So there’s this restaurant in western Nebraska on the long drive to my daughter’s home in Denver.
We’ve heard of Ole’s in Paxton NE several times, but we’ve never gone there.
This time, we did.
I expected something kind of odd and dark and seedy.
Instead, it was pretty cool.
I asked if I could take pictures and they said SURE.
So I wandered a while and saw such strange things.
The above picture is, I believe, a pair of mountain goats
Everything is well labeled and there are some critters here I’d never even hear the word before.
I mean I know there are odd deer. Sure mule deer, white tail deer, but some of these, nope, no idea what they are or where they are from.
Buffalo, sure, you’ve gotta have a bufflo…except it’s bison, I’m firmly told.
This one is an antelope? And the deerish thing behind it is like…HEY it’s a thirteen point buck, beats out my former champ twelve point buck, better stuff it and stick it on the wall, too.
Related question, “Is there a Mrs. Ole?”
Another…member of the…deer family. This one, below, might be an elk.
And in the name of bigger is better, a moose.
This one is obvious.
Giraffe
He has a kind of dejected look, I think.
And yes, the rumors were true. There is an elephant. I’m not kidding. I stared a long time and it just would not vanish.
And yes, the rumors were true. There is an elephant. I’m not kidding. I stared a long time and it just would not vanish.
Just for the record…Ole…hasn’t run this place…since the 1950s
Lots of stuff above a Water Buffalo. A zebra, two more odd deer-sh type creatures. Those cool longhorn horns.
Behind the elephant tusk, if you look close, I think that’s a female African lion.
This next one, I’ve just got this mental connection to Mr. Bambi here.
I mean, I know taxidermy is a true skill, but no amount of skill could quite wipe the look of disgust off Mr. Bambi’s face.
Seriously, Ole? In the bar? Is that where I spent eternity? Are you going to at least dust me?
The next one is a big horn sheep. Pretty cool critter. They are reintroducing big horn sheep into the wilds of Nebraska.
No doubt the herd was decimated by Ole himself.
And next up is what, to me, was the granddaddy of all of Ole’s trophies.
The Polar Bear.
I’m not sure why the polar bear is front and center, even over the ELEPHANT???
But boy he sure is. He’s the first thing you see when you step inside.
And if you think that deer above looks disgusted, this polar bear just looks flat out shocked.
He was HUGE
I know the case was a bit off the floor and he’s standing on an ice-looking thing, but still, this is a gigantic animal.
I have this conversation going on inside my head. Mrs. Ole, when Mr. Ole mails home the elephant, the polar bear, the buffalo.
It’s the animals or me, Ole.
You know what, Mama? I think I’ll open a bar and decorate with the animals.
Good idea, honey. Put a cot in the back room for yourself. I’ll see you at Thanksgiving.
Peace reigns in the Mr. and Mrs. Ole household.
One last picture of random deerlike creatures.
One of them was an eland, I think. One an impala? Maybe a druike? I’m not kidding, it was a word like that.
Any input is welcome if you recognize stuff. there were birds, too, fish, you name it.
But the food was delicious. The former bar, now lounge and steakhouse, was clean and the service was friendly, fast and excellent.
So any hunters among us? Not me though I fish some. The song Thirty Point Buck keeps running through my head. And also I once wrote a song called: I’ve got Bambi on My Hands, Ode to my buckskin gloves.
I’m not a hunter & I don’t care for taxidermy, but I did recognize the bison & antelope (pronghorn) since we have those around here in central Wyoming (bison on farms being raised for meat & pronghorn in the wild). We also have mule deer, turkeys, rabbits, raccoons, mountain lions, & black bears. If you fish, we have trout in the river & people come to fly fish from all over the world. It’s nice, except for when the wind blows, which is 90% of the time!
It’s weird to think of doing that for a living. Gross! Yes, pronghorn antelope. I thought antelope but knew it was something else.
