I just picked up the skull of the mountain goat I killed this last weekend in Montana from my taxidermist. I noticed the right tip looked funny and mentioned it to my taxidermist who didn't say a thing. Now that I have inspected it under good light, there is no question that the right hand tip was broken off and re-glued with super glue (rather sloppily.) I packed that dang billy off a mountain without getting a scratch on the horns and to have my taxidermist screw it up and then lie about it to me really pisses me off. I have oftened referred to this guy as "my taxidermist" and have referred several of my friends to him. What is this world coming to? All I want is HONESTY and I want them to fix it so it looks like it did when I brought it in. It's a good size goat with horns that will go nearly 9.75" but I don't know yet if it will make the book. I green scored it prior to taking it to the taxidermist (right horn was pristine!) and it was just short, although it was tough to measure base circumference etc. with the hair on. The more I write about it, the more upset I am getting. . . What are your thoughts on this? Has anybody else had a similar experience and what was the end result? Thanks. Disheartened snowymthunter.

Very sorry to hear about the damage to your trophy. I wish I had good advice to give. A couple of years ago I took a black bear up north. On the advice of my outfitter, I brought it to a local taxidermist before I flew back home. After months of chasing him, (promises of delivery dates that he never met) I finally got my bear. I had a rug done and had him do a european mount of the head. The right side of the skull near the eye socket was badly damaged. He claimed that was because I had shot the bear there, NOT!

Hopefully, your guy is local so you get your hands on him. I would bring the head back and demand it be repaired properly.... He could at least have it fixed so you couldn't see the break.

Man sorry to hear, that would be a bit of a tough break for sure.

Not that it is any consolation but I would be for betting that the taxi isn't feeling any too spunky about it either.

On a more positive note, after 25 years of applying I drew for goats here. I am taking off this Thursday to hung for a couple of days. My permit is down by Quake.

Where did you draw and what time of year did you take your goat?

Thx

Mark D

I just green scored the goat and it measures 48 2/8" so it beats the minimum. Does anyone know how B&C treats "repaired" horns?

Mark- I got my goat on November 5 of this year in area 447 on Square Butte, which is due east of Great Falls. It was awesome country! Good luck on your hunt down by Quake Lake. It sounds like the mountains might have gotten quite a bit of snow today! Let me know how you do. Thanks.

I've a buddy from GF who's father took a Sq Butte goat a couple of years ago. If I remember right he hunted the Strand.

Are you from GF?

Yeah I'll let you know, I got so jazzed last night that I could not get to sleep till about 1:00. It was a very short night.

I hope to take a nice billy and get down safely.

As for the book and broken/fixed horns I am pretty sure that they will not take them.

Tough break but nevertheless it should be a nice looking mount. Are you doing shoulder or something else?

Thx

Mark D

I'm actually from Billings. I accessed Square Butte through the Strand Ranch but was actually hunting on BLM ground. I plan on doing just a shoulder mount since my wife crapped when I mentioned a life size mount. This is a great time of year to shoot a goat since their coats are so long and beautiful. I don't really care about the book either but the whole situation still makes me mad. Have you been out chasing the goats already this season? The Quake Lake area is spectacular country and seems to have plenty of goats. Thanks.

quote:

Does anyone know how B&C treats "repaired" horns?

My understanding is that repaired or altered horns or antlers are not elegible for entry.

Snowymthunter was just by the house a little while ago and showed me the skull. There's no doubt that the tip was reglued and, yes it could have been re-set just a little better. I think B&C would discount the scoring. But guys I saw the pic's and 'ol Big Snowy here did it right and on his own hook. Something to be proud of.
Mark, I killed a goat on Beaver Creek which drains into Quake Lake about 8 or 9 years ago. It was a GREAT hunt with lots of animals. A very long one day ascent 2400 ft above the valley floor and back. Started up at 8:10 a.m. and got back to the outfit with the old Bill at 1:15 a.m. and a grizzly on my ass in the dark! Two years later I ran the video camera for another hunting partner on Boat Mtn (I'm looking up at the picture of the peak right now above the monitor). I got the whole sequence of that goat launching out into the abyss with the shot from Mike's .270 and bouncing three times down the talus. Big Snowy don't feel to bad, Mike broke off both tips on his goat, but we eventually found both of them amd Mr. TaxiDermist did a good job on the mount. A grizzly with attitude followed on our ass 2 miles in the dark back to that camp as well. We were at Potomogetin Park. Good luck but watch yer back trail cuz 'ol ephrium is about.

