as bad of a taxidermist as i see in his pictures, theres no way in hell he could have faked anything.
It is bad, right. But probably close to average back then.
I think it's important to consider this buck was shot in 1998. In the mid 2000s, I was just able to get dial up in Grand Traverse. Word of Milo Hanson's 1992 world record typical was by telephone and magazines. Cell phone cameras and trail cameras were not a thing. More like, film and fotomats. Camcorders were only slightly better than Clark Griswold's JVC. Va Va Voom!
Through increased information sharing and advancements in equipment and materials, the "average" taxidermist is able to put out a far better product today than in 1998. (Although there is still a fair bit of awful work).
Keeping that in mind there are some possibilities:
1. taxidermy was so archaic at the time that no one would think to look for signs of a fugazi
2. a Buffalo Bill quality skin suit was a red-heron for Mitch's savant talents in antler manufacture and/or alteration
3. Mitch had an accomplice who actually was a savant, with skills 10-15 years ahead of his/her time
4. everyone who saw and handled the deer was too excited to notice obvious things of concern, or too unsavvy
5. a combination of factors
6. the rack was legit
Splitting and altering a skull plate to achieve a wider spread, that would have been at Mitch's skill level. Swapping racks on a dead deer and sewing it up for a photo, sure. Staining and painting shed antlers, antler repair with epoxy putty, he could probably dabble. Constructing, molding, and casting a polymer rack of WR size, probably not. Constructing, molding, and casting a convincing polymer rack of the right weight, density, and porosity, very doubtful. But lets say yes.
So, the working hypothesis is Mitch used some or all of these skills for a little charade. Except he's obviously so poor at it that his ruse is plain to everyone who sees his bucks, except those who do so in person...
Which leaves us at:
7. Those validating his bucks with first hand accounts are conspirators, fools, (or heavens, victims to threats of silence).
or
6 again.
Nothing is off the table, lol.