I'm going on my first trip to Africa in September for Buffalo and PG, and I'm trying to figure out what to do with my trophies.

I am tempted to stick with european mounts, but I'm wondering if they will do some of the species justice. I have done searches, but I can't find a picture of a european mounted Buffalo.

If I'm lucky enough to take a Kudu, Bushbuck, or Eland, I think I may do a shoulder mount.

Does anybody have pictures of a european mounted buffalo or PG?

That's a tough call. I went with shoulder mount for Springbok, Bushbuck, Nyala, Kudu, and Gemsbok.

I quite like Euro mount Buff .

It is a lot easier to display the euro mount- the buff shoulder mounts are big and heavy...depends on what kind of space you have to display.

I'm not saying this is a great specimin but it is a euro mount
euro mount buff

Joel, Looks good to me! A good excuse to shoot a bunch more Buff!

check the bronzed euro mounts on the taxidermy thread

The price difference between shoulder mounts and euro mounts will go along way toward funding your next safari.

No matter what you decide, I recommend having the cape shipped home along with the skull. You can have it tanned and stored in a chest freezer for many years. You then have the option of mounting it later, trading it to a taxidermist etc...

Having the big boys done as europeans wil save you a load of cash, take up less room and be easier to mount in your home. I wish that on my first safari I had not mounted everything as a couple of them were less than impressive trophies. Of course at that time I didn't realize like a lot of folks that I would return many times to Africa.

Mark

I saw a Euro mounted Buff somewhere a few years back that sat on a table. The skull had been cut short nosed to slightly above the atlas joint IIRC and it sat on a table without the horns touching the top. I thought then it would be a great way to have my first buff done and kept on my desk, (I was surprised how tactile they are) rather than just hung on the wall.

Unfortunately I've been saying "next year I'll go" for the last few years and don't seem to be able to get round to going on the bloody hunt!!

Rgds,
FB

Here's how I am having mine done... http://www.dakotataxidermy.com...95&offset=4&detail=1

Here's another option I've used for elk... http://www.skullhooker.com/bighooker.html

http://www.animalartistry.com/pb/nov.php


Link to some European mounts.

There is nothing like a head and shoulder mounted cape buffalo.

If you kill a really good bull, you should do it.

I had my Kudu, Gemsbok, and Hartman's Zebra done as pedistal mounts. When I go again the only thing I will have done as anything other than skull mounts would be a sable.

Nothing wrong with Buff euro mount, as well as some others - here are some of mine:



but - IMO - euro mounts do some unjustice to certain animals like Eland, Sable, Bushbuck, Nyala, Roan, Gerenuk...

Here is a sample of Bushbuck:





...or Eland:

Its a bit of a two way street there are pros and cons for each. If you have not hunted africa before like someone else said make sure you bring the skins back. that way you can have them tanned and then put the skulls up on the wall so if later you rethink and want to have them mounted you can.For me i love looking at my shoulder mounts and full mounts,yes it costs more yes it take s up more room and i do have a few euro mounts but when life is getting me down i love sitting there with a cold one and it feels to me like i am right back in the bush with them.....just my to bob's worth

A tastefully carved (leaf/floral border) mninga plaque combines nicely with the white skull and dark horns. It also helps to set off the skull from a light colored wall. No disrespect to Mouse, but I think his nice trophies would look better on wooden plaques.

For me, euros are the only way to go, and as many others have said, you are on your way for another trip, with the money savings.

Mad Dog

I think euro mounts look good outdoors and not indoors.It 's a cheap mount,IMO.

I really like a european mount if/when it is accompanied by a good field photo.

I struggled with the same question and to some extent still do. The capes from my Cape buffalo and PG hunt are at the tannery but when they get to the taxidermist, I will have to make a decision.

No doubt that Eurpean mounts are beautiful and have a ruggedness about them. If I had been on as many safaris as some here have been, that would probably be the way to go. Yes they are less expensive and that money can go a long way to another safari.

On the other hand in my humble and inexperienced opinion, European mounts do not, for me, capture the magnificence and grandeur of these immense, powerful elegant animals as well as a shoulder or pedestal mount does. Yes, I plan to go back and I may get a much bigger Cape buffalo or something else ... But I'd like to be able to put my arm around my dad's shoulder, look at the mounts and relive the moments of our safari. For that, for Pop and me - I think shoulder mounts tell a better story.

Respectfully,
Paul

First trip is this September so what the heck do I know. My taxidermist did have an excellent suggestion though which seemed logical but maybe not always thought out ahead of time.

Where are you going to put the mounts and do you have room. The other obvious savings with Euro mounts is that fact you do not have to ship back and tan a cape and we all know that shipping can add up.

That being said if I get a decent Buffalo he will get shoulder mounted and be sneering down at anyone who sits on my sofa.

Just to put my further (Central European) view on the subject...

Trophy consists of two major perceptions – view and feel. While view can be upgraded with hanging a good field photo beside the horns, the feel is there nonetheless - just put your hand on the horns and touch the knuckles and curves (somehow they are always warm) and you are back there...to put even more emphasis on the subject – think of the elephant tusks – hard to imagine a better association with European mount – I don't have them (but can understand a hunter that took them with ease) – I bet there are not enough words to describe a feeling when they touch them - one certainly doesn't need a full mount to fully appreciate the story behind...

