Plains game by relive starting to be done

[Diamondhitch]

... I myself had no plans on hunting an eland till loodt said he had a deal I could not pass up on . Once I seen him out hunting he was just a giant and one I could not pass on. I can still see him walking out of the bush trotting with his cows across the opening that big dewlap swinging in the air. When that bullet hit I was as happy as cold be.

Sounds like Loodt is one hell of a salesman ... Of course I would also be an easy mark when it came to a huge bodied huge dew lapped Eland bull too!

For the record I am always "one of the good guys".

 

[billc]

It was not to hard a sell on that big bull. When I told him I would pass if the bull was not what I wanted he just smiled and said ok that is fine. At that point I know he must be big as loodt kind of had no doubt I would take him if we could find him. I said in my hunt report he could have charged someone a lot more to hunt this bull but he gave me a great deal and a great eland in the end.

I was thinking you were one of the good guys but man that flat skin comment. LOL Did you notice how I had paul build in the hump of the back on the forms. So many eland mounts look small compared to the live eland and way to flat across the back. I think the forms look right on the money when I look at my pictures when we took them.

 

[Warbird782]

@billc , I too like the way your springbuck mounts show the side of the critters. I think that I will do that with my daughters copper for sure. The rest will be a mix of wall pedestal and shoulder mounts on the wood pedestal like in the photo.

Loodt does have a way with selling people on eland. I had no plans of one until this guy showed up......

 

[Diamondhitch]

Did you notice how I had paul build in the hump of the back on the forms. So many eland mounts look small compared to the live eland and way to flat across the back. I think the forms look right on the money when I look at my pictures when we took them.

I think it looks really nice. With all the extra length added behind the standard length shoulder form you will definitely have a very massive looking mount. Add the dewlap in and it will look like a garage door LOL

 

[Diamondhitch]

This is the inspiration for my Eland mount (whenever I actually get to it). Mounted like the first one but wrinkled more like #2. No comment on where I got these pics.

Small details like those fine wrinkle really add a lot to a mount.

 

[billc]

You have good taste as those are the same two pic's I used for detail. I like the soft muscle tone on the face of #1 but the body detail in pic #2. I just wanted a ped. mount so I could show the size of the body and having that hump of the back in the mount shows the mass of the eland I think.

 

[Royal27]

Ok Bill, I give you a hard time but I do really respect your opinion especially when it comes to taxidermy.

So here is the assignment, should you choose to accept it. I have taken five of the tiny ten now and they are all at Paul's as you know.

1. Klipspringer
2. Sharpes Grysbok
3. Oribi
4. Common Duiker
5. Steenbok

How should I mount them? Only rule is no full mounts.... As much as I would like to do all full mounts I just don't have the space to do it. Anything else, including groupimgs, is fair game.

 

[johnnyblues]

Billy I can't wait to see your eland. They have fast become one of my favorite trophys on my wish list.

 

[johnnyblues]

Here's an idea with maximizing space efficiency

 

[billc]

Ok Bill, I give you a hard time but I do really respect your opinion especially when it comes to taxidermy.

So here is the assignment, should you choose to accept it. I have taken five of the tiny ten now and they are all at Paul's as you know.

1. Klipspringer
2. Sharpes Grysbok
3. Oribi
4. Common Duiker
5. Steenbok

How should I mount them? Only rule is no full mounts.... As much as I would like to do all full mounts I just don't have the space to do it. Anything else, including groupimgs, is fair game.

I myself like wall peds like Dakotas springbucks as it shows more of the animal and they can be grouped on a wall. Or maybe a rock base with different heights for each animal with brush and grass coming out of the rocks. it would just be a wider then the two animal mount in the picture.
The other way I like if you remember the one grouping out at dsc. It was just square ped. bases next to each other but they got taller as they went up almost like steps. so say the first one would be 18" tall next one would be say 24" the next would 30" then then they would start going backdown so another 24" then 18. Again maybe groups of 5. It was plain but showed the animal well with no habitant at all.

I do like the base in the picture and with the little guys. The rock base really is not that big. That mount could be made to hang on the wall also not just a desk top like in the picture. The hardest part to decide is if this first 5 is the ones you want together. I think the mix of them will be the hardest part of picking the mount. What you have may be a good mix using the orbi as the larger of this group. Then using the vallie in the next batch as the larger of that group.
So your next grouping would be blue,red duiker,vallie dik dik,mtn reedbuck or cape grysbok depending on what you think.

 

[Royal27]

Here's an idea with maximizing space efficiency

That's nice....

 

[Royal27]

I agree with you Bill on the shoulder pedestals, although I do like what jb just out up. I talked to Paul about the group of five and really do like that idea, just trying to figure out how best to do it if I go that route.

And, I want to call out the Steenbok somehow as I may never take a "bigger" animal.

 

[billc]

I agree with you Bill on the shoulder pedestals, although I do like what jb just out up. I talked to Paul about the group of five and really do like that idea, just trying to figure out how best to do it if I go that route.

And, I want to call out the Steenbok somehow as I may never take a "bigger" animal.

I would just want the mount a little bigger then the one johnny posted. That picture I posted you would make the mount just wider and I would say be about 4 ft wide for nice spacing between animals. The animal you want to stand out you put in the middle and the highest in the mount.

 

[Diamondhitch]

Not really my cup of tea but

 

[billc]

Ok some more pictures all unfinished yet but some ideas to look at. The last of Dakotas springbuck slam the copper. Some of my friends beest slam. Then some eland and orbi to. Just a test fit on zebra form also.

 

[Royal27]

good stuff Bill...

I'm liking the Oribi and it has me thinking. I wonder if maybe a way to do my "fibve little guys" pedestal would be to do a combination of shoulder pedestals and shoulder mounts? with maybe something bigger like the Oribi being just shoulder?

 

[Diamondhitch]

I like how that shoulder turned out on the Eland Bill. That really does give that huge bodied Eland feel. Love the wrinkling in the neck as well.

 

[billc]

good stuff Bill...

I'm liking the Oribi and it has me thinking. I wonder if maybe a way to do my "fibve little guys" pedestal would be to do a combination of shoulder pedestals and shoulder mounts? with maybe something bigger like the Oribi being just shoulder?

You could do the orbi as a shoulder mount and do the wall peds of the others around him. It all depends on if you want just mounts or mounts with habitat or not. With the tiny ten there is so many ways to break them up in groups or do them all together. I still think I would break them up into groups of 5 and combo them up.

The hardest thing is the orbi is rare so you want him standing out but your steenbuck is great and want him to stand out also. I am still thinking of some ideas and if something clicks I will tell you for sure.

 

[billc]

I like how that shoulder turned out on the Eland Bill. That really does give that huge bodied Eland feel. Love the wrinkling in the neck as well.

Thanks I was not sure if I went to big but I think they look just how I remember them when we seen them. Most mounts just don't show the true size of eland and I think paul made these show that for sure.

 

[Royal27]

You could do the orbi as a shoulder mount and do the wall peds of the others around him. It all depends on if you want just mounts or mounts with habitat or not. With the tiny ten there is so many ways to break them up in groups or do them all together. I still think I would break them up into groups of 5 and combo them up.

The hardest thing is the orbi is rare so you want him standing out but your steenbuck is great and want him to stand out also. I am still thinking of some ideas and if something clicks I will tell you for sure.

Appreciate it Bill!

I agree on the Oribi and the Steenbok and would like to make those two really pop. Although, in all fairness I have been lucky with all of the little guys so far. the steenbok, grysbok, and duiker would all make RW and the Oribi is almost there. Only the klippie isn't super close.