When a trophy hunter kicks the bucket?

Founder

Founder

Founder Since 1999
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So, I was thinking about it today and I think I'll probably die someday, so my question of the day is..........

What do the wives or kids of trophy hunters do with rooms full of a bunch trophy heads?

Any of you have a plan?

I have 18 now, plus soon two more mounts coming soon.

Do kids or spouses just sell the antlers and trash the rest?

I don't think my kids would have any sentimental reason to keep them.

What to do with them?
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Brian Latturner
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Before you kick the bucket, either make arrangements for them (giving heirs the option of keeping any they want) or get rid of them yourself before you die. The latter is under the 'die of old age' scenario of course. Museums, your favorite restaurant or bar, auctioned and funds donated to your favorite causes...
 
I Hope My Kids will Keep them in the Family Forever!

It's Gonna Hurt if they Don't!

Hey Founder!

If they Could Sell Them for What You Have in them........!:D

RAZZIN!

You Can't Put a Price on them!

If You Think they're Valuable Now!

Just Wait a few more Years!










I know so many people in so many places
They make allot of money but they got sad faces

It Ain't Easy being Me!:D:D:D
 
Good topic.

I don't have near as many as you. My dad killed one record book buck and between the two of us, all we have are sub book deer and Antelope. I'm the last one in the family that thinks they're awesome. My nieces don't care. I've made up my mind to use the mounts and antlers I/we've collected as another source of retirement income. Of course they will be the last things to go in my final years.
 
>Good topic.
>
>I don't have near as many
>as you. My dad
>killed one record book buck
>and between the two of
>us, all we have are
>sub book deer and Antelope.
> I'm the last one
>in the family that thinks
>they're awesome. My nieces
>don't care. I've made
>up my mind to use
>the mounts and antlers I/we've
>collected as another source of
>retirement income. Of course
>they will be the last
>things to go in my
>final years.

I Wouldn't Even do that Coues!

Take em to your Grave with you!









I know so many people in so many places
They make allot of money but they got sad faces

It Ain't Easy being Me!:D:D:D
 
I might. At the rate I'm going, I probably won't have enough to retire so I will at least have to sell my shed antlers. There are a few trophies in there. Hopefully in 30 years, there will be a lot more trophies to think about keeping or selling.
 
Both my boys are building trophy rooms, so, they can just fight over them.
 
I really like this questions since it's not the typical thread. I have a great buck my granddad killed in the 1950,'s non typical with trash all over. It is a prized possession of mine and reminds me of him often. Give the kids and don't forget the grand kids if they are old enough first dibs. If any are left leave them to the local gun club to hang, or sporting goods store, Bar, or close friend.
 
Talk with family and friends about it now.
Let them do what ever they like.
In the end it doesn't matter, I won't be there.
It won't up to me.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-03-19 AT 06:26PM (MST)[p]I was faced with this problem as old age is kicking my behind and I had a big trophy room. There were 26 Africa & North America mounts. Full body, pedestal and shoulder mounts. Some were book others just special. My family didn't want them so I decided to see if I could find good homes for them. I advertised them in the Denver paper and Craigs list. All were sold in two weeks. Kinda hurt but I was selective to where and who I sold to so somewhere others are enjoying them. Several buyers were not hunters but wanted them for their own mountain homes. Several buyers asked me to write a story about how and where they were taken. I got about 50% of the actual cost. Life goes on for a little while longer and I have my memories.
 
Great question Founder.
I think several of my trophies are significant to my son because he was with me when I took them. I suspect he will get most since I doubt they mean much to anyone else. But I like the idea of having a story behind each trophy, giving it value beyond being just hide and horn.
My wife and I are currently setting up a trust and drafting a will. Who wants them is a good question to ask my kids while I'm still here. I may be surprised...
 
hope they keep something that is sentimental. let them keep what they want and sell the rest. hope they make enough off them to do what they enjoy. they don't need all my horns and antlers cluttering their place. mounts remind me of my memories. they need to make their memories.
 
