# New mount smells like mildew?



## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

Any body ever pick up a mount and it smells like mildew? I picked up one of my mounts from last year and it smells like mildew. No exaggeration. The smell is extremely strong. House is 3200 sq.ft. And I had to put in the garage because it stunk up the entire house. It’s definitely the cape. I brought it in the house and hung it on the wall thinking it would fade. But there is no way I can keep it in the house. The smell is extreme. The cape was commercially tanned. My taxidermist sends the capes out. Anyone ever had this happen or no why? I have had many mounts done in my life and never had this happen or heard of it happening.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Does the taxi's house smell like mildew? Maybe does it in a stinky basement?

Either way it SHOULD air out... in a few years...

Maybe it's the form that stinks?


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

Sounds like a poor taxidermy job. 

They usually smell like foam and bondo. If it smells of mildew, it could be rot, which means there's active bacterial breakdown.

I'd make the taxi remount with a different cape.


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

He has a nice garage turned into a shop. I picked up a life size bobcat mount as well as the deer head. The cat is fine. The deer smells awful. It’s completely over powering. I would swear that somehow the deer cape got mildew.


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

I couldn’t smell it in his shop because all you can smell is the chemicals, paint, bondo, etc.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Could be rot then... yikes. I'd definitely have it checked out.


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

I wouldn't have taken it to the garage. It would have been taken straight back to the taxidermist.


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

I guess I am going to take it back. How could it have gotten rot? I’ve had many mounts done. Never have I seen or heard of anything like this before. I guess what I’m asking is who’s fault is it? Did I do something? The taxi? The tannery?


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Probably still some fatty tissue on the cape

Bought some bucktails once that smelled like roadkill


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Bad fleshing job?


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

I’m definitely taking it back. I am just trying to figure out why this is happening. It kills me to think about using someone else’s cape on my deer if it has to be redone. I’m sick about it. If it’s not your deer it’s not the same. This is a 170+ deer. I’m beside myself...


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

If it


sureshot006 said:


> Bad fleshing job?


 was a bad fleshing job wouldn’t the commercial tannery fix that?


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

johnhunter247 said:


> If it
> 
> was a bad fleshing job wouldn’t the commercial tannery fix that?


you'd think somewhere along the line it would have been corrected.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Man i don't blame you for not wanting someone elses cape...


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

Any chance that it got wet after it was completed? I don't know if they would mildew after tanning or not.


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

Th


Dish7 said:


> Any chance that it got wet after it was completed? I don't know if they would mildew after tanning or not.


That’s the first thing I called and asked the taxi. He said definitely not.


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## Sasquatch Lives (May 23, 2011)

You can always get another cape eventually from another buck that YOU shot. I would prefer that to one someone else shot at least.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Taxi might not have been able to notice either due to "scent overload" from shop scents messing up his smelling ability..

If he/she sends capes out to be tanned that could factor. Hide storage after tanning ,or during shipment?
Hard to imagine tanning an improperly fleshed hide , but anything is possible in a process gone wrong.

I'd get with your taxi and try to figure it out together ,politely if possible.

Your mount is very important. So is the taxi's business in relation to mounts that were done in the timeframe yours was.
If yours is bad (moldy) and related to the taxi 's shop , (even if related to a subcontracted part of the process) there will likely be more.

A quite dry quarantined environment might be good till he/she decides what to do with / treat it. But you'll know better by getting in contact with the shop.


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

Waif said:


> Taxi might not have been able to notice either due to "scent overload" from shop scents messing up his smelling ability..
> 
> If he/she sends capes out to be tanned that could factor. Hide storage after tanning ,or during shipment?
> Hard to imagine tanning an improperly fleshed hide , but anything is possible in a process gone wrong.
> ...


