I shot a nice bull oryx on the White Sands Missile Range in NM (a once-in-a-lifetime trophy) in 1988.  Sent the hide off to be tanned; they lost it, never to be seen again. An oryx is a very rare trophy; I'm convinced someone at the taxidermist stole it.

Bill - Yeah, my dad shot a 42" oryx in Ethiopia. Got a 36-incher back from the taxidermist. In my dad's case, (and I suspect yours, too), they just found a 'client' willing to pay big money for a "trophy". Nowadays, if you have a 'special' trophy, (one someone would pay to steal), you're best served by keeping the horns/antlers with you until the cape gets back from the taxidermist, and they call you and tell you they're ready to mount. You can then bring the horns/antlers to them.

Paul - Like I said, "Once in a lifetime" things seem to find a way to getting lost, stolen, damaged, destroyed, etxc.

With tanneries, there's not a dam thing you can do about it. If they hadn't charged me a dime, it wouldn't change the fact that the hide is 'ruined'. That said, the hide is for the most part,  in great shape. Had I been wanting a life-sized mount, it would be a more tragic story.

Paul

So the final piece of this hunt is, if not "in place" yet, at least "in hand". I got the skull back from the "Euro Mount" fellow. It, unlike the hide, is 'as expected'.









When taken with a flash, in low ambient light.


I'll make a "mounting plate" for it so it can be hung on the wall, but it will be low enough that it can be taken down and handled. I think that's important for people that don't get to touch wild animals.

Paul