Comparison Question

FullGrown · Feb 17, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Feb-17-15 AT 10:27AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Feb-17-15 AT 10:21?AM (MST)

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I got an email from the taxidermist telling me my mount was ready. I asked them to send me a photo. When I saw the photo, the cape looked like a shaved poodle to me. I remembered my elk having a thicker coat. I killed him in early October. I was at work, so I could not look at the photos I took in the field to compare. I told them to send me another photo from a different angle. They did, and that photo did not ease my suspicion that they mixed up my cape with someone else's. I have attempted to attach one of the photos. I hope it works. I just wanted some other opinions on it. I will try to attach some field photos as well.

sageadvice · Feb 17, 2015

With the photo's shown, i'd say that you have excellent reason to complain!

Joey

"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

FullGrown · Feb 17, 2015

I think so. I am over 1500 miles away and that is a problem. I am having a friend drop by to see it in person.

FullGrown · Feb 17, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Feb-17-15 AT 11:49AM (MST)[p]I really don't know what else to do about it. They claimed my cape was tagged with my information when it was brought into them. It was not tagged while I was there...I know that for a fact.
If there are any taxidermists reading this, I would like your opinion on whether or not the pose would have anything to do with the hair looking shorter. I know his head/neck is bunched up in the field photos, but I still don't think my cape is on that mount.

mulecreek · Feb 17, 2015

I don't know if you can say with any certainty either way. From my experience the full sneak and the bugling pose forms make the neck look skinny on every mount. That is one reason I personally do not like that pose. When you compare that to the field photos where the neck is bunched up I can see how you might think it is not the same but to me its the form more than anything.

FullGrown · Feb 17, 2015

Here is another angle of the mount. Where did all the hair go?
To me, the mount looks like an Archery Season cape.

mulecreek · Feb 17, 2015

Yikes! From the pics the neck looks unnaturally long. Whether its the same cape or not you have reason to be pissed. Nice looking bull though.

FullGrown · Feb 17, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Feb-17-15 AT 05:54PM (MST)[p]
I feel better now about the mount. My friend went to check the mount out in person today. His picture had better color than the one the taxidermist sent, and I could tell that the hair was longer. I picked this pose cause I wanted it to fit on my wall. If I had to do it over again, maybe I would not have picked something quite as "Sneaky." It just makes the neck look like a Giraffe.

264mag · Feb 17, 2015

I had the same problem, the taxidermist needs to make the mannequin fit the cape, like cutting out some of the neck on that mannequin.When I got my mount home I took my sawzall to it.

264mag · Feb 18, 2015

Coors long neck mannequin.

FullGrown · Feb 18, 2015

You know, they say a picture is worth a 1,000 words...when I first saw the taxidermist's photo I said about 975 curse words...cause it was washed out and the hair did not look long enough.
I really think my friend's photo is a better representation, but that pose is stretching the neck more than I thought it would.

stalker · Feb 19, 2015

You asked for a taxidermist's opinion so I will chime in.
1st. field photos are great but you have to consider the lighting. It is very difficult to replicate daylight.
2nd. the live animal is going to be dirty. This dirt will be washed out in the tanning which can make a huge difference in the hair coloration. Also the hair on the dead animal can be mussed up kinda like yours after you shower. Once mounted it should be groomed to lay naturally.
Now for the stretched neck.
Hair patterns will tell you if the neck is stretched in length. Look at the brisket and armpits. Are they where they are suppose to be? Is the mane under the neck where it should be?
I can't tell from the photos but my opinion is that it is just the form pose.

FullGrown · Feb 19, 2015

Thanks for the input. Photos can definitely change the way something looks. The taxidermist's photo was washed out too much. Since this is my first elk, I wanted it to represent what I remembered happening in the field. He had about 40-50 cows with him and he was bugling. I sort of wanted a pose that captured that moment and one that I thought would fit on my wall.

AZ4life · Feb 23, 2015

Looking strictly at the hair length on the cheek areas of the first and third photos make it seem like different capes to me, but after tanning they can look alot different.

KillaB · Oct 9, 2015

In my honest opinion, I think that you may have gotten a different cape. It does happen at times because I work with a Taxidermist from time to time and sometimes the tannery will mess up the cape. If it's the same cape, it could be hair slippage as well, there's a lot of variables that goes along with hides.