Taxidermy Delima

[KentuckyTJ]

Well my brother said photoshop it back on and maybe that will help you decide. Good idea Bro! What do you think now? By the way I love this pic. Moe and I are having a moment! Haha.


 

[Kent57]

You thought that buck was good enough to shoot the way he was. That was his character , I would leave it , that's what makes him different from all others. He my have lost his poins in a fight , what ever happend to him ,it was a story about his life. Now you have a chance to honor him the way he was! Just my thought.

[Kent57]

You thought that buck was good enough to shoot the way he was. That was his character , I would leave it , that's what makes him different from all others. He my have lost his poins in a fight , what ever happend to him ,it was a story about his life. Now you have a chance to honor him the way he was! Just my thought.

[PUDDLE JUMPER]

I would ask if he could mount it as removable. Formed to slide on top of a small hole drilled where it broke off. You wouldn't even be able to tell unless looking down on the rack. Good conversation that way. Never heard of this but seems possible.

[Gen273]

Tom,

I still say fix it, why rob the buck of the full display of what he originally grew just because it was broke when you shot it. We are not talking about trying to add "inches" but rather giving the deer full credit for what he grew as he is proudly displayed on your wall.

However, I can fully understand if you chose not to fix it. Let us know what you decide and why.

Charlie

[dhermon85]

Leave him, that's how he was when harvested.
Puddle jumper has a neat idea though.

[jt85]

Well he definitely looks better with it fixed but I still wouldn't do it.

[Keefer]

TJ,
When I first read your post I thought you actually dropped the buck and broke it yourself when picking up your deer mount..I then re read it and realized I read it wrong...Hey you never know you just may find that broken tine roaming the woods and if not no big deal..I have seen many bucks that were mounted with broken tines and to me that ads character to it and shows he was a "FIGHTER" or the hunter that killed him accidently dropped him...   :p

[Bobby Urban]

KTJ - what you have there is a "high class problem"  I am joking but serious all the same.  Kind of like having to much money or something.  I know you have great respect for the critters you hunt and for me that is all the matters - beyond that the decision is yours.  I am quite certain you will be happy with either choice.  

Great buck BTW!!

[Bud B.]

I haven't read all four pages, but, can the taxidermist make a removable tine repair with a micro magnet setup? Leave the rack as-is except make a replacement resin tine with a steel insert. Dremel a hole in the rack to insert one of those super strong yet small magnets that would be hidden from view when hung on the wall. Take it off and put it back as needed to tell the story.

Viola!

[Over&Under]

After seeing the photo touched up...it affirms my decision to fix the point.

[The Ole' Bowhunter]

I leave him just the way you got him...makes for a better story anyway plus gives the buck character.  If his tine broke off from fighting another buck, that other buck must be a bruiser...worth going after.

[Mr. fingers]

Sitting in my stand yesterday I was thinking about your dilemma. I thought it was a silly idea at first but as I thought about it  I began to really like the idea if possible to make the repair where you can easily remove it  to how it looked when you shot it. Bud B. mentioned a  micro magnet . Which would be neat because  like he said you could have it both ways.

[Wapiti Chaser]

Leave it

[Friend]

May merely only suggest the option which provides you personally the greater satisfaction.

The choice is yours and yours alone.

[centaur]

If he was mine, I would leave him like I shot him. However, he is yours, not mine.

[Mr. fingers]

Originally posted by Mr. fingers:
Sitting in my stand yesterday I was thinking about your dilemma. I thought it was a silly idea at first but as I thought about it  I began to really like the idea if possible to make the repair where you can easily remove it  to how it looked when you shot it. Bud B. mentioned a  micro magnet . Which would be neat because  like he said you could have it both ways.

I threw this idea by my wife she disagreed whole heartily. She said she would leave it!
Maybe she's right.

[Mountain State Archer]

Absoute personal decesion.  I myself would leve it just the way you killed him.  You'll have great stories to tell.                                Best of Luck.                                                                                   AJ

[Sawpilot 75]

I would leave it. That is just my 2 cents.

[KAZ]

TJ - I was in your exact shoes recently with my "Other Side of the Rainbow Buck"... Link:  http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=123089#000000

My buck had broken off the larger portion of his Left G2, which by mass comparison to his Right G2 would have made it the longest tine on the whole rack... This break was so fresh it looked like someone had knocked it off with a hammer or had been dropped on concrete by "accident"... Not very appealing. I noticed something peculiar before I shot him, otherwise Ben and I would have been looking for this tine along his short death run... My immediate thoughts were to have him fixed as I didn't want to stare at the pristine clear white pourous break forever, plus I wanted to see him in all his splendor! I thought long and hard over this, just like you're doing. I have no trail cam pic to reference, only that it was a very typical rack and this G2 "should" be longer than the other G2 and the longest tine of the rack! Merely a guess and what might have been. Ultimately, I decided there would be no risk of regret leaving him the way God delivered him to me, a blessing far more than I deserve, a gift provided as intended which filled my cup with nothing I could do to improve... The gift was perfect, and I'm very happy I didn't try to "fix it"... The decision is personal, and it's a preference. As long as the "reasons" are reconciled in your own heart & mind, there is no wrong decision with this. If you're unsettled, leave it as is until you are settled... It's easier to fix with the rack not mounted yet, but it can be done after its mounted and later on should you decide that's best for you. There is risk with having it fixed, both in regret and it can lead to collateral damage to the main beam, as no surgery is ever "risk free"... Just my two cents, and it's definitely offered in humility as one man's experience/thoughts going through something similar. Happy for you on a wonderful harvest! Well done, and Praise God for it all... It will be awesome no matter what you choose!