The goat horns can be scored by B&C with the broken horn, but not with the repaired horn.
Of course with the broken horn it will score less.
Sorry.

Yellowstone-I know the Beaver Crk area pretty well, my permit goes from the oil road up Beaver then up West Fk of Beaver and over to Pappoose.

Nice area, steep, fair number of goats usually and old course Mr Griz likes to hang out and terrorize the hunters.

I'll be sleeping in a overhead camper Sat night, not much for zip locks (tents) in this cold of weather or around Mr Griz.

What time of year did you hunt? And were the critters rutting when you were there?

Many thanks

Mark D

a friend from Gr falls drew the tag 2 years ago and we hunted a bit later in Nov and the Billy's were moving and chasing then.

Mark, have you been down to Beaver Creek in the last few days? There is probably 2' of snow at the parking lot.

Good luck I hope it melts and you get your goat!

Accidents happen sometimes, it's a shame it had to happen to a book animal. A good taxidermist can repair that horn easily where no one could see it. I know I could! He should have told you when it happened.

Ivan I haev not been down there for about 3 weeks or more, I am sure there will be no shortage of white.

I am heading to the range now to check my rifles.

Mark D

did you see any elk when you were down there?

Too bad that happened. I don't think you can score repaired horns as if they were still intact.

I dropped of my stag horns at the taxidermist for a European mount. When they came back I found a very ugle repair spot on both antlers, on the backside. The taxidermist had never said anything. When I challenged him he told me that the antlers had burned there, from exposure to flames or maybe the hot rim of the pot used to boil the skull, and that the surface had chipped. Plausible. And I would have been satisfied with that explanation, IF THEY HAD TOLD ME ON THEIR OWN, and not only after I asked about it.

Frans

Here's a thought. Many times, I'll take a head to a taxidermist and ask him to give the antlers back, so I can hold on to them until he's ready for them. This only works if it is a local job, however.

What I really hate is when I cape an animal myself, present it to the taxidermist, show him it's "slice free" and get the deer back months later and an obvious cut has been sewn in the cape. Then he looks me right in the eye and says, "you brought it to me with a cut in it."

After challenging him, my taxidermist dug deeper and found out that his helper had dropped the skull after the taxidermist had finished caping the goat. The helper was actually carrying the skull to a safe place so nothing would happen to it when he dropped it! I believe the taxidermist when he tells me that he was not aware of what happened until I showed it to him. He has promised to "make it right" . . .

Sorry to all for venting on the forum but I was really PO'd! I appreciate all the good input and discussion. Thanks.

Mark
That's the same area where my goat tag was on the west side of Beaver Creek and north of the slide. I took mine early in October when the weather was bluebird perfect. It was still green in the valley when that damned grizzly followed me out in the wee hours. I killed a cow elk over the Thansgiving holiday at the upper end of Papoose Creek the same year. I ran into another goat hunter and his partner/helper back in the Papoose canyon. They were coming out to get snowshoes. He found a goat he wanted across the canyon but couldn't get to him on cross country skis or wading through waist deep snow. To his credit he said that goat was in range but he wasn't going to bust him if he didn't think he good retrieve the trophy. I often wondered if he ever got his tag. He was mad at himself for waiting too long. Good luck and let me know how you did.
"No such place as too far, no such thing as too ready."

Mark,
I forgot to say there is a small lake about 3 miles above the parking lot on the drainage divide of Beaver Creek, closer to Expendition Pass. I have NEVER failed to jump elk in there and it's pretty easy pack country.

I am a taxidermist and I can tell you, a break that should be easy to repair, and no one would ever know. There are very high tech puttys out these days and there is no excuse for what he did.

And Doc, the tannery may have cut your cape, so perhaps your taxi was telling the truth. But...in most cases, the cut should be able to be repaired with out you seeing it. I have only had a few capes in my life that were hole free, and they are always from my animals!

dogcatcher223,

I realize the hole could have occurred at the tannery. It's not that. It was the taxidermist's comment that I brought it to him that way. He went right into defense mode until I refreshed his memory.