# Help with antler mount



## Maddiequus (Nov 4, 2003)

My SO hunts whitetail every year. Gets his racks when he gets back the processed deer; doesn't have huge trophies or anything but some nice 8 pts. He just leaves them in a box in his garage.

This year, in an effort to be the Best Girlfriend Ever, I decided to mount one of his racks. Well, I didn't realize I had a few strikes against me. Local taxidermists said it would take 8 months to get the rack back, and that was IF it was prepared when I sent it to them! Additionally, this is just an 8pt, not a trophy mount, and they wanted around $150. I'd read that antler mounts are not difficult to do, so I decided to do it myself. Before I give it to him, please let me know if there's anything more I can/should do.

#1 - the rack has been sitting in the box in the garage for a few months. So I was dealing from the start with a scalp that was pretty well dried and aged. It didn't really smell. I took it home and covered it with borax.

#2 - I peeled out the membrane from the skull and scrubbed the antlers with white vinegar.

#3 - I left the rack in borax for another week, even though everything seemed dry.

#4 - I spent 3 hours grinding the skull smooth and even, and sanding off every bit of dried flesh I could see. The only time it smelled was while I was working on it with a dremel.

#5 - I covered the hair/scalp/skull with 1/4" of salt (non-iodized) in case I had exposed any moisture or bacteria while working on it.

From the articles I have read, after sitting for so long it's better to leave the hair intact as it would have to be ground off. (Past the point of rot) I have read that such mounts last well over 15 years.

Is this true, and is there anything else I should do before I screw it to the plaque? Thanks!


----------



## braggscowboy (Jan 6, 2004)

Good questions, I have lots of horn or antlers sitting around and I have some boards to mount them on, but I don't like mine mounted on anything. I like to be able to set them where I want and wife uses them at Christmas to decorate with. Sound like you did a good job in cleaning. Hard to get hide off when dry I have found. I like the full skull with horns attached and have the head good and clean and hang or sit some where. The do not have to be mounted on a board to look nice and you can sit them where you want. As far a 150, I can't say and would not make a venture to guess. Mine, this year I boiled everything off of it and cleaned and steel wooled the horns some to make them shine. In a short time I had mine done and sitting on top of an antique cabinet for Christmas. In fact, I have 3 sets of antlers and two complete sets of skulls and a mount in the house and a Fallow set of antlers in the house sitting here and there. Hope this helps and doesnt confuse you.


----------



## coup (Feb 28, 2007)

sounds like you got it . my daughter bought(husband) a shiny skull plate like a euro mount and it was very easy to attach,,,i think it cost like $40........i liked it,,,....


----------



## CCCC (Nov 21, 2011)

Sounds to me like you got it cleaned better than I have when doing antler mounts should be ready to go as far as I am conserned. 

Nice gift I think he will really like it! 

My wife is not to impressed with my mounts on the wall, but my MOL went to bat for me on hanging them up in our house.


----------



## Maddiequus (Nov 4, 2003)

You guys are awesome, thanks for the ideas and encouragement!  Tomorrow's the big day so cross your fingers for me! I found a plaque that's walnut with the bark still on; gonna do the mount kinda high so I can put a Fred Bear quote underneath: "I come home with an honestly earned feeling that something good has taken place. It makes no difference whether I got anything; it has to do with how the day was spent." Give him something to look at while he's cleaning guns, haha.

CCCC - these are the cleanest antlers EVER, I even used those Lysol wipes on them when I was finished! Can't complain with something clean and fuzzy. lol


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

If you're going to leave the skull exposed, you can "paint" it with Clorox to help whiten it and kill any germs too

That's what I did with this one:










Some cover the skull with velvet or leather


----------



## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

I have an antler mount of the first deer I ever killed.
A 10 point.
I mounted it myself.
That was 50 years ago. 
It is over the doorway going into my bedroom now.
Looks exactly like it did 50 years ago.


----------



## braggscowboy (Jan 6, 2004)

Maddiequus said:


> You guys are awesome, thanks for the ideas and encouragement!  Tomorrow's the big day so cross your fingers for me! I found a plaque that's walnut with the bark still on; gonna do the mount kinda high so I can put a Fred Bear quote underneath: "I come home with an honestly earned feeling that something good has taken place. It makes no difference whether I got anything; it has to do with how the day was spent." Give him something to look at while he's cleaning guns, haha.
> 
> CCCC - these are the cleanest antlers EVER, I even used those Lysol wipes on them when I was finished! Can't complain with something clean and fuzzy. lol


Well Maddie, what are you going to do,or what did you do? If you want some pics of what I do let me know on displaying mine. Sometimes wife don't like the way I do it, but she gives in most of the time.


----------



## braggscowboy (Jan 6, 2004)

Maddiequus said:


> You guys are awesome, thanks for the ideas and encouragement!  Tomorrow's the big day so cross your fingers for me! I found a plaque that's walnut with the bark still on; gonna do the mount kinda high so I can put a Fred Bear quote underneath: "I come home with an honestly earned feeling that something good has taken place. It makes no difference whether I got anything; it has to do with how the day was spent." Give him something to look at while he's cleaning guns, haha.
> 
> CCCC - these are the cleanest antlers EVER, I even used those Lysol wipes on them when I was finished! Can't complain with something clean and fuzzy. lol


Maddie this is one of the way we use the horns. I have more around than I remembered.


----------



## Maddiequus (Nov 4, 2003)

Really pretty! I like the evergreens - who knew deer antlers could be festive? 

SO was almost speechless. His niece and I had a tough time getting him to look in the box where he'd left the antlers! Haha, he was so surprised and kept saying how thoughtful it was. I even volunteered to mount one in the future for him, provided he gets it to me fresher than this one. How many guys can say their girl will do that? 

I'll post pics tomorrow.


----------



## Maddiequus (Nov 4, 2003)

Ugh. I give up. Not much good at posting photos to this site. Here's the URL for my blog though; the antlers are the top entry. Thanks again for the help!  http://ballyhoofarm.weebly.com/the-farm-goddess.html


----------



## braggscowboy (Jan 6, 2004)

Maddiequus said:


> Ugh. I give up. Not much good at posting photos to this site. Here's the URL for my blog though; the antlers are the top entry. Thanks again for the help!  http://ballyhoofarm.weebly.com/the-farm-goddess.html


Nice job on first try even. Like your blog also. You will learn a lot as you go along. I will send you a pic or two.


----------

