# Whitetail mount came back with a mohawk on its neck and the back of the head



## Whitetay (Apr 3, 2017)

That is we’re they had to stitch it up 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Jollyarcher (Feb 8, 2010)

Whitetay said:


> That is we’re they had to stitch it up, but did so incorrectly
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I fixed it for you.

Sorry about your mount OP, someone didn't cape it correctly... should be zero need to stitch down the back.


----------



## nbufalini (Jan 11, 2012)

Thank you.. that is what I thought.... lesson learned on this one.. the taxidermist tried to tell me it was a cowlick and that was the way the deer was..... then I showed this person a picture of it when I harvested it. Thank you for feedback.


----------



## nbufalini (Jan 11, 2012)

Another question.. when you say they didnt cape it right.. "no need to stich up the back" can you clarify? I have only seen guys make the V cut in the back of the head and run the cut down the back of the head/neck. Or are you saying the stiching job was awful and resulting in a mohawk.


----------



## tpetrain (Nov 25, 2013)

What does the rest of it look like? If they got that wrong what else did they miss? What did they charge?


----------



## safe cracker (Sep 28, 2009)

:confused3: like to see the whole mount


----------



## Jollyarcher (Feb 8, 2010)

Common (local) practice involves a 6 to 8 inch cut max down from the antler pedicle. A V-shape, Y-shape, or "7-cut" at the skull plate location are the norm, mainly personal preference, closed with a baseball stitch. I recall some much older mounts in for repair having the back cut farther, but not knowing the circumstance, can't say for certain why. Yours appears cinched oddly IMO, perhaps too far apart. Not seeing it in person yields a best guesstimate. Regardless, most finish stitches are no more than 1/8" apart to prevent gathering.


----------



## nbufalini (Jan 11, 2012)

When I picked up the mount they told me that they figured out that they had to use a larger head form meaning they had a form, then cut that head off that form and attached a larger form for the head only to make the face tight. Honestly it simply looks like either the stitching looks like it wasn't done right and/or the form for the neck was too small resulting in slack. The positive thing is that from the front you cant see the issue. And not much I can do now anyway. Was just curious why this happened as I have a few other mounts that do not look this way. Here is a picture of the front view for those who wanted to see the entire mount. It is a full sneak.


----------



## nexttime1 (Apr 26, 2014)

Google deer mane and look at images. I've seen several with it over the years. If your deer didn't have it when you shot it he could have used the wrong cape when he mounted it.


----------



## jogr (Oct 2, 2010)

That's a deer mane. It's not from bad sewing or wrong form size. Maybe you didn't notice the mane or maybe that's not your cape. It can be easy to miss until you are admiring the finished mount.


----------



## bigsquirel (Jan 30, 2018)

Use hair gel with a fine brush and you should be able to work it down a bit. Rest looks good.


----------



## bigsquirel (Jan 30, 2018)

Actually use a Max hold type of hair spray and brush. Spray on and brush it back as the spray dries. Repeat if needed. Had a taxidermist in the family and he used this method when setting up heads at shows. Hair gets muffed up from moving/handling them.


----------



## conquestador (Mar 28, 2010)

There's a couple of things that come to mind, both have been mentioned. A very poor stitching job or using a form that is too small. Back in the '50's my buddy's dad got a beautiful buck. 9 points and a bump. It's never been scored but I'd guestimate it at about 145". It was mounted by a local taxidermist in a semi-sneak. It really looks nice until you pick it up. The hide on the back of the neck is gathered and it's like grabbing a clump all the way down from the base of the skull to where it meets the wall. That wouldn't be accepted today and really shouldn't have been done 60 years ago either. They probably used a form that they had on hand and let it go at that.


----------



## Smokedinpa (Mar 1, 2015)

I try to stay away from cutting up the neck at all. Go around the middle of the body. When doing the legs cut up the color line. Then just skin up the neck and cut off the head. Just a thought. Unless you have an elk you need to pack out I wouldn’t cut up the neck. Let the taxidermist do that.
Although in related this year I was at the butcher and a guy brought in the biggest PA buck I’d ever seen.( exceeded 170) after talking to him for a few minutes he told me where he was taking it to get mounted and I almost got sick. I too used this person to put horns on boards and do turkey fans. But would never consider taking a deer of ten lifetimes to him so I could save 200-300 bucks.
Food for thought.


----------



## ohiomike1 (Dec 4, 2017)

nice deer


----------

