Dead Deer True-Classic Antler Mount Kit with Picture Frame

I purchased this mount for my first buck I just got this year. He wasn't really worthy of a full head mount, so I figured the added picture frame would be a nice touch to remember the occasion.The mount arrived quickly. It was in a huge box though. A box 1/3 the size would have been sufficient.Anyway, the picture frame finish DOESN'T match the plaque. The frame has a reddish/cherry hue to it. The plaque is dark brown/espresso. Also, the finish on the frame isn't perfect. There are slight blotches and nicks in it that have been poorly attempted to touch up, and the joints don't fit very well. The corners are banged up, and there are chips on the edges. Most of this stuff you'd never notice from a distance, especially once it's hanging on the wall.Another thing to note is that the plaque isn't solid wood. It's the compressed particle board material with a solid color stain on it. There might be a layer of veneer on it, but it does look decent. There is no wood grain showing, if you're looking for somehting like that. the actual antler opening are large. My set of antlers aren't really thick, so there is still a small section of the skull that is visible. This makes for a bit of an amateur look.The other let down with the frame is the picture opening size. It's not a standard size. It's something like 5 1/8" X 3 1/4" opening. So, you'll have to trim the picture you decide to use. Also, the hanging chain will only accommodate a landscape oriented picture. The small hook attached to the backing plate is riveted on. It figures the best picture of me with the deer is in portrait orientation. I might decide to just hang the picture separately, or even better, just buy a new frame, with a standard size opening.The included hardware (3 screws) are two different lengths. According to the directions printed on the back of the package, the short screw goes in the top hole. The 2 long screws go in the middle and bottom holes, respectively. That's not true. I put a small dimple in the bottom hole of the mount when tightening the longer screw. Luckily, I caught it before the screw came out the front of the mount, and won't be noticeable once hanging on the wall.The material on the mount is decent. It's a faux leather material. You can kind of "comb" it in the direction you want. It gets lighter one way, darker the other. It's not applied on the mount perfectly though. There are a couple of small creases, but once again most of these imperfections probably won't be noticed once it's on the wall.Overall, I'd recommend something else. I mainly went with this since it came with a different color material, and the included frame. I'm not big on the red/green mounts you see in most stores, but you could easily re-cover those with a trip to the craft store, which I obviously was attempting to avoid. Also, you could pick up a much better finished frame at Walmart, in a readily available photo opening size.

Just finished mounting a rack using this mount and it worked great. I'm not very handy and I was able to do it with ease. I also bought a different one from a taxidermy company and tried using it as well. Much harder and didn't look nearly as well. I just bought two more. One recommendation though is to purchase the decorative rope to bout around the base of each antler.

When we recieved package the inner package where frame, mount kit and screws weren't even sealed in there package it was open and parts were everywhere in the box. Thankfully all of the pieces and screws were there. So packaging I give zero star. The rest was great quality and my husband loved it.

This kit didn't fit an average size rack. The base sticks out. And the screws popped through the cap. It was horibly disappointing

I like the picture frame for the added memory, looks great!

Quality for the price. It's mdf with thick stain on it unless you are up there studying it you couldn't tell. Better than the cheap plastic ones from cabelas. Had to cut the skull a bit to get it to sit right but that was expected. I would buy another one.

Broken on arrival

This is about the 3rd or 4th mount kit ive used and its my favorite. I like it because its very easy to get the antlers locked in and secured, just three screws. I had to do a little grinding on the skull part of my antlers to get them to sit the way I wanted but its not to hard. the other review talked about the larger openings around the base of the antlers that exposed part of the skull and I agree that would make the mount look unprofesional, I got around that by wrapping wax coated brown rope around that part of the antlers after everything else was done,but I imagine even brown yarn or something would work well there too. the picture is a little smaller than the standard 4x6 but I just trimmed the photo and it worked out perfect. I think out of all the other mounting kits you can buy at cabellas, bass pro, rogers, or walmart this one is the best and looks the most professional once its on the wall, with or without the picture hanging below it. I just wish it came in different colors or more color combo options.