And I would never agree on EU mounts being cheap – here in EU we would call them modest - never cheap.

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
First trip is this September so what the heck do I know. My taxidermist did have an excellent suggestion though which seemed logical but maybe not always thought out ahead of time.

Where are you going to put the mounts and do you have room. The other obvious savings with Euro mounts is that fact you do not have to ship back and tan a cape and we all know that shipping can add up.

That being said if I get a decent Buffalo he will get shoulder mounted and be sneering down at anyone who sits on my sofa.

You might also add the question of where the wife will allow us to hang it. And ... over the bed might not be the best answer

Euro mounts are much less expensive to mount, and ship ans they save a lot of space so are much easier to display. I now tend to only do shoulder mounts on game that is "pretty" like nyala or bushbuck.

The "Euro mount" is already done for you -- that's the way they are shipped. You'll put no more money into it, they are much easier to display, and they can even be displayed in a non-climate controlled environment (I have mine on a screened porch or patio). Also, when you don't do a shoulder mount you have some very nice full hides for rugs or wall hangers. Mine were tanned (hair on) in Namibia where the quality of the work was first class and the cost was extraordinarily reasonable.

While I have several very nice ones, I believe shoulder mounts are over-rated.

The "European mount" the way I have always viewed it differs slightly from a "skull" mount. The skull mount may or may not be on a panel, and is the full upper skull and teeth and sometimes the bottom jaw as well.

The European mount is the upper skull sliced down lengthwise through the nasal area and above the upper teeth so that it lays flat on a panel, usually of dark colored wood. (See Ozhunter's photo above)

Some people may consider the skulls taken out of an African shipment "ready to display" right out of the crate but I certainly do not. Some are better than others but I have yet to see one from a dip and pack shipment that I would call "finished".

Washing, degreasing, additional whitening, gluing teeth, attaching horns, finishing horns, sealing skull, repairing damages, filling warthog tusks, custom panel work, installing adequate hangers etc... are just some examples of the things that go into a quality piece IMO.

Something to consider when you've decided to have European mounts done is to make sure the the crew in the skinning shed understands that. If not they will give litte care to the nasal bones which on many animals are quite delicate and easily broken.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Grafton

Some people may consider the skulls taken out of an African shipment "ready to display" right out of the crate but I certainly do not. Some are better than others but I have yet to see one from a dip and pack shipment that I would call "finished".

Correct that the full skull mount (less jaw) differs slightly from some iterations of "European" mounts.

The skulls I received were fully cleaned and bleached, ready for hanging (although a couple of them required me to glue a hanger in place on the anterior of the skull). The horns are NOT mounted on the skull as received. Any material such as tube silicone is appropriate for semi-permanently attaching the horn sheaths to the bone bases of the skull. This is fairly quick and simple, but you do have to take care to orient the horns properly.

Maybe the folks who prepared my skulls did an extra good job, but all I had to do was attach the horns and place the skulls on a protruding screw head, usually through the spinal cord hole in the skull's rear.

I had originally intended to shoulder mount the kudu shown on the stone fireplace, but I liked it so well there that I thought better of spending $800 for the privelege of hunting for a place inside to display it. Now I wish I had had the beautiful full skin tanned.

Stonecreek
Nice Trophys. But this Kudus are awesome.

If you want all the animals shoulder mounted and can afford it, then go for it. Life is too short to sell yourself short.

quote:

Originally posted by mboga biga bwana:
Stonecreek
Nice Trophys. But this Kudus are awesome.

The kudu on the fireplace measures just over 55" on the longer of the horns and goes into the SCI Gold category. The fireplace stone is exactly 4 feet wide, so that gives you some idea of its width. I took in in dry southern Namibia where kudus usually don't get all that big. My guide exclaimed when he saw it on the ground "We guarantee people they will NOT kill a Gold Medal kudu here!". My response was, "Well, in that case I demand my money back!"

Thank you all very much for your input! It really helped seeing pictures, I wasn't able to find a picture of a european mounted buffalo anywhere. The links will come in very handy.

I really like the european mounted buffalo. As much as I admire shoulder mounted buffalo, I don't think the european mount takes much away, and will be much easier to display in my house. The examples posted her were very impressive.

Before seeing some of your mounts I was really unusre about Kudu, however, those impressive spiral horns really have no problem standing on their own.

I'm still considering shoulder or head mounts for Bushbuck and Eland. The sheer size of an Eland is impossible to convey with a european mount. I can think of one available location in the house for a shoulder mounted Eland, I just have to check with my wife first. Not sure she's going to be ok with losing the use of half of our dining room table.

I will mount by cutting the skull flush, aove the teeth, but leaving the "nose," and mounting on a wood plaque.

I really like the idea of adding a photo of the animal.

Realistically, this won't be too much of a problem. I'll consider myself very fortunate to get my intended prey, the buffalo. I doubt I'll have to "worry" about what to do with a kudu and eland after my first trip.