Wow, maybe my kids are different but when I die if none of them want any of my mounts I feel like I will have failed. I dont have a lot of mounts but my kids were a part of me getting most of them. My oldest son has a set of my dads antlers on a plaque mount. Pretty sure hes gonna want my sheep for sure. They will most likely have some disagreement over who gets what.
 
I had a barn fire almost 10 years ago. That took care of everything except for three tanned elk hides. 40 years worth of stuff.

My kids? They wouldn't know what to do with that stuff anyway.

?Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. "
 
>Wow, maybe my kids are different
>but when I die if
>none of them want any
>of my mounts I feel
>like I will have failed.
>I dont have a lot
>of mounts but my
>kids were a part of
>me getting most of them.
>My oldest son has a
>set of my dads antlers
>on a plaque mount. Pretty
>sure hes gonna want my
>sheep for sure. They will
>most likely have some disagreement
>over who gets what.


Exactly! I couldn't imagine my kids NOT wanting my collection.

I think a lot of guys in pursuit of the biggest etc leave their kids in the dust. It's a lot of work to take the kiddos along but it burns a passion that will last their lifetime.

Great post Brian and hell of a collection!
 
That is for sure something to think about, I have 30 heads in wyoming in my fathers trophy room, my little house in Idaho is full, I have a life size desert sheep in the shop, a Boone and Crockett shiris moose horns in the rafters, my life has been all about hunting and I have left it scattered out across several states. I know my kids and wife love to hunt, but I have left them a lot to deal with. I hope they each find something memorable to hold on to and and the rest will probly go for penny?s on the dollar. I have been given two massive African collections which I found homes for by men that had died. One man came to me one day, and asked if I would be interested in a Cape buffalo head, I said yes and he took me to his storage unit . When he opened the door I was shocked, there were 50 hides stacked up off the floor, propyl 30 skull mounts and another 50 trophy heads all thrown in a giant pile. It really kind of made me sick the way they were taken care of. Yes I took them all, and now they are all in a senior center up in Wyoming. The old folks really liked looking at those African animal heads, but they could never recall what type of animals they were, so my father had planks made with what type of animal they were to hang under each one of them. The other collection was hard to get rid of , it took a couple of years to give it away, I really just hated to see anything thrown away or wasted.
 
I have a son who wants them already. LOL he has eyes on my big bull and wants to hang it in his house.

But after him he has two girls and I will leave one or two to my Grandson not too sure after that.

My wife will probably take them back to Utah to sell as you can't do that in this state.
 
just cause my kids might not want to hold onto every antler or horn i have collected does not mean i failed. there are a few they may decide to keep for sentimental reasons. selfish to guilt trip kids into thinking they have to keep 100 heads dad killed. sell the ones they don't care about and take whatever cash to go make their own memories. i hope they are out gathering up their own.
 
As yall already know I am in the Taxidermy business. I see a broad spectrum of stories regarding the fate of dead men's trophy collections.

A lot of the really big ones I see get auctioned off for pennies on the dollar. Kind of sad. Even more sad, all to often, the widow drags all of it out to the trash on heavy trash day. I've seen that happen even before the funeral. :eek: I think the trophies are bitter points of contention in those marriages. Whats really sad is I have known of some giant mule deer, whitetail, and even sheep that before anyone could have saved them they were gone to the land fill. I have also seen kids re-purpose trophies. One of my clients died a couple of years ago. His daughter has had several pieces of furniture made with many of his trophies. I personally have a little whitetail my father killed and a dall sheep he also shot. I imagine when I die those two will end up junked because my kids don't know anything about them.

Nowadays I try to do some truly special work with my trophies. They are made so realistic with the absolute best materials and habitats that aren't even available for sale on the open market. They are better than anything you can see at a museum. I am hoping when I am dead that even to the uneducated they will stand out so much they will know not to drag them to the corner on trash day. But I sure hope my kids are making their own hunting stories more than trying to remember mine.
 
It's not just the trophies, I think about what will happen with all of the other things linked to the hobby of hunting. My guns, optics, tools and gear will be more valuable than the horns I will likely accumulate.
 
my-greatest-fear-is-whenidie-my-wife-will-sell-all-7406670.png
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-04-19 AT 09:54AM (MST)[p]Good topic, Founder.

