I have one head-and-shoulder whitetail mount in my house; the 150-class 5x5 South Dakota buck hangs above the TV in my living room, and not a day goes by that I don’t glance up at it and remember the moment I let go of the arrow on the buck as he trailed a doe in heat. Great memory.
I’ve shot bigger bucks in the 15 years after killing this one, but a single head-and-shoulder whitetail mount is enough for me. (As the top photo shows, I have wall space dedicated to other animals, too.) To remember those other big deer, I choose European mounts. Specifically, I like to display them in one of three ways.
1. Homemade Wall Mount
I’m by no means a handyman when it comes to home remodels, but it takes very little woodworking skill to craft a homemade wall mount. As the photo below shows, I used three pieces of old lumber to build this wall mount. I salvaged the materials from a fallen barn on a buddy’s land. After screwing together the three pieces of wood, I added another wood screw that is used to hold a wire attached the skull’s base. Finally, I drilled an angled hole in the vertical board to accept a nail for wall hanging. Note: European mounts can be hung on a single vertical board, or simply attached to a nail on the wall, but then the antlers point to the floor, which looks unnatural to me.
2. Skull Hooker’s Table Hooker
This company makes several good-looking systems for displaying European mounts, but my favorite is the Table Hooker ($59.99), which is designed for a desk or shelf. The prong of the Table Hooker fits securely into the back of the skull; no drilling required. The angle of the prong is adjustable so you get a sturdy and attractive mount regardless of antler size/weight. The Table Hooker is constructed of powder-coated steel and is available in black or brown. Contact: www.skullhooker.com
3. Walnut Creek Hardwoods Wall/Pedestal Panel
I’ve had Walnut Creek Hardwoods three-piece, reversible wall/pedestal panels for so long I forget how I first heard of the company. For whitetails and similar-size European mounts, I prefer style 705, which measures 9.5 x 13 inches ($44). You can choose from oak or walnut finish; shown below is the oak version. Contact: www.walnutcreekhardwood.com
Photos by Dave Maas
