Thanks for all the compliments.
Hunter0527, I packed everything out pretty much whole (at least from the front shoulders up) and then yes, skinned to the knees prior to taking it to the taxidermist.
I usually try and have animals mounted as similar to how I saw them in the wild prior to harvest. This guy was bedded in a draw and when I walked around the ridge into that draw he jumped out of his bed at 300 yards and was off to the races. Stopped to look back just long enough...