First measure the inside spread, just in case the skull splits along the sutures later like this one did. That normally doesn’t happen but I was in a hurry and while trimming the skull after simmering I used a little too much pressure while holding one side of the rack and sawing with a bone saw. Luckily I had measured this one before starting and it was 13.25”.
I use a scalpel to remove most of the hide. I do it just like I would cape a deer for a shoulder mount. Around the antler burrs I use a small chisel or a flathead screwdriver to pry the skin away from the burrs. The chisel works better than the screwdriver but you need to be careful not to injure yourself (keep your other hand away from the chisel in case it slips) and not to cut or poke through the hide (this only applies if you're skinning for a shoulder mount). I didn’t take any pictures of the skinning process.
After skinning around the antler burrs and the top and sides of the head, I used a bone saw to remove the antlers. I like to use McKenzie antler mounts. For those mounts only a small amount of skull cap is needed.
I have found that for deer under about 100” the medium antler mount works well and for deer over about 100” the large antler mount works well. I usually buy about 8-10 antler mount forms at a time for personal use and they last me for several years. If you want a different type/shape of antler mount form you can check out other taxidermy supply companies.
Next I simmer the skull plate in a pot.
I like to get all of the meat and cartilage off the skull plate. I just cover the top of the skull with water and then add some liquid dish detergent.
You don’t want the water to go too far up the burrs or it can leach the dark colors out of the antler and you will have to darken them later. For burrs that have a lot of tree bark in them I wrap the burrs with aluminum foil and squeeze it down tight. The bark will get wet but this will keep it in place. After the bark dries later it likely will be plastered to the antler burrs. You can use a dental pick, a pin, a needle, or some similar tool to scratch and lift up the bark to give it some loft like it was originally.
While the skull plate is simmering I go and do something else around the house.
After about ½ hour I take the antlers out and with a knife I scape off any meat and cartilage. I can usually get most of it but there always seems to be some stubborn pieces left so I put the skull plate back in the pot of water and simmer for about another ½ hour. Then remove and finish scraping. By now the skull plate should be fairly clean with all meat and cartilage removed.
If there is any blood on the antlers, now is when I take a wet rag or wet paper towel and wipe the blood off. If the rack has a lot of crud on it (like dried fat or a lot of blood from skinning and butchering) I will sometimes quickly wash the rack with warm water and liquid dish soap to get the fat and any stubborn blood off.
Here is a test fit on the antler mount form.
Next I drill 2 holes through the skull. When drilling you want to go closer to the burrs since the skull is thicker in those areas than in the middle. I make a hole big enough for a standard dry wall screw. Then I use a bigger bit and just take a little off the top of the hole so you can countersink the screws.
I mix up some Bondo kind of hot to reduce the time I have to hold the rack until the Bondo sets. Put the Bondo in the slot on the antler mount form. Then hold the antlers in the position you want until the Bondo sets which will take a few minutes. If the Bondo oozes out that’s o.k. because once it sets it can be cut with a knife if done within several minutes after it sets. If you wait too long the Bondo will get too hard and you will need to use a saw or some other tool to cut it.
Just a note about setting antlers at the correct angle. This is a general rule of thumb and there are exceptions, but in many deer, the main beams line up with the top of the muzzle. On the antler mount forms I use there is a ridge that lines up with the ridge in the center of the skull plate. I use that ridge and a side view to see that I have the antlers set at the correct angle.
Next I drill holes through the Bondo.
Then I screw in some drywall screws.
I added a hanger to the back. This is a smaller rack and in this case I just used a small sawtooth picture hanger from Menards or Home Depot.
I use paper mache to blend the skull plate to the antler mount form. You can get mache at almost any craft store. If the skull plate is a little wider than the antler form you can use more paper mache to build up the form a little to cover the skull plate.
Mache roughed in on front.
Mache roughed in on back.
Mache smoothed out using a little water and a finger.
Here the mache has dried for about a day.
I use dark brown felt and gold braid on my personal antler mounts. You can use leather if you want. No matter what material you use to cover the antler mount form, you will need to make a cut behind each antler burr. By using a dark color it’s easier to hide the cut.
I use hot melt glue to attach the felt to the backboard. I work my way around one side and when you get to the burr you need to cut around the burr. Then lay one flap of felt over the other and with a sharp scalpel or razor blade cut through both layers of felt. Then use a little hot glue to match the seams up. Repeat this on the other side. When you’re done gluing the felt, trim any excess felt from the backboard side with a scissors.
I like gold braid around the burrs but you could use any color. You can get different color braids at almost any fabric store. I think Walmart carries it too. I test fit the braid around one burr, tie a string at that spot where I will need to cut the braid and then tie another string about ¼” from that one. Then cut with a scissors, and super glue the ends so they don’t unravel. Do this process again for the other burr.
Here I have tied two pieces of string around the braid (inside red circle). I will cut the braid with a scissors and then put a little super glue on the ends of the braid so it won’t unravel.
Then I put a dab of hot glue behind the burr where the seam in the felt is and push one end of the braid into the glue. Then wrap the braid around the burr and add one more small spot of glue and push the end of the braid into it. Hold it for a few seconds until it hardens.
Here’s the finished antler mount ready for the wall.
Excellent post M.M.
