# Which Duck mount would you choose??? Group flying mount or dead??



## outtotrout09 (Apr 21, 2009)

Got six birds I want to have mounted for my man cave. 

4 mallards (2 have bands) and 2 pintails. Its a big investment so I wanted 2coolers opinion.


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Hands down GROUP FLYING. Just look at the difference in the color of those green heads.


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## Part Timer (Jul 2, 2012)

group


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

I like the dead/strapped mount. Less "showy" to me/my taste but both are very cool looking.


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## hog_down (Jan 11, 2010)

I vote group


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## JDubya (Sep 26, 2012)

Group no doubt


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

I'd do the 4 Mallards in a group flying and 2 Pintail on a dead mount.


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## quackersmacker (Jun 15, 2005)

Group mount


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

Strap mount for me.


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## WildThings (Jan 2, 2007)

THE JAMMER said:


> Hands down GROUP FLYING. Just look at the difference in the color of those green heads.


ditto


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## Backwater1 (Apr 25, 2013)

THE JAMMER said:


> Hands down GROUP FLYING. Just look at the difference in the color of those green heads.


 That's because Todd uses a professional photo setup in a studio when he photographs his work. It won't look like that with standard house lighting. The heads and speculums will not be vibrant. They will have the vibrancy of the strap mount.

I would pick the strap mount but have the ducks hanging more lifelike. Different positions and wings flared out more so you can see the speculums. Something kind of like this:










One thing to remember is if you ever move, its going to be tough finding a spot for that flying mount. Its going to be huge. Probably 6' x 6'. You can hang that strap mount anywhere and it will look good, plus you can mount it lower on the wall so you can see the birds, catch better light and hang it in higher traffic areas.

With flying mounts, you have to mount them high so nobody bumps into them and they will stick out about 2 feet or more from the wall. Strap mounts will only stick out about 8-10 inches.


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## HELOLT (Aug 1, 2013)

flying


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## T_rout (Jul 25, 2013)

Strap mount. Cheaper and way less space. Also, how often do you see pintails and mallards flying together?


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## OnedayScratch (May 23, 2012)

Flying ducks are just cool.


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## Law Dog (Jul 27, 2010)

Group mount if you have the wall space..


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## BURTONboy (Feb 23, 2010)

If you do the flying, which I would, I would do two different groups. Pins really dont fly with mallards. I dont really like the strap mount, kind of seems like a waste of the birds to me. But I guess I just like to see the birds for all their worth and not just hanging by their foot...

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## Operationduckhunt (Aug 23, 2011)

Strap mount for me by far


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## AndyThomas (May 26, 2012)

Birds with that much color would have to be flying. Less color (redheads, gaddys, etc.) would be dead mounted.

Personally, I think the flying birds are a little more classy for a hunting room. If it were a hunting lodge or something, then I would do a strap mount.


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## Backwater1 (Apr 25, 2013)

BURTONboy said:


> If you do the flying, which I would, I would do two different groups. Pins really dont fly with mallards. I dont really like the strap mount, kind of seems like a waste of the birds to me. But I guess I just like to see the birds for all their worth and not just hanging by their foot...
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 Pintails fly with mallards all the time. I have hundreds of pictures of pintails in flocks of mallards. Same with widgeon.


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## BURTONboy (Feb 23, 2010)

Backwater1 said:


> Pintails fly with mallards all the time. I have hundreds of pictures of pintails in flocks of mallards. Same with widgeon.


Guess ive just never seen it. Then again I dont ever get on many mallards either....

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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

This is what I was thinking.. Wouldn't look natural..



T_rout said:


> Strap mount. Cheaper and way less space. *Also, how often do you see pintails and mallards flying together?*
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## outtotrout09 (Apr 21, 2009)

Backwater1 said:


> Pintails fly with mallards all the time. I have hundreds of pictures of pintails in flocks of mallards. Same with widgeon.


