Much to my wife's chagrin, the taxidermist finished the shoulder mount of my 2006 white-tailed buck this week. This is like salt in the wounds for her, because she hates that I'm away from home so much in the fall and now she has a permanent reminder of my favorite avocation adorning our abode. I maintain a very clear conscience, though, because I disclosed my hunting habit to her on our very first date.
The only other mount that I've ever had done has been hanging in my parents' living room for years, but now my wife has begrudgingly "let" me hang the new one in our office. She was in a real pickle, because she wanted it to be as obscured from view as much as possible but that also meant that it would be hanging in the corner nearest her computer. I haven't sat in her chair since the mount has been affixed to the wall, but I'm sure that she can see it out of her peripheral vision, and she must feel the deer's glassy stare on her as she surfs the internet. I have a feeling this situation won't persist for long. At least one of the two will likely be moving soon.
This deer wasn't the biggest one that I have shot, but it had a very respectable 11-point rack. If you're not familiar with the term, "points" is the hunters' vernacular for substantial tines on the antlers. Having apparently been involved in at least a few fights with other bucks, this deer's antlers were broken in a couple of places. One injury had done so much damage that it was probably suffered while the antler was still developing under the "velvet" coating that is shed in the late summer/early fall. I think that the gnarly antlers give it character. This deer also had a crease on its hide that appeared like it might have been grazed by a shotgun slug. A neighbor claimed to have shot at the same buck and missed it earlier in the season, so it's a possibility.
My other trophy deer weighed 190+ pounds and had a beautiful 10-point rack. The 2006 buck looked absolutely huge to me when I shot it, but I was inside a ground blind in dim light and only twenty yards away. I was shocked when it weighed in at only 156 pounds at the tagging station. I wrestled with whether or not it was worth the money to get the mount done, but considering it was the first deer that I had taken with a crossbow, I decided to go for it.
I remember reading a state biologist report that said that 2006 was a great year for antler growth and that there were a lot of small deer with huge racks. Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact reasons cited and those reports are no longer up on the state website. I believe that 2005 was a very mild winter, which would lead me to believe that this year will probably be slim pickings for big-racked bucks. I guess that means I'll probably have to spend even more time in the woods than usual this year. I need to "hunt" for a good time to break the news to my wife.
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