I just turned 77 in Nov., and my wife reminded me over dinner last night that neither one of us will probably outlive the new expiration date of 2024 on our just received Visa cards. With all of our various ailments, she's likely not too far off.

So then the conversation turned to, "what the hell are we going to do with all the sh!t we've collected together for the last 57 years?"

And man, do we have a bunch of it, including lots stored in closets and an unused spare bedroom. I haven't counted recently, but I'm guessing just in shoulder, life-size and pedestal mounts, I've about at 40+. That doesn't count tanned hides, antlers on plaques or skulls.

Then, I have a 25'x25' shop that's filled with free-standing woodworking machines and all the assorted paraphernalia that goes along with using them, such as tenoning jigs, air nailers/staplers, routers.

On top of that< I have an extensive collection of books, mostly outdoor and how-to ones. And lastly, 50+ years of selling outdoor photos has filled two 4-draw file cabinets with more than 75,000 Kodachrome 35mm slides.

So as we continued our conversation, I finally told her, "we ain't going to do anything with all the crap. Let the kids worry about it."

So there you have it. They can keep what they want, sell some of it, trash some or just burn the house down. LOL

I am in the process of selling all my hunting and fishing gear, however.


TONY MANDILE
48e63dfa482a34a9.jpg

How To Hunt Coues Deer
 
Yes I think some widows are resentful of our "trophies" and get rid of em quickly as Tristate says...

Makes you want to reconsider piling a bunch of cash into mounts doesnt it?! But they are for us to remember our glory days!

Mounted my 2017 buck, 2018 is in the works, hope to have a nice typical to add to collection in 2019... huge (fragile) largemouth bass on the wall, several turkey fans on the walls and a pile in closet wanting to go up. At least i dont have hundreds of beards collecting dust on the walls like Dad had! Mom pulled those down first after he died! Plus pile of sheds that only i know what the value is... it would disappear if the wife knew!

Can t even begin to think of getting rid of any yet! Condolences to you fellers getting up there in age to where you have to plan for it
23052p20190204093025hdr.jpg
 
Something tells me that when you're gone, you won't care about material possessions.

Being concerned about what happens to them is a living or mortal emotion.

If you care about what happens to them when you're on the other side, or get upset about what happens to them, what can you do about it - haunt them...?
 
Last year I took down about 350+ deadheads in the garage and sawed off the antlers. Why? The war dept said that we are not going to leave our kids with all this shiiit. We recently spent way tooo much time throwing away crap from both our parents estates.

Time flies!
 
2point, I didnt meam to imply anyone else should feel like they failed. It's just my feelings.

As I said I dont have a ton of heads mounted. I have four sheep and my oldest son was with me when I killed three of them. He thinks of them as his just as much as mine. And hes right. I guarantee no one will take them to the trash as long as he is alive.

My folks died about 15 years ago after accumulating stuff for 50 plus years on the ranch I grew up on (and owned after their death). They were also collectors of antiques, coins, bottles etc. When they passed my siblings got to pick out most anything they wanted and I was left with the rest since I owned the ranch then. I kept a ton of it because it meant something to me. I have so much stuff its not funny. When we sold the ranch ten years later we got rid of a lot of stuff. But I still have tons. I doubt my kids will want much of it as they weren't involved in it. But I'm pretty sure my hunting stuff, at least any that's much good, will be passed on and they will be happy to have it.

I have sold a few things that were my Dads and bought something I needed more. At first it hurt because I figured he would be upset. But I got over it.
 
My horns ain't nowhere near what Founders are so no worries there.

But I think sentimrntal value is important. I kept dads .303 British. I don't use it, but I wanted it. My brother took guns he cared about.

I have dads sling on my rifle. But other than that, the other stuff "from him" he bought me. Buck knife, 870, 10/22.

But I did get an SR Johnson knife, one of the first he made. No idea on value, but I'm sure its in the $1000's. I'm more concerned with which of my 2 boys is leave it to, its "showy", the test of my stuff is just hunting gear.

From the party of HUNTIN, FISHIN, PUBLIC LAND.
 
