Hello, I'm Mike Bartholdy, the founder of Mountain Mike's Reproductions Co. and inventor of the
european deer mount kit. I have done many European deer mounts by boiling and bleaching, a process reminiscent of a witch cooking in an old black cauldron; hours of steam and a smell that would wake neighbors for miles around. Couple this with the increasing awareness of CWD and regulations on transporting
deer skulls to curb its spread. I decided there must be a better way.
The Goal: Exact Reproduction European Deer Mount Kit
In my small shop, I attempted to create an exact reproduction European deer mount kit that would be easy to use and universal for all deer antler mounting needs.
The Injection Molded European Deer Mount Kit
The only way I could make this work was to build freeform molds. A european deer mount kit had never been done before. Scanning a freeform object and converting the data to CNC readable information, which had unpredictable mold parting lines, was a new and daunting task.
Recognition in the Hunting Industry
With a new option for antler mounting kits, Cabela's and Gander Mountain showed support. Even at the crude prototype stage, we began educating the major retailers of our work and what to expect in the near future. As a great show of interest and belief, both companies signed into vendor agreements well before our european skull molds would be able to go into production.
Outdoor Celebrities Show Their Interest
Being and avid hunter and outdoorsman, I sought feedback from people I greatly respect in the industry while developing our first European skull mounting products.
Ralph and Vicki Cianciarulo of Archer's Choice Media have been, and continue to be a great help. We hit it off well from our first phone call and have become close friends. At the same time,
Michael Waddell was beginning his
Bone Collector brand and thought our new European deer mount kit would be a great fit.
Mountain Mike's Reproductions Becoming a Success
Well, it took three years of research and development, along with every penny my wife and I could find, but we brought our first european deer mount kit to the outdoor industry. With our early success major retailers began requesting other european skull mount products from us and reproduction antler products for categories, such as
home decor,
ATV accessories and
hunting accessories.
Thanks for checking out our website! My wife, Teri, and I truly appreciate your support.
