Attaching your mounts to walls

Well since we moved to our new place all my critters had to follow. Fish, birds, deer and elk.

How does everyone mount them to the walls? Sheet rocked walls. I have shoulder mounted deer that I assume need to find a stud in the wall. 3 turkey mounts as well. Also some bigger fish mounted. Don’t have studs for all these without it looking bad.

I also have numerous perch, bluegills, crappie and trout.

I’ve used the stick on hooks and had my smaller fish mounts fall off. Not good.

All mounts will be on newly painted walls.

Thanks for any info.

There are several options for Sheetrock mounting hardware. Make sure you’re not going next to electrical or pipes if you’re drilling through.

This is what I use plastic self drilling dry wall anchors, because you’ll never find a stud where you want it. They are rated for different weight loads.

Lots of options for hanging on sheetrock. I’ve had success with dry wall anchors. Also, there are these expanding options as well. I purchased at Home Depot.

Dang riverrun sounds like you do taxidermy with that many mounts!

Sheetrock anchors have worked great for me in the past. Many options available at Home Depot/Menards etc.

Post some pics once you get everything hung up, sounds awesome!

If going into drywall and not into a stud these are what I prefer when hanging heavy and bulky items. They are not cheap but hold and work amazing. FYI, DO NOT buy the cheap knockoff ones, they are junk and will cost you more money as they break frequently during install.

http://www.lowes.com/pd/TOGGLER-10-Pack-Assorted-Length-x-3-16-in-Dia-Toggle-Bolt-Drywall-Anchor-Screws-Included/3183815

Boy, I would hate to have a $500 mount of a fish or a bird or a deer fall off the wall and break because I didn’t hang it properly. Just for peace of mind I would want it anchored into a stud. I have a deer shoulder mount that is up quite high on the wall in a room with a vaulted ceiling and if that sucker ever fell it would be toast.

A taxidermist also once told me never to put up a mount on a wall in close proximity to a door that gets used regularly as the vibration from closing the door could cause something to come loose.

munchy wrote:

If going into drywall and not into a stud these are what I prefer when hanging heavy and bulky items. They are not cheap but hold and work amazing. FYI, DO NOT buy the cheap knockoff ones, they are junk and will cost you more money as they break frequently during install.

http://www.lowes.com/pd/TOGGLER-10-Pack-Assorted-Length-x-3-16-in-Dia-Toggle-Bolt-Drywall-Anchor-Screws-Included/3183815

X2 we use them at work and they are solid done right, and I use them for my own stuff at home!

Like munchy said togglers or zip toggles work great for a lot of weight. I hung some large shoulder mounts for people with these and never any problems.

These are what I ended up using on 3 shoulder mounts today that I hung. They were easy to put in the wall and I believe will hold without an issue. Thanks for all the replys and suggestions!

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These will be for the fish mounts. Rated 30# when installed into sheetrock. I have no 30# fish mounts.

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A great video on Drywall anchors and load capacity.

Lots of guys with rooms made specifically as a trophy room put plywood behind the sheetrock so a mount, even a lifesize bear on habitat, can be placed anywhere. Just something to keep in mind if you’re ever doing some remodeling.

There’s a few options here that might work for you. A plate that has multiple anchor points (screw placements) spread across drywall will be a lot less likely to pull out than a single anchor point. A plate will spread the pounds per inch of force applied to a single point across a small area of the wall and be much stronger.

Pins/Fasteners/Hangers

Know the weight of you mount and buy a drywall anchor system rated FAR over it. Overkill doesn’t hurt and the mount will cover everything up. Even a strong system wouldn’t make a hole you couldn’t easily patch/paint should you chose to move your mount someday

Luckily I have a knotty cedar wall in my basement so that’s where my shoulder mount hangs. But I get that sometimes finding a stud just isn’t possible if you’re trying to center it on a wall or have a specific place in mind.

I have a few fish and I think the the driftwood setting weighs more than the mount. Standard drywall anchors have worked just fine with those – at least for me. Deer are a whole other story.

This is what I have attached to the sheetrock walls so far, and none are in a stud.

On the 1st one I hung, I actually pulled down on the mount and pulled it towards me. Never moved or felt it move. Of course not alot of pressure but enough. I have complete confidence these anchors will hold without an issue.

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Those are some nice bucks riverruns. Beautiful mounts too.

gimruis wrote:

Those are some nice bucks riverruns. Beautiful mounts too.

×2

One nice thing about a lot of the taxidermy specific hangers is they won’t rotate. Square male end going in a female square tubing.

Usually when shoulder mounts fall off the wall it’s because they spin from being top heavy, not because what they’re hanging from pulls out of the wall.

Those are some super nice mounts riverruns.