Keeping the Rack

[BigWadeS]

Okay, I have never shot a buck that I felt was big enough to keep the rack, I regret that now, I will probably shoot a couple does, however; if I choose to do that what is the preferred method or way to keep the rack...to either keep it in tact or to use one of those antler mounting kits...thanks for your help

[delmuts]

wade. i buy the kits,but only for the plague(sp??) the rest i toss( yo can use them if yo want).

then go to a fabric store, and buy a yd. of velvet cloth, and a yd. of drapery cord.( kind of looks like a wool rope) and a container of dry plaster compond( these supplies will do four racks or more. saw the scull so the antlers are attached, but you can mount a block of wood behind it,and inside it.( i leave about an inch) cut the pc. of wood so it will fit inside the scull and screw them together . take a pc. of old wood and mount the rack to it by running a screw thru the old pc. of wood into the block in the scull. then mix up some of the plaster, and start filling in around the scull, so you fill in most of the gaps( but stay below the burr on the antlers!)and work it so you have a tear drop shape or something that pleases you.the rough edges, and surfaces are ok, you'll take care of them later.let dry.( note! if you don't like the way it looks, break the plaster off and do it again!)once happy with it, let it dry. then file/sand the surfaces, and edges smooth.take a pc. of old cloth , or paper towl and cut out circles for the antlers so you get the spacing right. then transfer this onto a sq. pc. of velvet. leave extra hanging well past the edges, all the way around the plaster. take the rack off the board, and tuck the velvet behind it and staple it to the plaster.( work the fabric so there are no wrinkles, but you may have a V coming off the antlers) then srew this to the plague. next take the cord,and wrap it around the burr cutting to length. this fills in the gap between the plaster and burr.( i tie some thread around both ends of the cord so it won't unravell)i then use a glue to hold the cord in place around the antlers with the splice in the back.it sounds hard, but isn't , and doesn't really take too much time. and you will have a good looking rack, for not much money. del

[delmuts]

Here are a couple of picts of what I am talking about.

[Gissert]

In the last few years, I have become a fan of the European skull type mounts. The look great if you can get them on a nice piece of maple or oak.

[BigWadeS]

wks1974 at yahooooooo (contact us please) Thanks for the information on that. What tool is best to cut them out? I am guessing a hacksaw?

[lawdog]

A sawzall if you have one. They make QUICK work of it! My elk we did with a chain saw. That works too, but makes a mess of the saw...

[harvey lee]

Yes,a sawzall works great.I hacve cut many a rack off with a electric chainsaw.Seemd always small ones.

[Black_Bay]

Remember you're going to be cutting through the brain so if you're concerned about CWD wear rubber gloves and toss the saw blade when you're done.

[BigWadeS]

okay thank you for all the tips

[Eye Slayer]

Delmuts, how do you prepare the skull plate once you have sawed it off the head?

I basically have a decent 8-pt skull plate that I want to mount, using your how-to guide, but it still has the skin on between the antlers. What is the best way to clean the skull/antlers/etc before you mount it and put the velvet fabric on to finish the mount?

Any help you can offer would be great, thanks!

[lawdog]

You got to just skin that off, just like skinning the rest of the animal. Take the hide and skin down to the skull and then you should clean that up a little too however you want too. I know some guys boil it if you have a big enough pot and can do it on a fire outside...

[WaveWacker]

I don't worry about boiling. I let it hang outside in the sun for a couple of weeks and then wash it down with soap and scrub brush. Cut a 3/4" board to the shape desired for the overall mount. You may have to trim some additional skull away or shim it up to get the desired angle of the antlers. Once your satisfied with that, drill two/three holes through the skull and fasten skull plate to board. Mix up a batch of Rock Hard Water Putty (available at Menards and other stores) and start filling under/over/around skull. You probably will have to let it set/dry a couple of times before you get to the final shape. I've done over a dozen this way over the years and works out great.

WW

[BLACKJACK]

Get the skin off ASAP, its a lot easier before it dries up!!!

[delmuts]

i just use a knife. and trim everything off. then give it a few days for drying.i will talk to a couple guys to see if they will post some pictures of mine for you.

[delmuts]

hopefully in the next day or, Deitz is going to post a couple pictures of mine to hopefully give you some ideas! Thanks Deitz!

[Eye Slayer]

Thanks everyone. I will be peeling the hide off this weekend and will let it dry out for a couple of weeks before I give it a final cleaning.

And delmuts, I will be trying your homemade mount this winter!

[delmuts]

eye. one thing is to be patient when doing this! as said. if you're not happy with how things work out, don't be afraid to start over. Deitz is going to post pictures of the ones i've done for my kids' deer to give you some ideas! del

[snapcrackpop]

I did several in a row a few years ago.

I used foam under the cloth and hot glue so I didn't have to mess with the putty/clay. The foam makes it easier to get a nice shape, like a puffed pillow.

[Stratosman]

Another way is the European mounts, I like to do them this way, but it is a pain in the rear and rather messy...but the results are worth it.

Here are a few deer that I have shot that I did this way.

[KSW]

I always wanted to do a European mount but not to sure how to clean them. Got any pointers on doing this?

KSW

[FarByondDrivn]

Along with boiling the head or skinning it, I like to soak the skull in bleach for about a half an hour then leave it in the sun. Really makes the skull shine but be carefule you don't get any on the antlers.

[delmuts]

if you go back to the first page; the pictures have been posted for me in my second post. del