Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

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Spysar
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Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Spysar » Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:02 am

If you can, name five of your favorite forms for whiteys. I like to get different ones every year. I'd also like to know why you like the forms you like. Were they easier to mount? Less modifications? The most realistic?

Anyone else feel free to talk about forms that made your trophy look great. Any recommendations?

Pics of great mounts would be cool to see too. If you post a pic and can remember what form, post that too.


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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Bucky » Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:47 am

McKenzie Semi-Sneak Head Up 6400 & McKenzie Full Sneak Head Up 4600
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Brad » Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:49 am

Bucky wrote:McKenzie Semi-Sneak Head Up 6400 & McKenzie Full Sneak Head Up 4600



I just had a buck mounted on the 4600 form with the mouth open, cant wait to see it but the taxidermist is a complete jerk now. Kissed away any chance of me going to him for anything again.
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Spysar » Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:51 am

Bucky wrote:McKenzie Semi-Sneak Head Up 6400 & McKenzie Full Sneak Head Up 4600


You like the head up? Do you have them with the flemening(sp) mouth?
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby muddy » Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:54 am

Spysar wrote:
Bucky wrote:McKenzie Semi-Sneak Head Up 6400 & McKenzie Full Sneak Head Up 4600


You like the head up? Do you have them with the flemening(sp) mouth?


I have one with the head up in the flehman (lip curl) pose. Want to see a pic?

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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Bucky » Wed Jan 11, 2012 12:14 pm

Mine all have the mouth closed.... something about the pose that I like on those two forms. They are different from the norm semi-sneak or upright yet they look natural.

What is your favorite Spy?

Muddy - post some close up shots of the mount if you got them, I would like to see what the mouth/lip curl looks like up close
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Mountain Man » Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:06 pm

I just wanted to let you know I saw this post but I don't have time to answer tonight. I will get together some pics of different mount poses that are finished including a flehmen on the 6400U.
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Spysar » Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:37 am

A few I have, and like are: Matt Thompson 8500, Revolution Curious Alert, Joe Meder Profile pedistal. There's one more I really like that I have to look up the name. I think I have a 6400 head up, but it might be a Meder head up offset. Whatever one it is, I like it too.

I think I'm gonna try the new Mckenzie 6900, and a offset sweep sneak of some kind.
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Spysar » Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:36 pm

This is the one I really liked and found the name, 9500 series by Joe Coombs, it's a wall pedistal.
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby muddy » Thu Jan 12, 2012 2:40 pm

Spysar wrote:This is the one I really liked and found the name, 9500 series by Joe Coombs, it's a wall pedistal.


I think I have one of those, does it have the head turned hard back the opposite way?

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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby muddy » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:07 pm

I was wrong, what I thought was the 9500 Coombs I am pretty sure is the Thompson 8500. All the numbers run together in my head. Love this mount.

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Bucky, here is the head up flehman mouth / lip curl mount. Don't judge too much, this bucks cape was rough and beat up.

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Both together.

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For the life of me I can't remember this form, it took me forever to find because I wanted upright, but offset. It might be a Mears Off Set Sweep Series. Love this one too, cape was fantastic.

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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Mountain Man » Fri Jan 13, 2012 4:26 am

Sorry for the delayed response. I've had a lot going on the last couple of days and my pictures were scattered so it took a while to find some of these photos.

If I had to pick some favorites I would say Matuska Competitor’s Choice, Revolution, most of the McKenzie, and some of the Joe Coombs. Each line of forms has a few things that I don’t care for but IMO those listed above are forms I have tried and overall I liked them and would use again. Some of the McKenzie and Joe Coombs have small noses and muzzles but those can be enlarged quickly and easily. McKenzie has the biggest selection, Joe Coombs has a decent selection, Matuska and Revolution are newer and have fewer poses to choose from. I like Matuska b/c I know they were sculpted from measurements of WI deer (I’m not sure about Revolution but I think they were too) and they fit Midwestern deer well.

I like shoulder mounts that have the front leg stubs and a lot of the older forms don’t have that. Also, some of the older forms (Van Dykes, WASCO, Research Manikins) just aren’t as accurate anatomically IMO and by today’s standards I would consider them second rate forms. Some of the newer manikins from Van Dykes (Tommy Hall and Jody Green) and WASCO (Rick Carter’s Edge series) look to be good b/c they are newer but I haven’t tried any of those and the sizes and/or poses of those are limited at this time.

I also like manikins that are more unique poses such as sweeping or sharper turns, head up or down, etc. or where the deer is doing something other than a standard straight or very slight turn.

I’ve tried some Ben Mears and Joe Meder and I really don’t care for them but others like them.

Buckeye, Ohio Taxidermy Supply, and Headquarters Taxidermy Supply, and Matt Thompson look o.k. but I haven’t tried them. This is just my opinion but I think some of the Matt Thompson forms look a bit over-muscled to me.

Here are some pics of mounts I have done.


McKenzie 64U with Flehmen mouth piece
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McKenzie Upright 9600
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McKenzie Semi-Upright 8600
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McKenzie Semi-Sneak 6500
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McKenzie Full Sneak 4600
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Matuska Competitor’s Choice Semi-Sneak
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Matuska Competitor’s Choice Semi-Upright
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Ben Mears Upright

I didn't care for these manikins.

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Ben Mears Semi-Sneak

This mount was done by a taxidermy friend of mine. He shot this one in Buffalo County. Live weight was 300 lbs. This is the biggest Ben Mears semi-sneak (8x24x28).

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Revolution Semi-Sneak
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Joe Coombs Classics Wall Pedestal
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Joe Coombs Classics Pivot Pedestal
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Spysar » Fri Jan 13, 2012 9:51 am

Thanks Mountain Man for the great response. Lots of good ideas here, and the pics are fantastic.

On the very last pic, is that an add on mouth? The one chewing on something..
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Spysar » Fri Jan 13, 2012 9:55 am

Does anyone make a lower than full sneak? With the chin level to to ground? You know how they look when they get a whiff of doe, and put their heads low to the ground with the chin kind of up. The full sneak dosen't quite capture that look IMO.
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Re: Mountain Man What are Your Favorite Forms?

Unread postby Mountain Man » Fri Jan 13, 2012 10:08 am

Spysar wrote:Thanks Mountain Man for the great response. Lots of good ideas here, and the pics are fantastic.

On the very last pic, is that an add on mouth? The one chewing on something..


That manikin is made for an open mouth. I installed a jawset available from Matuska. When done I added a piece of cedar for him to chew on. That's a nice manikin but it's only available in one size and that's for a smaller deer. I think it's around 7x18x20 or something close to that.


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