Need Help With Mount Repair

[cbvanb]

I lost my business in a fire on Labor Day this year, and unfortunately a nice buffalo mount was severely damaged in the fire. I was surprised to find any of it left, and I'm hoping a skilled taxidermist might be able to salvage this as a horn mount. It is badly damaged from the heat but the horns are still solid. It will need a lot of bondo type filling and resurfacing, but it was an important trophy to me and I would like to save it. Does anyone have a suggestion for a taxidermist who might tackle the work? I tried to find someone where I live in Tucson but I guess the project was too intimidating.

 

[JimP]

Have you checked with Wellers Wildlife Studios?

Home - Weller's Wildlife Studio

Offering excellence in taxidermy. Trust your hunting memories to our Tucson area taxidermy artists. See our elk, deer, bear, cat and wild sheep taxidermy galleries.

wellerswildlifestudio.com

 

[cbvanb]

Have you checked with Wellers Wildlife Studios?

Home - Weller's Wildlife Studio

Offering excellence in taxidermy. Trust your hunting memories to our Tucson area taxidermy artists. See our elk, deer, bear, cat and wild sheep taxidermy galleries.

wellerswildlifestudio.com

I tried calling them a couple times and never got a call back. They did a great job on a Coues deer for my wife last year so they were my first stop. I assumed they weren't interested.

 

[Red Leg]

I lost my business in a fire on Labor Day this year, and unfortunately a nice buffalo mount was severely damaged in the fire. I was surprised to find any of it left, and I'm hoping a skilled taxidermist might be able to salvage this as a horn mount. It is badly damaged from the heat but the horns are still solid. It will need a lot of bondo type filling and resurfacing, but it was an important trophy to me and I would like to save it. Does anyone have a suggestion for a taxidermist who might tackle the work? I tried to find someone where I live in Tucson but I guess the project was too intimidating.

Not sure where you are, but a good taxidermist would have an easier job restoring it as a shoulder mount. A buffalo cape is fairly easy for a taxidermist to obtain, and then all he needs to worry with is the horns which can be fairly easily restored (the same material they use to reconstruct the boss. I did something similar with my first buffalo which sat around as a Euro for most of a decade.

Turned out pretty impressive as a pedestal mount. I have no doubt a good taxidermist good do something similar for you.

 

[JimP]

I tried calling them a couple times and never got a call back. They did a great job on a Coues deer for my wife last year so they were my first stop. I assumed they weren't interested.

As close as you are I'd just run over to their shop.

I had a hard time getting in touch with them when I had my coues done. And even when I went to pick it up the only ones there were the ones in the shop working.

 

[cbvanb]

Not sure where you are, but a good taxidermist would have an easier job restoring it as a shoulder mount. A buffalo cape is fairly easy for a taxidermist to obtain, and then all he needs to worry with is the horns which can be fairly easily restored (the same material they use to reconstruct the boss. I did something similar with my first buffalo which sat around as a Euro for most of a decade.

Turned out pretty impressive as a pedestal mount. I have no doubt a good taxidermist good do something similar for you.

That’s beautiful. I assumed a horn mount would be the most likely project someone would take on but if it was restored as a shoulder mount even better.

 

[TwoTracks]

Call Chris Harlow. I don’t know if he will take the job, but he is top notch. I’ll send you a PM

 

[Round Ball]

If you haven't found anyone yet, send me a pm and I can put you in touch with the best around! Definitely not the most expensive, but takes great pride in everything he does.

 

[PARA45]

How about our own Top of Texas Taxidermy? Erik @gizmo is one of the forum sponsors, and if he can't do it, he may be able to point you in the right direction. Below is the link to his shop. Good luck!

Preserving Memories for a Lifetime

Top of Texas Taxidermy, in Amarillo, provides all your taxidermy needs. High quality mounts for North American game, African game, Exotics, Bird Mounts, Euro and Horn Mounts. We also provide home decorations such as animal skin pillows, lamp shades, spear

www.topoftexastaxidermy.com

 

[JHT]

Tom Sexton at Five Point Studio in Amana Iowa is your guy. PM me for contact info.

 

[Sarg]

Very sorry to read of you tragic loss, I hope you saved more than just this part ?

As Red leg has said, a remount with fresh cape will fix it up nicely, I have seen many badly damaged mounts resurrected .

 

[C.W. Richter]

My son has an extra shoulder cape, as he preferred the Euro mount (due to the nice, between the eyes/bridge of the nose shot right up the center!) 'Also know an upstate NY taxidermist that would tackle the job. He repaired a big buck my great grandfather shot on my very first outing (it was knocked off the 2nd story wall by movers stacking boxes and crashed onto a hardwood floor ~20 feet down! It resembled a puzzle) and has done nice jobs with buffalo over the years. Great spring/summer project for a taxidermist, when they're not pumping out the deer..

 

[cbvanb]

My son has an extra shoulder cape, as he preferred the Euro mount (due to the nice, between the eyes/bridge of the nose shot right up the center!) 'Also know an upstate NY taxidermist that would tackle the job. He repaired a big buck my great grandfather shot on my very first outing (it was knocked off the 2nd story wall by movers stacking boxes and crashed onto a hardwood floor ~20 feet down! It resembled a puzzle) and has done nice jobs with buffalo over the years. Great spring/summer project for a taxidermist, when they're not pumping out the deer..

I appreciate the information. I have contacted several of the suggested taxidermists in this thread and I'm waiting to find the guy who will say yes. If I end up needing a cape I'll get in touch.

 

[cbvanb]

I thought I would post an update on this repair. I contacted a few taxidermists that were recommended by various members and got answers ranging from "impossible to fix", to an estimate of $5000. I had given up on the project when we happened to be at Wellers in Tucson to drop off a Coues deer my wife had shot. I took the damaged mount with us to see what they would say. The reaction was skepticism, but they asked me to leave the mount for a few days while they thought it over. I got a call from Wellers a week or so later, and they advised they did not think the mount could be repaired, but they had a mold guy who could duplicate horns and antlers and wanted to give him a go at this. I agreed, and yesterday my wife presented me the finished mount as a birthday present.
I hadn't considered the idea of molds as a replacement, but I'm glad I agreed. The guy matched the original horn configuration from a picture I had left with Wellers.
I shot this buffalo in 1998, the first of several with my .470 William and Douglass double rifle. The tip of the right horn had been shot off the previous year by an English client who had a .500 double he couldn't shoot very well. It took 8 rounds from the .470, all in the right place, before the buff died. It is certainly one of my most memorable hunts, and I honor this buff by hanging him on my wall.

 

[ThreeJacks]

Very nice

 

[RR 314]

Looks great! Glad they got it done and great gift!

 

[JimP]

I'm glad the Weller's took care of you.

I was impressed when I saw their operation back in 2017 when I dropped off my coues and then again when I picked it up. Not to mention the mounts that they post on their FB page.

 

[WAB]

Wow, that turned out great!

 

[Mekaniks]

That's Awesome