The antelope, with the ‘deerish thing’ behind it, with a black nose and long pointed horns is a Gemsbok or South African Oryx
I tried to post an edited photo but it didn’t work.
gemsbock, that might’ve been a word I read. I should have taken pictures of the signs not just the animals.
I don’t hunt or fish, but my dad did.
Taxidermy animals creep me out.
All those deer-family animals are the ones that show up in crossword puzzles.
The Rainforest Cafe had fake wild animals and some made noise at random times. The elephant scared my oldest when he was little. We had to change tables.
fake animals seem simpler and tidier and nicer!!! LOL
We ate there on our way to Lake McConaughy last summer! The kids loved seeing all the different kinds of animals. It was a little distracting while eating, but I have to agree about the food being good and our waitress was really nice.
We were on a long car ride so we wanted to stretch our legs. So I wandered for a long time. It was so interesting. I know hunters and all I think is, don’t you get COLD? And there’s a reason beef and pork and chicken fill of the grocery store meat sections and not pheasant and duck and deer. they aren’t as good. that’s a lot of work and expense for an inferior product.
Oh wow! Those are some massive beasts! My husband is the hunter. Although when we were first dating I did go deer hunting. I grew up fishing and bird hunting, so it was new to me at the time. Just recently we have a Bass over 12 pounds hanging on the wall. We could have had several deer, but I said not in my house! LOL
Thanks for the Ole tour!
An elephant, can you believe it? And even now, it doesn’t seem like it was big enough. I’d heard there was an elephant in Ole’s but didn’t quite believe it until I saw it.
No hunters here. I use to love to fish but haven’t been fishing in years.
Fishing is a once a summer event for us and in recent years I barely even get on the water. But I do enjoy eating the fish!!! 🙂
Unfortunately this was the norm after the turn of the century and I know a guy with a full lion in a similar display as the polar bear!
I was in a doctor’s office once and in one corner of the entry way was a buck, a doe and a fawn. All I could think was, did you really SHOOT a baby deer? Weird
The photos are kind of neat and kind of sad at the same time. There are no hunters in my family and no fishers either. We have been fishing, but not a thing for my family. I really don’t like going to zoos either. I feel sorry for the animals. I do love all sorts of animals!!
It’s a strange hobby but I get that it’s popular. i think it makes a difference if you spend your whole life working inside. Getting out on weekends is an end in itself. I know my office bound sons-in-law seems to even love mowing the lawns.
this is interesting. I am not a hunter. Used to fish. I feel like it is a little sad that so many animals were killed and stuffed. Just me.
Sad and strange. Interesting enough we stopped. I picture old Ole and his buddies swapping hunting stories while their wives at home roll their eyes and fry chicken they bought on a styrofoam tray.
I’ve been to Ole’s! So memorable. From your pictures, it looks like there are even more animal heads than I remember seeing! A nice break on the way to Denver.
My pictures are so dark. I wish I was better at editing photos. My standard in any restaurant that I don’t know is kid food. Chicken strips and fries. and most everyone does them fine
The pictures are amazing I have been hunting before but not anymore though I do Love to fish and My Sons and grandson’s love to hunt Thanks for sharing!
Lots or hunters around here. My cowboy (husband) doesn’t hunt much. His whole life has been outside. His idea of recreation is to come INSIDE!!! 🙂
I am not a fan of trophy hunting. Many of these were likely hunted before laws were tightened up, Killing an animal just for bragging rights is a terrible waste. I have no trouble with hunting, we have done duck, grouse, and deer hunting, but it was all for food. We have three taxidermy mounts. One a pair of wood ducks which were used for food. Wen also have a red fox and a young bobcat, both victims of cars. We have used all three in classes done on nature, environment, etc. What does killing a giraffe, an elephant, or a lion prove? What a waste. It has resulted in endangered species and unbalanced environments.
Many of those were probably purchased, but it is an impressive collection.