I took it back to him. He is pulling the cape off, going to try to clean it really good front and back and then have a company use an ozone machine to see if it can remove the smell. then if that works then remount it. The only downside I am thinking about and not sure if its an issue or not is ozone I imagine would kill the odor but if there is actual mildew on the cape will I have to worry about that turning to mold? Will it be safe in my home? Nothing would be better than saving the actual cape. But I am certain the smell is mildew. This is just one of those things that just doesn't happen... But it happened to me! lol By the way absolutely polite. He is a great guy and does very good work and very reputable. My bobcat turned out awesome. So did the buck other than the smell. He does incredible work and lots of life size mounts. When I dropped off my head Monday he had a life size big horn sheep and huge mountain lion waiting to be picked up. I smelled all the animals (several deer heads) that were freshly mounted and waiting to be picked up and none smelled like mildew. I am just at a loss and if I get it back and I am not comfortable with it I will pull the horns off and toss the mount and do a plaque. Not ideal but what the hell. I won't shoot an animal just for the cape. If I harvest a buck I will need the cape for the horns that came with it. This is a pretty old buck and I would need a rather large cape for it to look right.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

So the taxi agreed something is wrong?


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

sureshot006 said:


> So the taxi agreed something is wrong?





sureshot006 said:


> So the taxi agreed something is wrong?


Yes but he has no idea what or why. Trying to figure it out. He has never had the issue before and been mounting animals for 30 plus years


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Sounds good.
He's on it.

Mold/mildew needs moisture.
Leather is your deer's hide. Leather will mold if humidity is high enough.
Why the one mount is more susceptible can have varied reasons ,but a dehumidifier might help.
For now you can monitor the humidity where you had it and compare to preferred/recommended level. 

Another plus for Euro mounts. (!).


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

I honestly don’t think humidity is an issue. I have many mounts and none have ever had a mildew smell to them. I have mounts as old as 20 years and several in between. Never have I experienced anything like this. First for everything 


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## fishstruction (Aug 7, 2014)

I have one question what time of the year did you shoot the buck? This can be an issue if the deer has really thick hair like a later season deer would have. Even if the deer was commercially tanned it would of most likely been wet down by using a spray bottle to moisten the skin so you could get the required stretch and workability to mount it or it could of been a wet tan either way the hide would be moist when mounting it. Add that with glue and some of the humid weather we’ve had even with a/c on could allow the deer to mold/mildew if it was not tried in a timely manner and the thicker hair can greatly increase this especially the thick dense deer hair. I used to work for one of the top taxidermists in the mid mi area for 10 years and we would do 200-300 deer a year and one time we had this exact same thing happen. What you describe is the classic smell of an animal that didn’t dry fast enough and it basically gets the sour/mildew smell. The deer was cleaned and we used a deodorizer on it and the smell went away after some time. I would of not gone this route for the customer but the guy I worked for was convinced it was resolved. I personally would of just pulled the hide and remounted it or did a horn mount For the guy and mounted his next one for free but that’s just me. It sounds like the guy is making a good attempt and at least pulling the hide. Ask him to look at the hide before he puts it back on and look for any mold on the hide like black or blue blotches all over it. Then you can look at the form to make sure there is no mold or mildew on that either. This just helps to keep him honest. Hope this helps and if you have any questions you can Pm me if you’d like. Best of luck to you.


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

I'm a taxidermist. Likely what happened is that the mount was dried in a very humid environment and did not dry fully or dried too slowly and mildew set in. If the tanning process left a lot of salt in the hide, than that would attract moisture and could also be the problem. I had a professionally tanned deer hide that I had in my house for over 20 years. I moved and had no place for it, so I took it to my cabin. The humidity is very high there during the spring and summer. That thing smelled like crap and I had to pitch it due moisture getting into it and mildew and mold forming. I've had an old shoulder mount there for years though, and it's fine, so I guess the tanning method that I used on that one is better for harsh, moist environments. At least your taxidermist is going the extra mile to fix it. Kudos to him or her.


