Aging out...what to do with trophies

[idelkslayer]

I'm young enough that I have several decades before this will be a real concern, I hope.

I type up all of my hunting stories and my kids hunting stories. I would be grateful if my kids read my stories and decided that a couple of them were interesting enough to want to keep a few of the trophies.

I only have a couple of trophies that I will ask them to keep, even if it is just the antlers stored in a garage or barn and only looked at on rare occasions. I think that the location and type of hunt is unique enough to place value on those few sets of antlers. For example if my grandfather had kept any of his trophies from the 50's, 60's and 70's I would liked to have one, especially if it came from an area I still hunt or some other interesting place deep in a wilderness of high elevation mountain range. Unfortunately, he didn't keep a single set of antlers from all his years of hunting.

As for the rest, I hope my kids sell them for as much as they can get and use the money to buy a new rifle so my kids or grandkids can make their own memories.

 

[thusby]

I hope my family members want the rugs. Even if they just toss them on the floor until they get walked on too many times.
As I acquire more heads and antlers from relatives, they will probably get screwed into trees in the backyard.
No one in my family ever bothered to do anything more fancy than a euro.

 

[glass eye]

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This might be the only life-size mount of a wallaby in the U.S. It was done by Marc Plunkett.

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I have a tanned wallaby in my freezer just waiting for me to mount it.

 

[Mountain Man]

I am on the opposite side of the equation with my dad and my wife’s dad getting up there in age. I am the only hunter of the younger generation and I already have 11 shoulder mounts. My dad has 11 shoulder mounts and my father in law has around 8. I do not have the space for 30 shoulder mounts and it makes me sad that their well earned trophies are likely to go by the wayside over the course of time. I am definitely a convert to European or horn mounts for this reason.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

He donated his grand slam North American sheep to local sportsman association for their new building.

Boone and Crocket moose found a home near Fairbanks.
All non-Alaskan heads went in an auction in Anchorage.
Packing was interesting...biggest U-haul he could rent.
We tied off each head with rope from 3 walls around the antlers so the ears would not break when pothole/bumps happen.
No problems despite some rough section of road in the 360 mile drive.

 

[OntarioHunter]

He donated his grand slam North American sheep to local sportsman association for their new building.
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Boone and Crocket moose found a home near Fairbanks.
All non-Alaskan heads went in an auction in Anchorage.
Packing was interesting...biggest U-haul he could rent.
We tied off each head with rope from 3 walls around the antlers so the ears would not break when pothole/bumps happen.
No problems despite some rough section of road in the 360 mile drive.

When I moved my daughter's taxidermy school projects home from Montana, I screw mounted them to sheets of 1/2" plywood (from backside of plywood) and then fastened the sheets to walls of trailer. Glad you found a home for the sheep.

It doesn't seem to be much of a problem here finding stores or restaurant/bars interested in euro mounts, especially the African stuff. But shoulder mounts are now less desirable. Take up too much space and get ratty looking rather quickly. The fur catches cooking grease which collects dust.

 

[2rocky]

My mother had a "no taxidermy in the house " rule so my father hung his blacktail racks on the dog kennel, and out of state skull plates on the side of the garage.....outside. He did manage to get his 2015 euroed elk skull from Wyoming in his sunroom office, along with a hog skull and one of his better Blacktails.

When my parents pass away their house will probably be an Air BNB and used for family gatherings. So dad's indoor trophies will stay while the outside ones weather and grow moss....

AH I was directed to the Jack O'Connor Sheep collection hidden away in the Life Sciences building at the University of Idaho. Not sure if it is still there.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

My mother had a "no taxidermy in the house " rule so my father hung his blacktail racks on the dog kennel, and out of state skull plates on the side of the garage.....outside. He did manage to get his 2015 euroed elk skull from Wyoming in his sunroom office, along with a hog skull and one of his better Blacktails.

When my parents pass away their house will probably be an Air BNB and used for family gatherings. So dad's indoor trophies will stay while the outside ones weather and grow moss....

AH I was directed to the Jack O'Connor Sheep collection hidden away in the Life Sciences building at the University of Idaho. Not sure if it is still there.

We also have "no taxidermy in the house".
The only thing I have in our living space is a carved horn from my first ram.
Cost me $700 to have it carved back in the 1990s.

My antlers are mostly outdoors around the yard, as a home address sign, tacked on the woodshed and cabin.

I have 4 sheep horns on a cabinet in the basement, gave away a bunch to friends.

 

[justdada]

Next time you feel the need to give away sheep horns, please keep me in mind!
That carved piece looks awesome btw.

 

[glass eye]

My wife doesn't hunt but she like to go with me for the adventure.
When she hears of "No taxidermy in the house" rules from other women it makes her angry. She says it's selfish and unfair, it's the man's house too"

 

[TheTone]

AH I was directed to the Jack O'Connor Sheep collection hidden away in the Life Sciences building at the University of Idaho. Not sure if it is still there.

I’d guess there is a chance they don’t know they if have it. It also may be down in Lewiston at the Jack O Connor center

I think U of I has a ton of stuff stashed away. I helped deliver an elk head to them 4-5 years ago and Have no idea where it went. I’ve never seen it hung up in any buildings I’ve been in lately

 

[44hunter45]

I’d guess there is a chance they don’t know they if have it. It also may be down in Lewiston at the Jack O Connor center

I think U of I has a ton of stuff stashed away. I helped deliver an elk head to them 4-5 years ago and Have no idea where it went. I’ve never seen it hung up in any buildings I’ve been in lately

Not in DNR? I remember seeing stuff in one of the Engineering Buildings. Back in the day I used to go in one of them (Janssen?) to buy my topo maps.