Antler Mounting Question

L

LoadIt

New member
I had my deer processed and had it "capped". I am wanting to mount the antlers using one of those do-it-yourself kits that you can buy at K-mart. I don't have the kit yet but was wondering how to prepare the rack.

How should I go about getting all of the fur and skin off of the top of the skull? Is it a pain in the ass? I've had it hanging in my shed for about a month and unfortunately the scalp hasn't fallen off yet.
 
Easiest way--Stake it on top of a red ant bed and leave it for a while (2 or 3 days)
Since it's hard to find ants in the winter, next best way is to fix a boiling pot of water (OUTSIDE) and put the cap of the antlers in it until the skin gets soft enough to pull off.
PLEASE do this outside as the aroma is worse than a french cat house in august.
 
I've always boiled mine, always worked great!
I usually fill the water only to right where the antlers start, not sure if it makes a difference, tho?
 
Primitive little criter that I am, I always sawed off the cap myownself. Never having been one for brains and eggs for breakfast, I just ignored the brain stuff. Then, skin off the bone and let it dry for a while.

Low humidity is Good. :)

Art
 
I have always cut down behind the antlers to the eye sockits then through the eyesockits to the previous cut . skin them out and let dry a few days .
 
I take em off in the woods where I downed the animal. Mostly is is with an axe...:barf: Skin em out and let it dry. I usually just cut the scalp off with a knife. It's pretty much the same as skinning the animal...
 
Boil in a non-aluminum pot i water with a little bit of Borax. After 15-20 minutes, remove and almost everything can be scrubbed off the skull. If some remains, repeat the process.
 
Thanks for the replies. Since it seems that the pot of boiling water stinks, will the stench come off of my wifes good cooking pot?
 
It stinks a little bit. I do mine outside on a king cooker and I've got an old enamel pot that I use specifically for boiling horns and skulls. I would think you could scrub the shmang and the stink out of it. The borax not only aids in removing the gunk from the skull plate, it makes cleanup of the pot a lot easier.
 
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