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My Trophy Room (before and after leopard).

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https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1821043/m/112100337

18 September 2007, 06:02
GAHUNTER
My Trophy Room (before and after leopard).
Here goes. This is my first attempt at posting pictures. I've only been posting here six years, gee, gimme a little time!

Anyway, I built this trophy room on the back of my house soon after returning from our family safari to Namibia in 2002. In '04, I shot a leopard in Zimbabwe, and just recently got it on the wall. Still don't have my bushbuck, impala(s) and other plains game from that trip.

Before Leopard


After Leopard Added


North American End


Right of Fireplace


LeftWall


Right Wall


I've got a ton more, but these should give you the general idea.
18 September 2007, 06:11
GAHUNTER
I DID IT!!!!! I actually posted pictures on AR!

Man, am I proud of myself, or what?
18 September 2007, 06:24
RBHunt
I really like the way you did the elk with the shield and spear. Looks good. thumb
18 September 2007, 08:18
Kyler Hamann
Very classy. I'd really like to do something like that someday.
Thanks for posting,
Kyler


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18 September 2007, 08:41
DPhillips
Very nice!
18 September 2007, 08:49
Ahmed Sultan
I really like the artistic blend of trophies with other artifact, very nicely done thumb Thanks for sharing.


Ahmed Sultan
18 September 2007, 17:39
GAHUNTER
Thanks guys.

I am a home builder by trade (that's why there's no safaris on the calandar right now -- business is beyond lousy). That's why I was able to build it the way I wanted it. I simply looked through hunting magazines and copied ideas from trophy room pictures published there.
18 September 2007, 19:48
Aspen Hill Adventures
Very nice! Love the kudus.


~Ann


18 September 2007, 20:12
nomrcy
Very nice!! Something to be very proud of!


Trophies are not dead animals...they are living memories.
18 September 2007, 20:27
L. David Keith
Excellent GA, job well done!


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Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt:
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Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018
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Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007
16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409
Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311
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"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson

Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running......

"If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you."
19 September 2007, 00:16
muygrande
Well done. Nice animals and great job on the pedestals. Neat and well laid out room.
19 September 2007, 10:59
yukon delta
Beauty. I'm sure you spent many hours planning that.


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21 September 2007, 17:48
Die Ou Jagter
Excellent display of many great trophies.
21 September 2007, 18:03
Boghossian
Good stuff man, where did you get the stag?

The quality of taxidermy look very high, was it done in the US or elsewhere?

cheers
G
22 September 2007, 00:06
GAHUNTER
Boghossian,

Actually, there's two stags. One's just a European mount and is on a wall not pictured.

They both came from a hunt with Mike McCrave, CMS Hunting, in Scotland. Mike runs the best (and cheapest) fully guided, Scottish red stags hunts I have ever seen. Accomadations are first class and numerous activities are planned for the non-hunting guest, which ment my wife also got the Scotland site-seeing trip she has always wanted. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!

Ninety percent of the taxidermy work was perfomed by Charles Watson at Wildlife Taxidermy in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Charlie pretty much specializes in African game, but does a real nice job on domestic and European stuff too. Many, or maybe even most, folks in our local SCI chapter use Charlie.

Here are some additional Pictures of the Room and individual animals:

Red Stag, European Mount


Another Shot of the Shoulder Mount (Stag)


Leopard Mounted by Charles Watson


Teal Mounted by Charlie (or rather his assistant, Daniel)


BTW, for those who asked about the pedestals, he will build them and sell them to other taxidermists and individuals. They ain't cheap! Impala/whitail/bushbuck, etc.-sized pedestals go for $595. Kudu/gemsbuck/zebra-sized pedestals are $695. Eland/cape buffalo-sized ones are $795. All the above prices include you supplying the tanned back skins.

Here's some pictures of what they look like:






26 September 2007, 04:10
Blair338/378
quote:
Originally posted by GAHUNTER:
I DID IT!!!!! I actually posted pictures on AR!

Man, am I proud of myself, or what?


Good on you, mate!! thumb

Your room looks great..............


Verbera!, Iugula!, Iugula!!!

Blair.

26 September 2007, 15:03
Ahmed Niazi
Looks Great thumb
27 September 2007, 05:25
jorge
Grrreat room GA! we're thinking about an addition like that to our house as well. Can you give us some dimensions including ceiling height pls? thanks and congrats on a great trophy room. jorge


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29 September 2007, 01:41
GAHUNTER
Jorge,

Sorry to take so long, I just saw your post.

The outside dimensions of the room are 24'- wide, by 34'-deep. If I had it to do over again, I'd make it two feet deeper, as I barely have enough room for two seperate seating areas, which was my goal (one centered on the big-screen tv at one end, and one centered on the fireplace, at the other).

The walls are 10'-tall (full-size 10' studs) and the ceiling is cut on a 9/12 pitch, which gives me 19-feet of height at the center, however we put a four-foot flat across the peak, which brings it down to 17'-high. This is plenty high for my purposes.

The fireplace is a 52-inch pre-fab, which is the biggest my fireplace people stock. Just couldn't see spending 15-20 grand for a masonry firplace.

The woodwork (raised-panel oak) was pre-cut in my cabinet man's shop, who had never done anything like this before. He charged me eleven grand and was the best decision I made.

Hope this helps.
30 September 2007, 00:03
jorge
Yes it does help, thanks very much. I'm still kicking around someidead. jorge


USN (ret)
DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE
Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE
Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE
DSC Life Member
NRA Life Member

01 June 2008, 01:11
GAHUNTER
Even though I've posted these pictures in a seperate thread, I think they should be seen in context with the rest of the room. This impala and bushbuck were both taken in '05 in Zimbabwe. (In other posts, I said '04, but the dates were April-May 2005. See what you young folks have to look forward to.) Roll Eyes

A Pretty Nice Bushbuck (best trophy of the trip)



One of 15 Impala I Shot (most for bait and game scout rations.)



01 June 2008, 03:37
yukon delta
This is still one of my favorite rooms posted here. It's just classy.


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05 June 2008, 09:00
kudude
GA,

I totally agree. What a beautiful trophy room and beautiful trophies. Well done. Kudude
25 July 2008, 20:37
byf42
very nice!!! where did you get the couches at? it has a classy lodge look about it! congrats! thumb


*We Band of 45-70er's*

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt-
18 September 2008, 22:52
GAHUNTER
Actually, 42, the couches and recliners came from Macy's, on sale! The were about 1/3 as much as similar couches and chairs at "leather" furniture stores.
22 September 2008, 07:10
Fish30114
GA, looks great. So many great trophys, and I know, so many great stories to go with!

Thanks for the share!
07 December 2008, 07:59
Use Enough Gun
Looks very nice, especially with the leopard addition!