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Mount Your Own Deer Antlers
If that buck you've just shot is plenty good for the wall, but not quite big enough for the taxidermist, consider this easy DIY antler-mounting project.
 Getting Started: Plaques, hangers and braided rope to mount your deer's rack can be purchased from a taxidermist, many local sporting goods' stores, or from major sporting goods' catalog retailers. You can even custom build your own plaque if you have the skills. Tools needed to mount your deer antlers are basic: A drill, wire brushes, Borax, Clorox bleach, drill bits, glue gun and glue, scissors, drywall screws, a hammer, and a few other odds and ends.
This diagram shows how to saw the deer's skull plate for a standard skull mount. A hand saw or hack saw will do the trick. Photo by Brad Herndon AdvertisementRelated PhotosSUBMIT YOUR PHOTOSADVERTISEMENT |
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Photo Gallery Comments (6)
i do mine a bit different , i start a bit back of the antler bases with the angle extending at the eyebrow , then i cut across above the brow line ,this gives the skull plate a bit more strength for drilling ,mountingan in the event when they are dropped ,
i also do mine differently. instead of drilling holes in the skull i drill holes in the plaque itself, then i use fastening ties to cinch down the deer to the plaque i feel like you get a better hold with that approach and you don't ruin the skull if you'd like to use it for something else in the future!
I also use the ties to not ruin some of the natural strength and intergrity of the skull. Another tip is to peal the skin asap, the longer you wait the harder it becomes to take the hide off the skull.
i recomend that when cutting the antlers from the skull that the front cut be through the eye socket and the rear cut be lower than shown here. This ensures that enough of the skull is removed to have a complete circle beneath the antlers. It is much stronger this way. Before i started doing this two of my racks split in half.
Kool
I usually mount my own but often just hang the clean, dry skull plate like hanging a picture. This is on my shop wall and not in the living room, of course. When I put them on a plaque (home made) I basically "wing it" but in general go about it as has been described by some above.
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)
i do mine a bit different , i start a bit back of the antler bases with the angle extending at the eyebrow , then i cut across above the brow line ,this gives the skull plate a bit more strength for drilling ,mountingan in the event when they are dropped ,
i also do mine differently. instead of drilling holes in the skull i drill holes in the plaque itself, then i use fastening ties to cinch down the deer to the plaque i feel like you get a better hold with that approach and you don't ruin the skull if you'd like to use it for something else in the future!
I also use the ties to not ruin some of the natural strength and intergrity of the skull. Another tip is to peal the skin asap, the longer you wait the harder it becomes to take the hide off the skull.
i recomend that when cutting the antlers from the skull that the front cut be through the eye socket and the rear cut be lower than shown here. This ensures that enough of the skull is removed to have a complete circle beneath the antlers. It is much stronger this way. Before i started doing this two of my racks split in half.
Kool
I usually mount my own but often just hang the clean, dry skull plate like hanging a picture. This is on my shop wall and not in the living room, of course. When I put them on a plaque (home made) I basically "wing it" but in general go about it as has been described by some above.
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)