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## Ken (Dec 6, 2000)

Eliminating mildew and smell isn't really difficult, with all the different products for odors and mildew treatment out there. But the problem is- if the products are not safe to use on hair or leather. 
You might very well have been able to find something that could have been used on the finished mount without pulling the cape, but it is probably better anyhow to pull it, and then see if the form and underside of the hide is affected. A bleach and odor elimination solution would certainly take care of the problem, but those probably would destroy the hair and hide.


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

I'm not really sure how the taxidermist is going to remove the cape to deal with it though. The cape should have been glued onto the form and they shrink on when they dry toot. Even when you re hydrate them, they still would be tough to peel off without ripping. I've tore up dozens of mounts before for remounts and if they were done with a good glue, they damage easily and since the cape is likely rotting some, it would likely be worse. You will probably need a replacement cape.


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

Trophy Specialist said:


> I'm not really sure how the taxidermist is going to remove the cape to deal with it though. The cape should have been glued onto the form and they shrink on when they dry toot. Even when you re hydrate them, they still would be tough to peel off without ripping. I've tore up dozens of mounts before for remounts and if they were done with a good glue, they damage easily and since the cape is likely rotting some, it would likely be worse. You will probably need a replacement cape.


You are correct. He contacted me and told me he has to replace the cape. He told me I shouldn’t worry because it’s a beautiful replacement cape. I can’t say I’m not disappointed because I am. It’s definitely not the same now but I guess better than nothing and you can only control what you can control. I’m not sure who is at fault but i think it is definitely human error on someone’s part wether it be the taxi or the commercial tanner. In the end it cost me and the mount won’t be the same now. By the way he said the back side of the cape had no sign of mold or mildew but it was damaged pulling it off. 


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

In a case like that, where the hair isn't falling out, it likely was not your fault unless you didn't hang it in a high humidity environment when it wasn't fully dry. Don't worry too much on the replacement cape. As long as it is of similar size, it should look fine. At least the taxidermist is remedying the situation and at great personal expense too. It may not have been his fault either. Could have been the tannery's fault for a shoddy tan job. I had so many hassles with bad tan jobs and hacked up capes that I started doing my own tanning 20 some years ago. Much better quality control and longevity IMHO. A lot more work though for sure.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

johnhunter247 said:


> You are correct. He contacted me and told me he has to replace the cape. He told me I shouldn’t worry because it’s a beautiful replacement cape. I can’t say I’m not disappointed because I am. It’s definitely not the same now but I guess better than nothing and you can only control what you can control. I’m not sure who is at fault but i think it is definitely human error on someone’s part wether it be the taxi or the commercial tanner. In the end it cost me and the mount won’t be the same now. By the way he said the back side of the cape had no sign of mold or mildew but it was damaged pulling it off.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It'll be alright if you let it.
A pretty gal changes her shirt ,she is still pretty....

I debated with myself years ago when a taxi offered to put a cape/mount on a set of antlers I had from my first buck that there was no $$ to consider a shoulder mount of at the time.
I just don't like the bulk at moving time , and keeping them clean really...
I could have gotten over the cape being from a different deer.

But ,I understand why you would have preferred your bucks original hide too.
It happened to be a bad process somewhere ,and your taxi is trying to do right by you so far it reads like.

Maybe your buck is just trying to get even with you?


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## ryan-b (Sep 18, 2009)

As trophy specialists said the issue here is mold got on a wet cape. Most likely he left a wet cape in the fridge to long and it had mold set in. it was given to you hoping you wouldn’t notice.
What you guys don’t realize is that taxis use replacement capes all the time. Be for a inshop mess up, tannery mess up, or a shot to **** deer. Unless it has some unique features a white looks like a whitetail.


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## Groundsize (Aug 29, 2006)

johnhunter247 said:


> I guess I am going to take it back. How could it have gotten rot? I’ve had many mounts done. Never have I seen or heard of anything like this before. I guess what I’m asking is who’s fault is it? Did I do something? The taxi? The tannery?


