Looking at my leopard mount reminded of two mistakes I made.

1. Mounting. I had it mounted in South Africa- Highveld. The pose was the cat on a tree limb. Cost a lot to ship, and when I went to put it on the wall I understood why. They mounted it on "iron wood" which friggin weighs a ton. It takes two adult males to lift it, and when it was mounted, it weighed so much it pressed into the wall board a good inch.

I would have preferred a lighter wood- less authentic, but easier to handle. Also, I would have the mount "flat" meaning it could sit up or be stored upright.

My mount now has one lag and the tail below the tree limb, and the only weigh to place it to avoid damage, when it is not on the wall, is on its side- which damages it as well.


I hope someone can benefit from my mishap.

post a photo please, I have mine mounted with real tree limb also, I just dont like the fake tree look.

AD

I'm sorry to hear of your disappointment. Your story seems another example of how hunters often get what they pay for when hunting leopards. $15,000 is certainly at the low end for leopard hunting these days. Female cats are a big no-no (not to mention illegal) in most places, especially the best areas. Also, in a good area, the PH will pass on small cats, regardless of sex.

I agree that cat hunting on its own can be tedious. The leopard hunting I have done (as a client and as an appy) has always been mixed with plains game, which makes for a more enjoyable hunt. Check baits in the morning and then hunt for other stuff the rest of the day (maybe look for a nice croc on the river or search the dambos for a big sable). In fact, you might well spot something good to go after while running your bait circuit.

Hunting where the shooting will be during daytime is also a nice way to make the hunt less tiresome. Staying up all night in a blind can get old fast, I'm sure.

Again, I'm sorry your leopard experience wasn't great. There's nothing like getting excited for a hunt and then coming home with negative feelings.

Whoops -- Looks like you edited your original message before I posted my reply.

Yes, I did, decided not to raise a big stink about it, after so much time has passed.....my bad.

J:

Can you make some sort of pedestal mount set-up for it?

Regarding the mount: Well, now that you've already paid for the shipping, I think it's pretty cool to have your leopard on an ironwood log from Africa. Although somewhat of a pain, the remedy for your problem would be to design a cantilever-type of support that would destribute the weight of the mount against the wall more evenly, so that it doesn't dent your drywall. Personally, I would love to have your problem, and I would relish the opportunity to come up with a creative solution. It's the expense of a leopard hunt that would kill me.

replace the log with something else - give robert utne a call (see the taxidermy7 section) they make quite of bit of things like that. i've got a leopard coming from zambia (if it ever gets here) & am bringing it in without a base, robert will make one for it to fit

You can easily have a taxidermist build you an artificial tree to fit your cat that won't be near as heavy as the iron wood. Might be a little pricey, but it would solve your problem