20 Crazy Good Deer Mounts from the NWTF Convention

Brow Tines and Backstrap

20 Crazy Good Deer Mounts from the NWTF Convention

Posted 2019-02-20T17:34:00Z

Which of These Are Your Favorites?

The 2019 NWTF Convention was a wild success for many reasons. But the taxidermy contest was one of the most impressive events at the show. While I'm no taxidermist, I know a good deer mount when I see one. Here are my 20 favorite deer mounts that were entered in the NWTF taxidermy contests this year. Enjoy.

Image Title: 
Velvet Open-Mouth Buck
Image: 
Velvet Open-Mouth Buck
Image Story: 

This is a beautiful full-velvet mount. The deer has tons of character with points going in every direction. And that red, summer-coat hair is pretty sharp. This is a very cool early season deer mount.

Pose: Semi-sneak

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open

Extras: Floor pedestal mount

Image Title: 
10-Point Open-Mouth Buck
Image: 
10-Point Open-Mouth Buck
Image Story: 

Talk about antler spread ‚ this buck has it. And the open-mouth theme is pretty intriguing as well. This deer looks like it's truly alive with the realistic detail and leaf in its mouth.

Pose: Semi-upright

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open

Extras: Floor pedestal mount

Image Title: 
9-Point Buck Chewing Apple
Image: 
9-Point Buck Chewing Apple
Image Story: 

Deer love apples. And it looks like this buck is having its last supper on them. The realism is incredible as this buck appears to be plucked right out of a grove in a late September or early October setting.

Pose: Semi-upright

Head Variation: Up and straight

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open

Extras: Floor pedestal and apples

Image Title: 
Feeding 7-Point Buck
Image: 
Feeding 7-Point Buck
Image Story: 

This buck is frozen in time as it reaches up to bite off some greenery growing on a branch. This is truly great work with time and effort going into this open-mouth deer mount.

Pose: Full-upright

Head Variation: Up (high) and right

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open

Extras: Floor pedestal

Image Title: 
Alert 10-Point Buck
Image: 
Alert 10-Point Buck
Image Story: 

Want more of a traditional mount, but something just a little different? This floor (or wall) pedestal mount is pretty cool.

Pose: Semi-upright pedestal

Head Variation: Up

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Closed

Extras: Wall or floor pedestal

Image Title: 
Butterfly 9-Point
Image: 
Butterfly 9-Point
Image Story: 

The creativity that went into this mount is unreal. A great pedestal platform. Food hanging out of the mouth. A butterfly on the nose. It doesn't get any better than that.

Pose: Full-upright pedestal

Head Variation: Up (high) and left (hard)

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open

Extras: Floor pedestal, grass and butterfly

Image Title: 
6-Point Buck Shedding Velvet
Image: 
6-Point Buck Shedding Velvet
Image Story: 

Talk about caught in the moment ‚ that's what happened with this mount. The taxidermist certainly accomplished that by making it appear as if this deer was coming out of velvet.

Pose: Semi-upright pedestal

Head Variation: Down (tucked) and left (hard)

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open (tongue out)

Extras: Floor pedestal, hanging velvet and greenery

Image Title: 
9-Point with Pedestal Art
Image: 
9-Point with Pedestal Art
Image Story: 

Want a wall (or floor) pedestal mount with some artwork on the back of the form? This is a great example of such work. Check out this cool deer taxidermy job.

Pose: Semi-sneak pedestal

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open (slightly)

Extras: Floor pedestal and vegetation

Image Title: 
Alert 8-Point Buck
Image: 
Alert 8-Point Buck
Image Story: 

This hard-horn buck is as cool as it gets. A classic 9-pointer if I've ever seen one. This is a beautiful buck and an incredible taxidermy job.

