LAST UPDATED: May 1st, 2015
I remember it like it was yesterday. Watching the beast make his way past my stand while in pursuit of a hot doe, coming to full draw and sending an arrow through the largest whitetail I’ve ever laid eyes on. Years of day dreaming, hours and hours of exhausting preparation, endless time spent away from my family, countless dollars spent on gear, hundreds of arrows fired in preparation, stands hung and rehung…..all came down to one shot. Making good on that shot opportunity is one of the proudest moments of my bowhunting career.
So, what did I do after returning home from the taxidermist with my trophy which symbolizes all of the above (and so much more)? I hung it on the wall using nothing more than a .75 cent bracket from the local hardware store! Now, I like to think I’m somewhat intelligent but friends….that’s just plain STUPID. In my defense, I think it’s safe to say that I’m not alone. In fact, every bowhunter I know does the same thing. Yeah, but that doesn’t make it right. Does it? Of course not. Anyway, now that something better has come along I’m out of excuses….and so are you.
The old way of hanging trophies on the wall. When you consider everything that goes into a successful hunt why on earth do we choose the cheapest, most unreliable product on the market to hang our success on?
Need For Change
Recently I was approached by a passionate bowhunter, who like me, was tired of hanging his trophies on the wall using a weak, unreliable method. Travis Heffernon is the founder of Timber Creek Outdoors, Inc. and the designer of the Timber-Loc Wild Game Wall Hanging System. When he approached me about his product I was more than happy to give it a try. After all, my current method for hanging my trophies left a lot to be desired.
The Timber-Loc System
This new method for hanging your memories on the wall is essentially a two piece system. It is flush mounting, very safe, super reliable, CNC machined from T6061 aluminum and extremely easy to use. In short, the Timber-Loc Wild Game Wall Hanging System allowed me to hang my trophies on the wall more securely and with more confidence than anything I have ever used. And the best part was the simplicity of installation. There is nothing worse than a product that promises to do great things but then requires an engineering degree to use. Not this time. Nope, even I could do this.
The Timber-Loc system includes the mounting plate, wall bracket, and all the mounting hardware you will need for mounting to a stud or dry wall. The only tool special tool required is a 3.5” hole saw to attach the mounting plate to your manikin (game animal mount) backer board.
Impressions Of The Timber-Loc
I absolutely loved this mounting system. Like I said it was super easy to use, but not only that, it provided a very high level of confidence and security. After talking to Travis for a few minutes I soon realized the dangers associated with my old method. A good number of my whitetail mounts hang high above my couch where my family and I sit on a daily basis. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility for one of my children to knock a mount off of the wall. Yes, they are rambunctious. Nevertheless, in the event that would happen, and someone was underneath it, the injury to them could be serious. I don’t even want to think of what a 170 inch whitetail head, falling from 8 feet high, could do to child’s head. So, if anything, the Timber-Loc offers me piece of mind.
In addition, apart from bodily injury to loved ones and friends, there is the risk of permanently damaging your hard earned trophy. What could be worse than watching a main beam snap off after crashing to the floor? Geezzz, I cringe at the thought. But, like so many other bowhunters, I naively hang all of my mounts on the wall the same way….by a thread. Not anymore.
In order to explain how the Timber-Loc system works I felt it would be best to share with you the installation process. This way you can see why I think it is such a good system and if (and when) you decide to try one yourself you will have a reference for installation. Here we go.
Installing The Timber-Loc System
The first step was to take down my mount and find a nice cozy place for it to lie.
Using the Timber-Loc mounting plate, I placed it as near to my existing bracket as possible.
Next, using a pencil I traced along the outside of the mounting bracket.
After tracing the dimensions of the mounting plate I found the center of the outlined box and made a mark. This would be the entry point for the 3.5” hole saw used to create the hole for the mounting plate.
Taking the 3.5” hole saw I simply sawed out a circle for the back section of the mounting plate to drop into.
Next, I took a flathead screw driver and pried the cut backer board away from the foam manikin underneath.
This revealed the hole in which the back side of the mounting plate would drop into.
Next, I placed the mounting plate in the hole and attached it with the included 4-1” #10 mounting plate screws. This completed the installation process on the actual deer mount.
Next, I removed my sorry excuse for a wall attachment and replaced it with the Timber-Loc wall bracket.
NOTE: The mounting screw I was currently using was “sagging” and was easily removed using just my fingers.
In this image you can see the manner in which the mounting plate and the wall bracket attach to one another. This system, while allowing for rotational adjustment, will not allow the bracket and the mounting plate to disengage from one another.
Next, I simply slid the mounting plate over the wall bracket and dropped my trophy into place. Instantly secure!
Lastly, the Timber-Loc system comes with a cool, die-cut sticker that allows the hunter to record the information pertaining to that specific trophy. It’s a great way to keep records on the back of each mount for future generations to enjoy and reflect back on.
Author’s Note: Timber Creek Outdoors is in the final stages of RD for a bracket designed specifically for wall pedestal mounts such as elk and other big game where the bulk of the weight is “off-center” and further away from the wall.
Key Features:
- Timber-Loc Wild Game Wall Mounting System for taxidermy shoulder mounts
- Made in the USA
- Patented by the US Patent Office as a new and useful invention
- Website offers online store and informative product demonstration videos
- 2 piece mounting system
- CNC machined from T6061 aluminum
- Can be used on current mounts or future trophies
- Easily hang taxidermy shoulder mounts
- Mounting system securely flush mounts taxidermy shoulder mounts to the wall
- Die cut sticker that allows the hunter record the information pertaining to that specific trophy. Record keeper/hunting chronicle
- Die cut sticker mounts on the inside of the mounting plate pocket
- Keeps records on the back of each mount for future generations to enjoy and reflect back on
- Complete hardware package provided with each mount
- Meets many unmet needs in the outdoor industry
- The Timber-Loc creates a 360 degree compression across the entire back of the taxidermy mount
- Eliminates pulling and leaning from the old style hangers
- Large mount comes with stackable wall bracket shims. This allows the hunter to customize the wall bracket offset for specific hide thicknesses to create that tight 360 degree compression fit.
- Mounting systems come in 3 sizes: driftwood mount, medium game mount (deer), and large game mount
