Mount odor?

Oregonbowhunter · Apr 19, 2009

I got my first mount back a couple months ago. I've never dealt with one before so I have no frame of reference as to how they should be really. But when I got it, it had an odor to it. Something I've never smelled before. I just thought it was from sitting in the taxi's shop or from something that it was treated with. It has faded out since then but still lingers a little.

The mount is in a bedroom and in the beginning, if the door was shut you could smell it plainly. But since then you don't notice it really at all until you get up close and sniff it.

I don't want to call the taxi because I've had enough problems with him and won't ever go back. Not a matter of quality but issues with getting things done period.

Thanks

4000fps · Apr 20, 2009

What animal, and what kind of smell?

Packout · Apr 20, 2009

Like 4000 said, let us know what animal. I'd wager it is a DP cape, if it was a deer or elk. Some cheap methods of preserving the cape (even cheap tans) will smell for quite some time.

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WFGinNM · Apr 20, 2009

Dry Preserved Skunk?????

--Bill

Oregonbowhunter · Apr 20, 2009

Ha ha ha, no it's not a skunk!LOL! It's a blacktail deer and that's what I thought it could be was the preservative that was used. Like I said it has faded but it's still there.

Thanks for the help guys.

deerbedead · Apr 20, 2009

Here's a tip for ya. Get some Febreze from Walmart and spray the mount with it.

We use this in our shop to get rid of odors from all kinds of nasty stuff that comes in. Should work on a mount just as it does on "dead" stinky stuff.

4000fps · Apr 20, 2009

What kind of smell? Heavy perfume, chemicals, etc?

Chemicals like certain glues, bondo, etc, can smell for awhile until they finally gas out. Some tanneries use chemicals to perfume the capes etc, when they are done, and some people find the smell too much. The perfume smell also fades with time though.

If it smells like something rotten, then I would be worried, especially since deer shouldn't smell after they are tanned. Some animals like pronghorn can smell if the taxi wasn't smart enough to remove the cheek glands.

Oregonbowhunter · Apr 20, 2009

The febreeze won't harm it will it?

It doesn't smell like it's rotting or anything like that, atleast I don't think so. It smells a little musty maybe. The smell is really hard to describe. It doesn't smell like glue. It's definitely not a pungent or strong glue type odor.

I have to keep getting up to go smell it! Now that I think of it, it's almost like smelling your dog?

deerbedead · Apr 20, 2009

LAST EDITED ON Apr-21-09 AT 01:13AM (MST)[p]Febreze won't harm it in any way. We had a set of velvet antlers that a guy brought in to our taxidermy shop last year that had been in the woods for several days. Hunter looked for the deer he arrowed for 5 days till he found it. The cape was ruined, but the velvet was still kind of ok, but had a terrible smell. We injected them and dried them out, but they still had that smell. We mounted the deer and then sprayed the velvet with Febreze every day for a week, letting it dry in between. The smell was completely gone, and they guy has it hanging in his home.

Before we Febrezed it, you couldn't stand to be in the same building with the stinking thing.

I would bet the smell you are smelling might be the glue under the skin of the mount. This type of glue will not have a chemical smell, it will be wet dog type smell mixed with moldy odor. Some types of glue have flour in them and they can get moldy and develop a unique smell that won't go away until the mount dries for a few months. If it is this, I would think the Febreze would fix the problem. It's worth a try. We like the mountain scent, or fresh scent.

Oregonbowhunter · Apr 21, 2009

Ok, I'll give it a shot, thanks a lot!

4000fps · Apr 21, 2009

Febreeze is just a perfume, so...

If it smells musty, I bet the cape got mildew which will give it a sour smell. I am guessing the cape was soaked up for mounting, and left in a plastic bag for a few days. Just like if you forget wet clothes in the washer for a couple days. The taxi should have washed it out before mounting.