Pose: Full-upright

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Closed

Extras: Floor pedestal

Image Title: 
Relaxed 12-Point Buck
Image: 
Relaxed 12-Point Buck
Image Story: 

This buck looks as if he's just hanging out in a shaded block of timber. Maybe a mid- or late-September setting. This buck is a true giant, though.

Pose: Semi-sneak pedestal

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Closed

Extras: Floor pedestal

Image Title: 
8-Point Buck Eating Acorns
Image: 
8-Point Buck Eating Acorns
Image Story: 

This mount was one of my personal favorites (of my favorites). A deer eating acorns? Who ever heard of such in a deer mount? Absolutely one of the most creative jobs I've ever seen.

Pose: Semi-sneak

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open

Extras: Floor pedestal and vegetation

Image Title: 
10-Point Buck Eating Corn
Image: 
10-Point Buck Eating Corn
Image Story: 

Are you a midwestern deer hunter who hunts around a lot of ag? This might be that real-life setting that goes perfectly with your next deer mount. This is one of the most impressive deer mounts I've ever seen.

Pose: Half-body semi-sneak

Head Variation: Up and right

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open

Extras: Floor pedestal and corn stalks

Image Title: 
8-Point Buck with Ears Pinned
Image: 
8-Point Buck with Ears Pinned
Image Story: 

This was one of the more normal deer mounts that I saw at the show. That said, despite it not having the flair and extras that other mounts had, this one certainly exhibited talent and skill.

Pose: Semi-upright

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Closed

Extras: Floor pedestal

Image Title: 
Bedded Main-Frame 13-Point
Image: 
Bedded Main-Frame 13-Point
Image Story: 

Want a full-body mount? It's hard to beat this bedded buck position. And if giant velvet bucks are your thing ‚ this deer is that.

Pose: Full-body bedded

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Closed

Extras: Floor pedestal and vegetation

Image Title: 
Velvet 9-Point Buck
Image: 
Velvet 9-Point Buck
Image Story: 

This is another great example for those who like full-upright mounts. This big velvet 9-point is as pretty as whitetails come, too.

Pose: Full-upright pedestal

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Closed

Extras: Floor pedestal, rock and vegetation

Image Title: 
8-Point Buck Chewing Cud
Image: 
8-Point Buck Chewing Cud
Image Story: 

This is a really cool buck with wide-set brow tines. It's also mounted in a manner that it appears to be chewing either vegetation or its cud. An all-around great mount.

Pose: Semi-sneak

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open

Extras: Pedestal and vegetation

Image Title: 
7-Point Buck in the Snow
Image: 
7-Point Buck in the Snow
Image Story: 

This is one of the finest late-season deer mounts I've ever seen. This buck is set in snowy wintertime setting that really takes the hunter back to the day of the hunt.

Pose: Semi-upright

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Closed

Extras: Rack, vegetation and snow

Image Title: 
Big Non-Typical Buck
Image: 
Big Non-Typical Buck
Image Story: 

This deer is a giant. It's full of character and exhibits why I love whitetails so much ‚ which is that every whitetail is different. No two are the same.

Pose: Semi-sneak pedestal

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Closed

Extras: None

Image Title: 
9-Point Buck Working a Scrape
Image: 
9-Point Buck Working a Scrape
Image Story: 

This is one of the most creative mounts I've seen in a long time. This buck is suspended over a scrape and is caught in the act of working the licking branch. A one-of-a-kind mount.

Pose: Full-upright

Head Variation: Up and left

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Closed

Extras: Pedestal, tree, branch and vegetation

Image Title: 
White-Tailed Doe Eating Apple
Image: 
White-Tailed Doe Eating Apple
Image Story: 

This mount of a doe eating in an apple orchard is a captivating piece of art. True skill. And a great way to show off a buck or doe mount.

Pose: Full-upright

Head Variation: Up and right

Ear Variation: Back

Mouth Variation: Open

Extras: Pedestal, tree, vegetation and apples

Don't Miss: Whitetail Taxidermy Poses for Your Next Deer Mount

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