Dads Buck

In about 1971 - 1973 my Dad shot a buck along with his best friend Frank during the Pennsylvania Gun Season.  That would have made me about 8 - 10 years old.

My memory is a little foggy, but I do remember some smiles, and celebrations. I also know that this was the biggest/nicest deer my dad would ever shot in his life. He did shoot his share though. There was one wider 10 but it was real short. Plus back in them days you were lucky to even see a deer. Frank was getting into taxidermy and ultimately mounted it for him. Mom even let him hang it in the living room where it hung proud for years.  Notice in this picture that the zoom includes his mount. Thats Mom and Dad........and Dads 8.

After he passed away in 93' somewhere along the line Mom asked if I wanted it and of course I took it and hung it on my own walls.  With years passing and that "now" old mount slowly deteriorating, and me shooting my own bucks and mounting them it unfortunately ended up in a closet.  I had always thought that it would be cool to have it remounted.  But the cape from that kill would have to be a special one.  In November of 2010 that "Special Deer" walked in front of me at 8 yards.  I was carrying a longbow that day, and while this in entirely another story I shot my first trad buck.

This was the perfect cape for dads buck.  It wasn't a bigger buck than his PA mountain deer, and it had somewhat of a winter coat.  I wrote a story about that longbow buck that was published in the 2011 Summer issue of Maryland Bowhunters Society "Rubs & Scrapes" where at the end I mentioned using that cape for dads buck.  Well after a year and a half of being in the basement freezer and numerous requests from my dear wife to get it out of there I finally took it to the taxidermist this past Summer.  I took a few snapshots of the old mount that shows just how bad it had gotten.  And with all do respect to my good friend Frank Ondrejack, he was just learning the process back then.  Plus I doubt my Dad had to pay much of a taxidermy bill.

I got the call from Jason Poole Taxidermy that it was ready so I made the 2 minute drive and went and picked it up.  I couldn't be happier.  Its looks fantastic, and the cape matched the horns well I think.  I asked Jason to do the same mount type as Frank had done.  Two alert ears included.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

So once again after all these years, my dads only wall mounter take its rightful place back on "The Wall". I miss you dad.

Now on to the next project.  As I remember right and hopefully I will get the chance to write that story, this was my Grandfathers "only" buck.  Stay tuned..........heheheheheh.