down serenely among some brush.
Regardless of your choice, the end result for your deer taxidermy display will look stunning!
Our Commitment to Quality Deer Taxidermy Displays
With years of experience in deer taxidermy, our experts can custom design virtually any deer mount you’re looking to get crafted. This includes species, such as whitetail deer, mule deer, fallow deer, coues deer, roe deer, red stag, sika deer, axis deer, and Pere David’s deer.
Whether it’s just the antlers, skull, or a full body mount, our skilled taxidermists are committed to quality no matter the size of project. We can help you with tips on how to properly field dress a deer, what to do to get a deer mounted, and discuss with you deer mount ideas if you are undecided.
All-Taxidermy is a small, family-owned company headquartered in Wrightstown, WI. We take great pride in every single job. Additionally, without compromising aesthetic requirements, we strive to complete every project in the shortest time frame as possible. When you choose All-Taxidermy, you know you can rely on our expertise to get the quality taxidermy piece you’re looking for.
