Mounting deer antlers can be for different kinds of reasons, all relative to the hunters hunting them. Some enjoy decorating their houses with their best and most famous hunts.
At the same time, some others prefer to respect the animal’s spirit by not displaying the antlers. However, mounting a deer antler can be difficult for hunters, especially when it is their first time.
Although it is a source of pride for hunters to be able to display their finest kill with a rifle or bow, it could be a haphazard decoration that will not meet the standard you have anticipated if you do not understand the techniques involved. Therefore, you need to first understand how to mount your deer antlers without any hassles.
By the time you want to mount your deer antlers, you should have properly prepared the mounting place. Firstly, you will need to cut the antlers out of the skull and clean out the flesh. After that, you need to prepare the wood for the antlers to stay firmly.
After the cutting and the preparation of the wood, you can then start to think about how to mount the deer antlers.
How to Mount Your Own Deer Antlers
Drill Holes Into The Wood
Since you’ve prepared your wood, you have to gauge the skull plate’s size and properly spin the plague to mount the antler.
When you gauge the skull plate, you can deduce how many holes you will need to fill in the plaque. Get your materials ready and drill the appropriate number of goals to hold the antlers firmly.
Drill The Skull Plate
You need to bear in mind that the holes you will drill in the antler’s skull have to match the ones you drilled on the plaque. After that, find the hardest part of the skull plate to drill the holes; this will allow the mount to be firm, no matter how long you put the antlers on your wall.
Insert Screws
Based on the holes’ size, you will need to insert drywall screws to hold the antlers in place. These screws will go into the holes you made in the skull plate and on the wooden plaque.
Cover The Bone
You do not want the bone to keep showing when you’re explaining one of the most memorable hunts of your life. Therefore, get materials that are made of leather, silk, and velvet to cover the skull plate. There is an important thing to note while you are taping the skull plate. You need to add a few more inches to the material you are using so you will be able to wrap the skull plate properly.
It is best to use staples and tacks to hold the material with the skull plate.
Hang The Mount
At this point, your hard work comes to fruition. Carefully, hang the hunt in a place that will resonate with you. Also, make sure the hanging tab is secure enough to hold the weight of the antlers.
What Tools Are Needed?
Some tools are necessary for mounting your antler in the best way possible. What you want to do is to think about cleaning the antler and preparing the wood.
These are intricate things that will lead to the adequate mounting of the antler.
Here are some of the most important tools you need:
- Knives
- Measuring tools
- Mounting stands and cradles
- Staplers
- Skinning tools
- Painting tools
- Needles
- Plywood
- Nuts and bolts
- Glue
Tips/Tricks For Mounting Your Antlers
Mounting antlers require a high degree of subtlety and preciseness; hence you need to get the best tools. However, you do not need to break your bank to find the right tools. There are durable and cost-effective products you can use in nearby stores.
Another pro-tip in mounting your antlers is that you need to apply a significant amount of pressure when drilling the skull plate. The back of the skull plate is one of the hardest parts of the piece. Therefore, you need to put in a lot of work to drill through the hardness.
Bottom Line
Mounting antlers does not begin with drilling and attaching the piece to the wood. There are other steps to take to get the desired reaction from others and satisfaction within yourself. So, what you want to do is to clean the head thoroughly before you start screwing properly.
Ensure that there is no other flesh anywhere. You want to make the areas you want to screw as bare as possible.
Finally, after drilling and inserting the screws, you can paint the antler to give it a more aesthetic feel—properly tape around the skull plate. After that, secure the wall you want to hang in the piece on. Ensure that it is a firm place before even mounting the antler.
For more how-to guides check out the OutdoorWorld homepage, you could consider tanning the deer hide to match the antlers too!
