I haven't killed many deer and my goal is to kill one nice enough to mount off of my my small property. I know this is a broad question and very subjective but......what characteristics do y'all look for in a deer to decide whether to mount or try for another one?

I don�t shoot them if I�m not going to mount them, so that makes it easy

I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't mount.

I've killed over 250 deer and have 23 deer mounts on the wall and two more at the taxidermist. For me it starts at 130" and five years old to mount.

So it will be different for everyone depending on their goals, expectations, and what they have actually killed before.

good luck killing a big one...

If it's a trophy to you, by all means put him on the wall. I may have a few now but I also have have a 4 point I killed 35 years ago on the wall in the shop.

I would say that depends on what you have killed in the past. I try my best to only shoot 4 year old and up deer. I have never killed any real big deer. I do have two that are right around 120 that I got mounted. I won't full mount anything less than 130. But I will skull mount any buck I kill.

I think it's up to you if you mount or not. If it's a trophy to you and you want to spend the money then mount it. I would find a reputable taxidermist that does good work. If you are going to spend the money you want the best mount you can get. 20 years ago I had a 6 point mounted. The rack was average at best but the deer weighed 200 lbs (on a spring scale). I killed the deer with a bow and decided to mount it at the end of the season. The mount still looks good today.

If you like It! Mount it! Everyone has to start somewhere! Then adjust and mount according after that!

What he said

Personally...I look for Big Antlers... But you can't eat them horns I've tried Shoot what makes you Happy...I mean, you get 3 and all...

I mount one if he's a good one in my eyes or if he's different or if it was just one of those hunts where you will never forget no matter how big he is

This

I haven't killed one big enough to spend the $450 on. I have killed a few that folks said I should have mounted but then I think about that I could buy another gun or mount the deer and I always choose the gun. I guess if I ever killed a true stud then I may choose differently.

Shoulder mount 1st mature big buck, mine was a 9 point. Then any deer bigger than that when I think I may never kill a deer that big again. But euro mount anything mature and cut antlers off everything else.

For most hunters in AL a 120� is a real nice deer, worthy of a shoulder mount, a 130� is a great deer, and a 140�+ is a deer of a lifetime. There are a lot of hunters I know who�ve never killed anything over 120�. No one can decide that but you. If it was me, the first 3+ 120� I killed would be a shoulder mount.

I have a spike mounted so do what you want with this information

I say do what ever makes you happy . If you think it�s worthy of a shoulder mount then the debate ends there

I have two nice 8 pointers mounted that I'm very proud of. There are bigger deer mounted but these are special to me. If I mount another deer, it will have to be way bigger than these two.

This.
Don�t mount a small 8 point just to mount one.
I speak from experience. I was 20-something and mounted one because I killed it with a muzzleloader. It�s still a small 8 whether you kill it with a flip.
Euro mounts are made for commemorating things like that.
I�ve got three 15 to 16 inch bucks mounted (a 7, 8 and 9). It�ll take a golly whopper for me to ever mount another one.

Mount what you feel happy with. Me personally, I have no intentions of mounting another animal. Its all rugs or skull mounts for me.

I mounted my first buck which was a small 10 point and I have my best bow kill mounted. There have been several that i mounted and i look back and wonder why? I have many racks in the shed that are much better than mounts that i have on the wall. I do have three good ones mounted also and several skull mounts. How many years do you have left to hunt? What kind of deer do you have on your place? (pictures) If you have some nice deer then hold out for one of the better ones. Good luck