What you’re seeing could be the oldest taxidermied deer in the world! And, in addition to its age, you might be shocked to learn that this deer was mounted right around the time when European taxidermy was “invented.”  

The oldest deer mount in the world is currently displayed at the Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry in Hørsholm, Denmark. The red stag is more than 300 years old and was owned (and possibly killed) by King Frederick IV (1671–1730), ruler of Denmark and Norway. Researchers x-rayed the stag to see how it was put together and found an insane amount of pins.

As for taxidermy as we know it, Carl Akeley is widely considered “the Father of Modern Taxidermy.” He was not only a taxidermist, but also a naturalist, sculptor, writer and inventor. Over his long career he worked for several different museums, including the Field Museum, serving as Chief Taxidermist from 1896 to 1909. However, taxidermy in its simplest form dates all the way back to ancient Egypt in about 2,200 B.C. 

But … to answer the original question … here is a look at the oldest deer taxidermy mount known to man: