George asked me to post a couple pics for him. here they are:

I really like that second picture.....very nice mule deer.


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Thanks much John, appreciate it.

Ok, here's the story: These are sorry pictures from my cell phone.

When we built this 18'x30' room on back of the old house it just wasn't possible to talk the late wife into a high ceiling. Of course back in '89 all the family was healthy too. Now I'm the only one left.

Those of you that have read my spiels over the years have heard of the hogs. These are the two I shot at Cedar Key Fla. in July '11 with a M-700 .243 over bait. No hunt involved, just sat in a blind until pigs big enough to make me happy showed up. Both head shots about 30-35 feet. Top was 200# even, other was 147# dead wts before a blade hit them.

The big mulie is family history. First season after WWII when all the family was discharged four brother in laws and one's brother joined up and drove two old 30's cars up to the NW corner of CO to White River Nat'l Forest for the very first season after the war: 1946. Dad was one of them, all except one were my uncles, one: Teague Ben Eiland killed this buck with a single shot .30/40. It measured out when being remounted at: 187 3/8ths pts, book starts at 180 I believe. When it was killed there wasn't any books on game heads so it was never measured as no one knew of such things. He died in '73, out of the 5 that went on that hunt, there's one still alive now, he's 91 I think. Aunt wouldn't let him have it in the house with a 6pt bull elk. This guy hung next to a window in his garage. Original mount was short necked upright. The left side of the hair, ear and such rotted off, eye was white from the sunshine. Really looked ragged as hell. When the aunt died about 1990, I told the grandsons: "if none of you boys want that buck I do, don't toss it", I felt it was just too great a rack to trash. A few years later Dad called and said: "Eddie just called and said he was leaving the garage door unlocked if you want that buck go get it, when he comes back to town and it's still there it's going in the dumpster". I had it home within the hour catching hell from the wife as it shed all over the place. Finally I hung it in Dad's garage a few years until I could afford to have it remounted.

This room has a full 30' E window wall, this is the only area I can hang things on, as you can see there's my computer so it's just over this.

I killed the 3x4 buck about 7-8yrs ago and thought the cape could be used for the big buck. Taxidermist said: "your cape is too small for this buck, I have a road killed cape big enough, the horns were destroyed, for $20 I'll swap for yours" "do it". A number of us have inspected his work and can't find a flaw anyplace. He runs a taxidermist school in Canon City Co.

The skunk I bought in a 'lil wide spot store in S. Texas when trucking, got it for kicks as a Christmas present for Dad I think in '73 or 74. Still fine shape. The fox I was driving him to the eye doc and saw it laying on a bridge on I-25 right in downtown Pueblo. When I told Dad, he said turn around and go get it. So I did. When I skinned it out there wasn't a bruise or mark on it anywhere, just like it had a H/A and died there. It hadn't even been hit. Amazing. The tail looks like a patch is coming loose now though.

The antelope I'm not sure if that's mine or Dad's, killed 80 miles E of here in the late 60's I think. Uncle put it together with plaster of paris painted. So far it's held up.

Ok, hope this fills in the story to everyone's satisfaction. Ask if you have questions.

I have Dad's moose, & caribou mounts and biggest elk rack in the shop all crowded together. Wall's out there are 13'6", house is 8' ceilings, just no way to hang such things in here, they'd be waist high! Maybe I'll take some pics of those to be added if John's willing to post them to this.

Thanks,

George

nice george dam nice setup got that old ranch house look to it

Thanks Frank, too bad it's just 15 yr old oak paneling. Whole place is inside. Could have taken a nice hunting trip for what that stuff cost. Am sure you know how it is to argue with a woman though, right?

George

George,

I'll have to look up the spiel on the Cedar Key hogs. I would bowhunt out at the Cedar Key Scrub when I lived in Gainesville. I once started to draw on a big red sow out there. She was already spooky and took off before I got to full draw.

Tom

Hell of a deal, my pics have been taken down.
Wonder why.

George

Pictures are back George.
Love that big Muley and the history is very special.

Thanks for Sharing!

Great looking trophy room, that Muley is impressive.

Thanks for reposting John, appreciate it.

The history of the buck and it's size is the things for me, plus knowing some of the story of that hunt adds to it. Much is not posted here. Maybe I should. Those guys were a whole lot tougher than most of us ever were!

Seems they got snowed out and only had one set of tire chains. The snow was over 3' deep most of the way home. Took them 5 days to get just over 300 miles. They camped/slept in the cars on the highway wherever they played out.

Chained up one, drive about half mile, hand carry the chains back to the other car and drive on past then carry 'em back. Sounded to me like an ass kicker of a trip. They had this buck, and 2 or 3 others, plus Teague's big bull mostly tied on the outside of the cars, on the fenders.

The rest of the details has been lost to their deaths before I got the head and Dad told me. The survivor says he don't recall much of the hunt other than it was "a real ordeal".

Randall: Thanks, but, it's not the room, it's just this 8' section of wall. Sure wish it was practical to remodel the place to build higher ceilings and more walls, but, it's not. So I'll just have to live with it.

George