Velvet Antlers

[WildHeritageTaxidermy]

Amanda suggested we do some posts regarding Taxidermy. If there is anything in particular you want information on let us know.

 

 

With early archery season finally upon us, Whooo Hoooo !! thought I would share some info on dealing with velvet antlers.

The velvet is a skin layer with veins, blood, and protein content, it must be preserved !!!

 

There are 4 ways of dealing with velvet antlers, and all 4 have pros and cons.

 

One way of handling velvet is to strip and stain the antlers, this is only a viable option for a late a stage velvet buck.(when the hard antler underneath is fully developed) Advantages of this method are, no chance of attracting bugs, and inexpensive.(usually no extra charge) The disadvantage is of course you lose the beautiful velvet.

 

Another method is to have the velvet antlers freeze dried. The advantage to this method is that you get very little shrinkage, leaving a very natural “look”. The disadvantage to this method is although the velvet is dried out in a freeze dryer, the blood and natural proteins remain in the velvet. Basically this is dried raw organic material, this can and probably will attract bugs! I highly recommend that any freeze dried taxidermy products be debugged (fumigated) at least every 6 months, more often in humid climates.

 

Then there is the injection/ soak method. This involves injecting and flushing the veins of the velvet with a tanning solution. Then it is soaked in the solution for several days, essentially tanning the velvet. Advantages to this method are that the natural velvet is preserved, and done correctly most of the organic materials (blood and protein) are removed, reducing the chance of attracting bugs. Disadvantages are that you will have more shrinkage, especially in the bulbous tips, resulting in a slightly less natural look. Also it is impossible to remove 100% of the blood and protein, therefore there is still a chance of attracting bugs. I recommend de-bugging at least once a year. (not a bad idea for all your mounts) especially in humid climates. Remember that if you use an evaporative cooler on your home your trophies reside in a humid climate.

 

The last method is to have the antlers stripped and flocked. The advantage to this is that there is no organic material left to attract bugs giving a worry free permanent finish. Disadvantage is that up close they don’t look very natural. Some companies are getting very good at this process, using a blend of flocking colors to give a more natural appearance, and from a normal viewing distance they look very good.

 

One more note, if you plan to have the natural velvet preserved. The fresh velvet is fairly fragile and very susceptible to heat. You will need to get them to your taxidermist or into a freezer ASAP.

 

Dale and Heather

 

[youngbuck]

Thanks for he tips! I had my mind made up id try he injection my self on a smaller buck for a euro and artificial for a good buck. What would you do if you arrowed a big buck and wanted him shoulder mounted in velvet?

[tomgobbler]

DAle.

along with that heat comment, people need to realise that the more they handle and touch the greater the chances fo the velvet slipping, yes we all want great pictures, but try and do it with as little "touching" to the velvet as possible, you dont want to wrapp you fingers arund it for very long, and especially if you are packing it out, i had a guy that had a perfect hand print of the velvet come off, becasue he carried it over his shoulder for quite a ways and had a good hold of the velvet antlers all the way to the truck, also i see quite a bit of wrapping the tag tight around the velvet, we need to avoid this as much as possible as well, it will pull some of the velvet off, those tags are sticky try putting the tag through the hock, i know this isnt the "traditional" way for most of us, but on a velvet animal, give it a try.

tommy

[Verndog]

I know off the current topic, but mentioned within it. What are you using to debug your mounts? Vern

[WildHeritageTaxidermy]

You can choose to fog the entire room with a room fogger like Raid, follow the directions on the can. Or you can spray the inside of a trash bag with Raid or Black Flag and put each mount in the bag for a day or so.

[WildHeritageTaxidermy]

Youngbuck, As to my preference I would have mine flocked as I'm not real good at keeping up on maintenance. My wife thinks the freezedried is the way to go, she would have to remember to maintain the velvet.

[CouesWhitetail]

Thanks for the tips!! Perfect timing considering archery season this weekend!