Yup! One pintail usally finishes my mallard limit. That is why I wanted to have them in the group.

Thanks for everyones input! Space is not a problem and I think I am going with Flying group mount.


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## Backwater1 (Apr 25, 2013)

outtotrout09 said:


> Yup! One pintail usally finishes my mallard limit. That is why I wanted to have them in the group.
> 
> Thanks for everyones input! Space is not a problem and I think I am going with Flying group mount.


When you choose your mounting area, make sure to include track lighting flooding from all 4 sides. Todd uses a studio like this to make his mounts have the full color like in your photo.










haha. maybe not that extravagant, but he does use a photography setup that makes his mounts pop way more than they would in any normal house.


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## grman (Jul 2, 2010)

With greenheads - you want to show off the top of the wing colors and you want to make sure that the curls on the tail are visible.

With sprigs - it the pintail and the head bent to show off the tux.

Now if you already have good greenhead and sprig mounts - then you can be extravagant - one of the best I ever saw was a mixed strap on an old leather strap hung on a weathered "fence" with a old browning humpback 5 leaning against the fence. Whole thing was hung like a huge painting. Even had a old box of Peter's high Velocity next to the browning.


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## WildThings (Jan 2, 2007)

T_rout said:


> Strap mount. *Cheaper* and way less space. Also, how often do you see pintails and mallards flying together?


 Why do you think it's cheaper? It's still 6 bird mounts just posed differently!


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## bluefin (Aug 16, 2005)

Backwater1 said:


>


Really like this mount for ducks. What makes it for me is the variety.


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## hawaiian12 (Feb 7, 2012)

Group!


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## Land or Water (May 12, 2013)

I really like the flying group mount as well. Don't think you could go wrong with either mounts.. Good luck


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## duckdaysofwinter (Jan 13, 2005)

I vote for flying...


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## flat185 (Jul 6, 2009)

Hanging but like the pic in post 11 not the one you found and posted up. I've seen those in person and look great when done right. I guess the biggest reason I would prefer that over the other is not many people have that mount. You don't see it everyday.


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## Barbarian (Feb 12, 2009)

I like the flying, but I would consider 2 separate by putting the mallards in a small group and then the pintail in a small group. Think of it like both groups coming in to the same set at the same time, but not together. Pintails might be coming in from above or from behind, etc. I did a group of pintails years ago. Each was mounted individually but with the thought of a flock making the bank before landing. I took the corner of my room into consideration and used 2 walls to make the circling effect if that makes any sense. I then could space them out accordingly.


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## Southern Solutions (Aug 1, 2012)

Strap mount all the way

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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

Too much color not to show.To non-hunters(shouldn't be allowed in your man-cave anyway),a bunch of pretty ducks will be more impressive than a string of dead ducks.What ever you choose,it'll be way cool.I like either one.Now,decide what YOU want.


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## DuckMendenhall (Nov 5, 2007)

bluefin said:


> Really like this mount for ducks. What makes it for me is the variety.


Appreciate it bud. It worked nicely for the birds I wanted to get mounted. It works perfectly for the room setup as well. It is more a sentimental value than anything. The strap was given to my dad by his father in law over 40 years ago which was passed down to me, the pegs are from an old electrical pole. The stories behind the birds is even more impressive. It took me about 3 years to get the birds in the right plumage to accomplish what I was going for...

As for credit for the mount, it all goes to the guys at Sportsmens Wildlife Artistry.


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## DuckMendenhall (Nov 5, 2007)

To add to the comment above...

It is ultimately your choice on what you are trying to achieve. Spec Rig on here has a nice flying mount with the birds you are inquiring about, maybe he will chime in.


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## Jasmillertime (Mar 23, 2010)

I would do the flying mount. Just never have been a fan of the strap mount. All my birds that I've had mounted, I had them mounted the way I remember them flying when I took the shot. Just something little like that helps me remember just a little more something from that trip.


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## Backwater1 (Apr 25, 2013)




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