I'd taken a nice 9-point buck with my bow a couple of years ago and was having trouble deciding whether or not to pay the price of a shoulder mount. After all, Christmas was near, and the money could be used for gifts for the kids and grandkids.
As I pondered the expenditure, I came across an advertisement in Grand View Outdoors that said, “Bring Home A 'Hooker' For The Holidays.” And after thinking about it for a split second, that's exactly what I decided to do.
WHOA! Please allow me to explain! Get your mind out of the gutter. You see, as I read further into the ad, I learned that a Hooker (not hooker) is a device that allows you to easily mount a deer skull, European style. It comes with varied wall brackets, or if needed, a free-standing pedestal. Therefore, with the Hooker, you can place your skull mounts just about anywhere you please. No wall space? No problem.
Now, this is not an advertisement for Hookers. Heck, I don't even know if Hookers (not hookers) are still on the market. I was just trying to grab your attention like the ad grabbed mine. Maybe my mind was a little deep in the gutter, admittedly, but the ad did EXACTLY what it intended to do – get my attention!
As it turned out, though, I really didn't need the services of a Hooker after all. There was enough blank space on my den wall for one more trophy, so I decided to make my own mount. Besides, my son Daniel had some beautiful cedar slabs that would make great plaques for a European mount. By using the cedar, I didn't surprise my wife by having a Hooker under the tree on Christmas morning.
Mounting your deer skull European style is a pretty simple undertaking, but it does require a little elbow grease. It'll definitely save you money, so maybe one day I'll get into the details of how it's done.
Big Buck Contest
On the other hand, if and when you get that “buck of a lifetime,” you'll wanna take it to my two buddies, Drew and Kyle, at Turner Brothers Taxidermy in Hattiesburg. The Turner brothers are having their 8th annual Buck Fever Contest, with both adult and youth divisions.
So, if you nail a big 'un, take it to them; you may just win a free mount, or one of countless other prizes. For further details, call Turner Brothers at 601-255-8111.
Corrections
Due to flaws of the Internet, spell check, auto correct, text messaging or possibly the stupidity of me, there were three glaring errors in my last Weekly Mistake that must be corrected.
The first mistake came when the last sentence of my third paragraph was cut off in mid sentence, which made for a lousy transition into the following paragraph.
Secondly, which was duly noted by my brother-in-law, the name of my nephew was misspelled “Korban” instead of the correct spelling of “Korbin.” Spell check must have got me on that one, because I certainly know how to spell the name of my nephew … even if I can't spell my own.
Lastly, the cutline accompanying Korbin's photo stated that he had killed the deer with a “crowbow,” instead of a crossbow. I'll blame spell check for that one, too, because I checked my column copy, and it was spelled correctly there. What IS a “crowbow” anyway?
Merry Christmas
Since this Weekly Mistake will be my last before Christmas, I'd like to wish you ALL the best. I wish you peace and happiness, and suggest one way to meet those needs is to get out and enjoy what the great outdoors has to offer. And, as always, when you go, take a kid with you … every time you can.
PineBeltNews outdoor writer Phil DiFatta may be reached by email at or by text at 601-596-4475. Be sure to include contact info.