Maybe taxi said he never sent it to commercial tan and in house tanned it him self and never fleshed it out right and now its going bad. What did he tell you when you brought it back to him????


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

Groundsize said:


> Maybe taxi said he never sent it to commercial tan and in house tanned it him self and never fleshed it out right and now its going bad. What did he tell you when you brought it back to him????


He gets all his capes commercially tanned. He said he damaged the cape peeling it off but there were no signs of mildew on the back side of the cape. He has no idea why it stunk so terribly and said he honestly didn’t smell it when I originally picked it up. But he agreed it was a terrible smell. Says he has never seen this happen before in 30 plus years of taxidermy. He looked into trying to use ozone because I didn’t want to lose my cape but couldn’t guarantee it was going to work so he said the only option was to take it off and replace it. This taxidermist is no fly by night. He is an outstanding taxidermist, been doing it a very long time and does many trophies every year for lots of people including lots of lifesize mounts. I have no reason to feel like he tried to pull a fast one and would never even consider that he would. As soon as I mentioned it to him after getting it home he wanted it back ASAP and wanted to do what ever it takes to make it right. He is a great taxidermist and I wouldn’t hesitate to take him my next trophy. When I went back to his shop with mine he asked me to smell all the mounts he had waiting for pick up just to be sure he didn’t have an issue and was immune to it because he is always in the shop. None of the others stunk like mildew like mine did. It’s just a fluke thing and I’m chalking it up as such. It’s disappointing but it is what it is. I didn’t do anything different than I have done with any other deer I’ve ever had mounted so I don’t think it was my fault but who knows. The taxidermist also says he didn’t do anything different either. So that leaves the tannery and the taxi said he asked them about it because he doesn’t want this to happen again and they claim the same thing. I guess there is a first for everything and that was definitely a first for me and that’s why I asked on here if anyone has ever seen this before. My guess is something went wrong at the commercial tanner after seeing what other posters have said. I’m definitely no expert on the process of taxidermy.


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

Update: I just got the buck back remounted with a new cape(not mine) but he looks incredible and no smell. We have no idea what caused the smell but it was horrible and the taxidermist agreed. Even though it’s not my cape that belonged with the deer I’m glad I let him remount it. I’m glad to finally have him home.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

johnhunter247 said:


> Update: I just got the buck back remounted with a new cape(not mine) but he looks incredible and no smell. We have no idea what caused the smell but it was horrible and the taxidermist agreed. Even though it’s not my cape that belonged with the deer I’m glad I let him remount it. I’m glad to finally have him home.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Good deal. Let's see him!


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

sureshot006 said:


> Good deal. Let's see him!


I’m in south east Iowa (land of the giants!)and don’t quite have the internet service at the moment to post them. Giant bucks for sure but not giant internet service! I’m going to pick up my other buck tomorrow too. When I get home I might share....


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## johnhunter247 (Mar 12, 2011)

When I was in my taxidermists shop yesterday he was in the middle of mounting two bucks locked together. One was in the 180’s and the other in the 125/130 range. The large buck was an incredible specimen. Unfortunately the guy he is mounting them for found them that way laying dead in a creek. I’m not sure if they drowned or died from exhaustion. The taxidermist didn’t know. But either way what a shame. But I’m assuming the little guy was a tough customer. He obviously gave the larger buck a run for his money. Lol What an incredible mount that guy is going to get back when it’s finished. It was pretty sweet.


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## DFJISH (Mar 30, 2009)

Years ago I went on a fishing trip to Canada with a crew of friends. We were all fishing from canoes. While fishing a distant river I found a big bull moose laying on the bottom in a river with just one antler sticking up above the water. With a camp axe and limb saw I hacked the rack off and eventually got it back home. It was a big rack and a big risk because I think I would have been in big trouble with customs if they had found it in my camper. I never did figure out what killed that moose. That was in August.


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