No real valuable content to this post, just want to share some disappointment as I hope it will serve as therapy.

Some of you may have read my latest post entitled "First 8 Point". I got a call from the taxidermist just now. Sadly, I apparently didn't leave enough of the chest area cape for him to do a proper shoulder mount. I did have the option of buying another cape, but to me, that just wont give me the same pleasure nor will it truly reflect (or respect) the animal I did hunt. Next time, when I think there's enough cape, I'll to preserve even more. I opted for the Euro mount as it and the cap mount were the only two remaining options.

To say I'm saddened my this news is an understatement.

Can i get some support from my fellow THF brethren?

The memory will always be the same no matter what.

Tell him to get creative with the mount and do something with what you have left for a cape. That is what you pay him for

If he's good enough he can stich it up an you won't hard key be able to tell or the ones I have sceen you couldn't.
Oh and I could get you a cape for free paying is just crazy if you want to go that route

Great idea/point. I called to see if we could get something other than a full shoulder. He already cut it up for the Euro. Im a bit surprised he didn't suggest anythinge else. He told me I had about 5 inches of chest cape but needed 12 for a proper shoulder mount. he could have been creative with what he had.

Another lesson. Don't use this particular taxidermist again.

live n learn... and keep on shootin'

or just shoot a doe and use it

I understand wanting to use the original cape but sometimes capes are to bad, get ruined at tannery, get lost, etc and you have to use another cape. When the mount is finished and on the wall over time you not think about the fact that it is not your cape. I have a couple of deer that they are not the original cape. One was a cape given to me by my cousin and another I killed a cull buck for a cape on a buck that had a ruined cape. If you can kill a cull buck this year use that cape.

Won't work or even look right.

Use another cape

Get a new cape-from a buck. You'll not regret it. You probably will regret just a euro if your heart was set on a shoulder mount.

Sure would make the antlers appear bigger though

I have a couple of deer mounted with capes that aren't theirs.... I thought it would bother me terribly on the first one but to be honest it doesn't matter one bit. I promise you that you would regret not mounting him if you originally wanted to. The cape shouldn't change that my friend. MOUNT IT WITH A NEW CAPE. Trust me. Oh and merry Christmas.

Did you "chute" it for the hide or the Horns? Agree with the fellas, get a cape and get it on you're wall.

I like euros better.

I agree with the others here, if you wanted a shoulder mount get you a different cape. The horns preserve the memory, not the hide.

Words of Wisdom from someone who can certainly make antlers look bigger

Sorry to hear about your situation. Please let me tell you a story about a similar situation that occurred to me. I took a really nice older buck in Kansas several years ago. The buck was 8.5 years old, beautiful grey coat with long thick hair, huge body and neck....A 170 point wall hanger...I caped the entire front half of the buck and got it on ice within 30 minutes of killing it, and the temp was 0 to 20 degrees or colder during my hunting trip.

Fast forward to the taxidermist...I take it into the taxidermist. The owner is not present, but the helper just croons about the coat, hair length and thickness, etc. Well, we got the largest neck/head they sell, based on cape circumference, and as I leave, I noticed some other nicer mounts on the wall and inquire about them. The helper tells me they are farm raised high fence deer they cut the antlers off of once hardened then mount and sell them...Said the capes come from deer they raise that die or that they buy from other deer farmers and tan, but the only problem with the capes is that inside the ear contains a brand, to show it is a farm raised hide. He further tells me that if the capes contained no brand that those deer mounts would sell for 4 times more than they would with the ear brand. So we chatted a bit more, he tells me the cape will take a bout 30 days or so to tan and I should get the mount back in 45 to 60 days. With that statement, I left.

A few days later, I get a phone call from the taxidermist (owner) and he tells me that the cape is too short (!!!!) and there is not enough cape to fit the mount...and then he informs me he already has some capes tanned and ready to go and that if I want one of those, he can have the mount back to me in the next week. I told him that my cape had tons of character and matched the antlers and that I wanted my cape on the mount. I also informed him that I had caped the entire front half of the the deer to ensure plenty of extra cape. His reply was that my cape had been left out in the HEAT too long and would likely not be able to be tanned properly. I then told him to tan the hide and if there was not enough left to shorten the mount to accommodate the remaining cape. He informed me it would take 6 months to tan properly (if at all) and then another 90 days to finish the mount...to which I replied ok.

I get a call from the taxidermist 60 days later. It is the helper, he called told me my mount was ready to pick up. I went in expecting the worst...to my surprise, I had a full mount, with my cape in beautiful condition...I asked the helper if he had any problems with the cape...He stated "are you kidding, that cape was in perfect condition to tan" He further told me he had to cut off a lot of the excess cape prior to mounting. Puzzled, I relayed my previous conversation with his boss to the helper and he looked down but said nothing. Then he offered to help me load it in my truck. After loading and securing the mount, the helper looked me square in the eye and said...He wanted your cape to go on his antlers...I'm glad he didn't get it...that is a fantastic deer you have there. He turned and walked away and never looked back. JUST SAYING...sometimes you got to consider all the relevant facts before making a decision...AGAIN, Sorry to hear about your situation.

I paid for a cape for my biggest WT to date, and I dont regret it for a second. To me its just part of the story....

Agree with above. If you were dead set on a shoulder do it. You won't regret it but you might with just a euro.

Sorry to hear about the situation. My wife's first mount (second deer) turned out horribly from a taxidermist I had used before (he did a fantastic job the first time). That was in 2010. We considered buying a new cape and having it redone but we decided to wait until one of us were able to take a cull with a nice cape. She knocked one down this year so we caped it and will use it to remount her deer from 2010. If it were me, I would euro it and try to take a cull before season is over and use that cape. 1 mount and memories of 2 deer!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is very true

Off topic kinda, but I have a buddy that had a shoulder mount of his Grandads south Texas monster shot in the 60's off of their family place. 180"+ 23" wide brute. Well his Grandad passed away a few years ago and the mount was at his place now and was in really bad shape. It was the old style mounts with neck only no chest area. He took a trip to Kansas and shot a 145" buck and caped it out planning on doing a shoulder mount because the neck and body of this Buck was Kansas huge. He got home and decided to do a euro on his Kansas buck and have Grandad's south Texas buck recaped with the Kansas cape. It looks freaking awesome and an absolute brute. Some may have their own opinion about doing that but I think it's pretty cool. I think Grandad would approve the makeover.

If you can get a cape that is similar in size and color it shouldn't matter much because the mount is not going to look just like the deer anyway.

You could have the same deer mounted by several taxidermists and they would all look a little different.

If you really were set on a shoulder mount I would go ahead and get a cape.