David, your carving is what is called "relief carving". The surface surrounding the carving is relieved, or lowered so to speak.
The beauty of a Linseed, or oil type finish is that you can just reapply another application of the oil and it will blend right in. So don't be afraid to continue making changes, or adding detail to your carving.
Below are a couple of examples of Teak oil finished calls. -They are "relief carved". The top one is Red Alder, the bottom is Black Walnut. Notice how on the areas that would be white in color on a coyote (under the muzzle, inside ears, etc) I left them untextured and smooth. Then when oiled, it contrasts with the darker textured areas. Use that knowledge on your carvings. Doesn't matter the animal.
I've carved a few elk in my day. Right now without doing a massive search, below is a simple carving I did on a Stag horn knife. I used minimum paint, and tried to incorporate the knarled surface of the antler in the body of the elk. See the jaw line, and simple mane detail. The human eye can only comprehend so much detail..So focus on the big details that stand out. Anything you see below can be accomplished on wood.
Practice getting the basics down first such as you are doing. It will suddenly come to you, and you'll take notice of the things I described. It took me a while. Al and the others can remember some of my first attempts. LOL!
HuntnCarve
Dave