[DesertBull]

What's the best way to preserve it in the field, incase getting it to a taxidermist quickly is not feasible.

[bonecollector]

Great tips, Thanks!

[WildHeritageTaxidermy]

Desert Bull, field preservation is really not possible other than keeping them really cold. There is a product called " Stop Rot" that can be sprayed or gently wiped on the velvet, it will buy you some time but you really need to "head out" to a freezer or taxi. Stop Rot only costs about $17 a quart. It's also helpful to buy you some time on capes, I plan on covering this topic on the next "taxi tip" thread.

[DesertBull]

I know that some guys hang their velvet horns upside down, make tiny cuts in the tips, then inject a preservative of some sort into the vanes at the base of the antlers, forcing the blood out and replacing it with the preservative.

[BML]

I had mine preserved using the soaking method described above. It turned out awesome.

 

Field photo.

 

 

 

Finished mount:

 

 

[WildHeritageTaxidermy]

Desert Bull,

Yeah that may help, it sounds easy but it's really not. I have spent as many as 4 man hours injecting velvet. and really that's only part of the process I use. I then soak them in the same solution for 5-7 days. That would be a lot of solution to have in the woods. And injection alone would not do anything for the epidermis, I won't say that it can't work but I doubt it. There may be another method that I am not familiar with and I will research that possibility. Also if you (or anyone) would like to call me or stop by, we can discuss these options in more depth.

[DesertBull]

Here's a short article I wrote on the subject a year or so ago. This method should only be used if you're in the back country and can't get it in a freezer or to you taxidermist in a timely manner. I've used it several times successfully. It takes some time, but the results are great:

 

Generally when archery seasons begin out West, most monster mule deer will still be in the velvet stage of antler development. Many hunters want to preserve their velvet trophy, but are either not able to get it frozen and preserved or get it to a taxidermist in a timely manner. As a result, the velvet slips and they no longer have the ability to mount it with the velvet on. Here's what I've done over the years that's worked for me.

 

If you want to properly preserve velvet antlers IN THE FIELD, you will have to inject & brush them with formaldehyde and/or some of the new less toxic chemicals (4 in 1 solution works great as does Knobloch's antler in velvet tan). I personally prefer the 4 in 1 solution to Velvet Tan, as it was easier to use for me, however, both will work. A very respected taxidermist whose specialty was velvet antlers taught me this technique.

 

First, (using rubber gloves and eye protection) take a razor blade and make small incisions at the tips of all points (less than 1/8"). Next hang the antlers upside down, allowing the blood to drain. Starting at the bases inject the solution into the veins (you'll see and feel them) that follow the antler. You will begin to see the solution "push" out blood towards the tips. Continue injecting the solution as you work the untreated blood towards the tips. When you reach the ends, make sure you've treated ALL the veins on each antler. You'll quit injecting solution when the color of the solution is the same coming out as it was going in. There are several different veins for each respective antler, so continue to inject areas around the base looking for them.

 

After successfully injecting both sides, allow the antlers to hang upside down overnight. After the solution has stopped dripping out the ends, use a very fine painters brush and lightly brush the velvet with the solution. This will prevent bugs from entering the velvet that has no blood. After allowing the velvet to dry, lightly "brush" out the velvet to give it the natural uniform look. Remember; wear eye protection and gloves when using formaldehyde or any other chemicals. Slow down and don't be in a hurry to finish. If done correctly, your trophy will last forever.

__________________

BOHNTR )))-------------->

 

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/bowhun...ing-velvet.html

[couesdeerhntr]

I was told that the best thing to do is instead of using the summer coat is to have the taxi put a winter coat on a shoulder mount because of the hair falling out from summer coat and u wouldn't have that happen with a winter coat. Is this true I know when I shot my coues in august there was hair all over the place when I was gutting and packing out. Can't the tanner fix that? I told my taxi to just keep it how it was I want it to look just how it did when I shot it but will the hair fall out and make the mount look crappy?