Mike Mitten Pulls a Double

[Raineman]

WOW! Just catching up on my reading and WOW!

Congratulations Mike.

   

[Ybuck]

WOWZA!!!! Excellent work, congratultions Sir!

[highcountry]

Congrats Mike!  What a season.  Any idea how much those deer weigh?  They look like some of our elk bodies running around here.

[bill langer]

Congrats Mike!! Well done!!
Bill

[Herdbull]

Thanks for the kind words Keefer and everyone. At my daughter's request I took another doe this past weekend. She says she hates those big old bucks. Well I've tried both of these bucks and the meat is great since they were still fat and had not run much weight off yet. But, I know what she means about a nice midwest doe. I never weighed either buck, but I think the 14-pt would dress 215-220 and Tree-Shaker the 4x4 would dress over 235. Mike

[jonsimoneau]

Great job Mike!  And excellent story telling!

[longbowman]

Good job Mike!  You just keep the regular guys like me working hard!

[Herdbull]

Staying connected to the deer for me means doing my own taxidermy. I mounted both Twister and Tree Shaker and thought you guys would like to see their new home. I look up at them on the wall while eating summer sausage made from their flesh. Good stuff! Ha!  Mike
Twister
 
Twister and friends
 
Tree Shaker
 
Tree-Shakers new home.
 

you do nice work mike, and i'm sure they fit right in with the rest of the herd.  

[tuscarawasbowman]

Mike- Top notch work. They look great.

[snag]

Boy, talk about full circle....hunting them, taking care of their meat, being blessed with meals from them, AND applying your talents as a taxidermist to allow you the pleasure of their beauty and memories of that day....that's a full meal deal right there!

[Scott Teaschner]

Mike I have been wanting to see some of your work. I can see you know what your doing. That is some very clean work. Congrats. Scott

[23feetupandhappy]

WOW  

[Craig Schoneberg]

Good Grief!!!  Thanks for sharing . . .

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

WOW! I can't believe I missed this the first time around...Those are two amazing bucks right there. Congratulations!

[tradtusker]

Originally posted by Herdbull:
So after taking Tree-Shaker on Friday night, I returned to the woods with my second tag. The morning had a light frost and slight Easterly winds that slowly built intensity during the morning. I was sitting in a favorite walnut tree that was in medium cover between two large areas of intense thickets. Again this subtle transition area in the thick terrain usually shows increased deer movement. I saw two different does getting chased by several different bucks. I called in a couple bucks using wheeze calls as well as grunting. I filmed some of the 2 or 3 year olds when I could, but always kept my bow in my other hand incase a mature buck presented. At 9:50 I saw the 12th buck of the morning pop up over a spoil 70 yards away. It was Twister!  We were worried that he would break off some of his longer tines in confrontations with heavier bucks, but this was not the case.

I nocked an arrow and let out two soft grunts. I am not sure if he heard them or just followed a natural crossing pattern over the spoil banks like I have seen many other bucks due in the past, but he was coming my way. I remember he had a slight limp as he climbed up the final spoil. He stood there for a bit, then made a 90 degree turn and headed east on the spoil ridge top, crossing about 15 yards from my tree. I tried to hold for a 5 count, but the arrow was gone at about three (which was long for me).  I got a pass-through double lung hit. I tracked him up and down spoils and through some very thick under brush before finding him. Oh what a great feeling again!!!
This is where I found him laying.
 

What a Buck! Congrats Man

[Herdbull]

Scott- I do self-taught taxidermy and you can see from some of the heads from 20 years ago I improve slowly. Ha! I do not have a busness, and only mount my own stuff. You can also see that I had the room built with three sky lights and other big windows. This lets in a lot of light which looks great, but unfortunately the UV fades the hair on the mounts. If I did it over, I would rethink that.

Does anyone ever tint their sky-lights to reduce UV, but still let some white light through? Is there an easy way to do it?

[pete p]

Mike, do you tan your own hides or send them out?? excellent!

[JParanee]

Originally posted by Herdbull:
Scott- I do self-taught taxidermy and you can see from some of the heads from 20 years ago I improve slowly. Ha! I do not have a busness, and only mount my own stuff. You can also see that I had the room built with three sky lights and other big windows. This lets in a lot of light which looks great, but unfortunately the UV fades the hair on the mounts. If I did it over, I would rethink that.

Does anyone ever tint their sky-lights to reduce UV, but still let some white light through? Is there an easy way to do it?

Mike my name is joe Paranee we meet at Denton hill this past year and I really enjoyed talking with you and Barry

Yes uv film on windows will save  your mounts and furniture.

Many years ago I was noticing some fading I had a guy come in and do all my windows and sky lights with uv blocking film

It's been years and the fading issues are gone and you can't tell by looking at the windows anything was done

Truly the best way to go. This room is very bright and since the windows where filmed I have had not near the fading
   


   

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[Herdbull]

I have done both, but don't like to rely on other folks. So, for the last 10 years I just wet tan myself with a mini-flesher and McKenzie Tan. I took Tister on Nov. 5 and mounted him on Nov. 25.  No waiting for a tannery. We have been enjoying his spirit ever since. Ha!