Taxidermy Options for the African Cape Buffalo

There is nothing that strikes so much fear in the heart of global hunters as much as the African Cape Buffalo. Robert Ruark famously said that the Cape Buffalo is the only animal on earth that looks at you “as if you owe him money”. It is one of the most highly sought after trophies in the world for a reason. These brutes sadly kill hunters each and every year and without a perfect shot placement they will often come at a full charge towards their assailants. This is the adrenaline rush that is Cape Buffalo hunting.

At Artistic Visions Wildlife we are proud to be a World Leader on African Cape Buffalo taxidermy, it is something we take great pride in. The staff at AVW has been to Africa north of 20 times and has studied these massive brutes in depth.

There are a few different ways you can mount an African Cape Buffalo and in this next article we will go over the basic positions as well as some other ones that you may not have thought about.

THE BASIC SHOULDER MOUNT

This is the most basic and most easily identifiable way to mount your Buffalo. It will hang on the wall being secured by a lag bolt ALWAYS in a stud a secure mounting location. The mount weighs approximately 100 pounds and will need to be safely hung to prevent a fall.

There are a few choices for a basic shoulder mount including a slight left, slight right or straight posed.

THE WALL PEDESTAL

This pose is extremely similar to the basic shoulder mount as in it still hangs on your wall using a screw into a secured mounting surface. The major difference is a half moon shaped cutout on the back on the shoulder of the form that makes the mount more offset on your wall, allowing for a more artistic viewing angle of the animal. The elongated shoulder allows for more hide to be positioned on the mount to show more of the animal and it presents at more of a 45 degree angle with the head centered in the room.

FULL PEDESTAL MOUNT

By far the best and most impressive way to show off your Cape Buffalo mount. If you have the floor space and want to appreciate your mount from all angles, this is the mount to go with. By adding a hardwood base you are essentially creating a piece of furniture that is also art in your trophy room. One of the most important and attractive aspect of choosing a full pedestal is the ability to walk around the entire mount to appreciate the animal to its fullest. From the massive bosses to the deep drops or even a truly impressive flared hooks; you get to view all angles of each amazing characteristic of the entire animal and its amazing headrest. It also adds depth to the piece by utilizing our custom habitat work. By adding our custom habitat it really recreates the look of your prized trophy in its environment…

We have covered pretty much all the bases when it comes to mounting the African Cape Buffalo. They are a truly spectacular creature that is as impressive as it is deadly, that’s why the staff at AVW take our time on each and every Buffalo mount to ensure we have that “owed money” look.

I hope you enjoyed this blog guys and girls, feel free to leave comments or suggestions and we will work hard to continue these session with our clients and fellow hunters.

Shoot straight, be safe and have fun!!!

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