>Wow, maybe my kids are different
>but when I die if
>none of them want any
>of my mounts I feel
>like I will have failed.
>I dont have a lot
>of mounts but my
>kids were a part of
>me getting most of them.
>My oldest son has a
>set of my dads antlers
>on a plaque mount. Pretty
>sure hes gonna want my
>sheep for sure. They will
>most likely have some disagreement
>over who gets what.

Well I have three great kids. All very happy and successful in life. I doubt any would have interest except in maybe one piece for sentimental reasons. Not wanting my heads is the last thing I would use to judge my success.
 
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As you can see I really love Muley Bucks.
Maybe someday my kids will build a trophy room just for dad stuff but I doubt it ha ha.
I kind of ran out of room for my mounts so I kept my favorites and the rest of my racks I have made some chandeliers.
It takes five of my bucks to make one light fixture.
I have enough racks out in the garage to build a couple more if I get the time. I think it will be easier for someone to find a useful place for the antlers this way.
However I don't plan on kicking the bucket anytime soon as I'm only 62 now and I hope to do a lot more hunting. Until that time comes I'm just going to enjoy what I have and be thankful for all I have.
I think if I ever do kill any more wall hangers I am going to do euro mounts.
 
Hey buckhorn

I started making euro mounts a couple of years ago to make more room. My son and I do them ourselves and have a great time doing it each year.

I sold my cabin in a couple of years ago and had more mounts than I knew what to do with.
 
Yeah I really do like the way the euro mounts look when done right. Plus when you have some people in your family that don't necessarily like the killing part I thinks it makes it easier for them to look at. My sons wife is one of those and she did say he could have a euro in the house.
 
I've already sold about half my turtle shells to Roy. The biggest ones will be donated to Sportsman's Warehouse.
 
eel
How would one know what a trophy turtle is is there a record book or something? Do you measure length by with by depth sort of like an abalone shell?
 
buckhorn, that's exactly how they are measured. Here is one of my medium sized trophies. It made the book, but just barely.

581844407tutlegiant11422.jpg
 
I just text my wife and kids a question of what their plans are with all my mounts after I die ???? Um holy crap , I started a question chain and now my family thinks I am hiding something/die-ing soon...
 
I only have a few mounts and should still have 30-40 years to plan (or a day or a month, really who truly knows!) but regarding my other hordes of hunting equipment, ammo, etc, I occassionally drop hints to my wife that she should NOT casually toss stuff and I try to hint at its value without really having THAT discussion about what it all cost. Doubtful my kids will want much of it, unless well-into-future grand-kids (if any) do. If not, my mind drifts to the possibility of locating some under-priveledged kids/families with an interest and donating it to them to pass on the tradition. I don't think I could simply sell my stuff while alive. Funny that this thread touches a nerve with so many!
 
Really good thoughts here. It all sounds like a waste - spend all this time and big money on trophy hunts, shipping antlers and skins, mounting, and on and on. But seeing some of your trophy rooms helps me draw a conclusion - I mount my stuff for my own memory and so when I can no longer do it, I will be able to re-live the memories. After I'm gone, they can trash them. I only have 1 deer I hope someone at least keeps the antlers from. It's my mule deer that went 208" and me and the boys always talk about that deer, even though they weren't with me when I took him. But with time, I'm sure that deer will fade as well and be trashed at a later date.
 
I've also wondered what would happen to my trophies. The main thing is that they probably only mean something to me. I'm going to leave all my hunting stuff, including my trophies, to my Godson. I've already told him he can do whatever he wants with them. I'm going to enjoy them until I die, after that, they're his worry. I'm sure they don't mean as much to him as they do to me. Whatever he does with them, I'm good with it.

Every hunting season you miss is one you can not make up
 
Hey bigmoose,
We could have all of our antlers burned and I have the ashes mixed with our ashes and then have them spread over our favorite hunting areas.
 
buckhorn... you could be on to something there ! LOL!

Every hunting season you miss is one you can not make up
 
I talked to my Sister and Brother-in-Law about getting a European mount of my head if I die so they could display it on their entertainment center. My sister thinks it's an awful, morbid idea but my BIL thinks it would be funny. I told him I want him to remove my head from my corpse and de-flesh it and boil it himself.
 

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