Abstract:
To mount the antlers or horns of an animal that have been harvested from an animal such as a deer or elk, a portion of the bark is removed from a section of tree trunk. The portion of bark that is removed is shaped to receive a filler in the shape of the head of the animal from which the antlers or horns have been harvested. The removed portion forms a cut out or recess through the bark into which the antlers or horns are secured and into which the filler is positioned. The filler is three dimensional and shaped much like the shape of the head of the animal from which the antlers or horn have been harvested. The filler is then covered with the cut out material which is the bark of the tree trunk to create a head like structure covered with bark with the antlers extending from their approximately natural location.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. The Field 
         [0002]    A structure and a method to mount the antlers of an animal are disclosed in which bark like material is removed from a base to form a cut out into which the antlers secured and into which a filler is positioned and covered with the cut out material and other scrap to create a head like structure covered with bark. 
         [0003]    2. The Relevant Technology 
         [0004]    It has long been a practice to harvest and display the antlers and/or horns of any animal that grows and or maintains horns or antlers. The list of animals (typically or often the male of the species) from which antlers or horns are harvested includes virtually every animal that grows or develops horns or antlers which one wants to put on display. Examples of such animals include the antlers from deer, elk, moose, antelope, mountain sheep, caribou, buffalo, impala, kudu, wildebeest, cape buffalo, water buck and so on. The horns or antlers are sometimes mounted for display for a variety of reasons including instructional purposes, decorative purposes, and religious purposes and as trophies. 
         [0005]    In some cases, the horns and antlers the animal head is harvested with the horns or antlers and preserved or presented by taxidermy. In other cases, the horns, and/or antlers are separated from the animal after it has been harvested and then displayed on a plaque or similar structure. Various kits used for mounting antlers can be found on the internet by accessing web sites such as www.ebay.com, www.amazon.com/sports, www.walmart.com/lp/Hunter; and www.cabelas.com. While the use of plaque structure is typical other structures are shown including a lamp, a synthetic skull, a synthetic animal head, and even a table mounting support. None of the structures known to applicant present the appearance of a natural material reflective of the environment from which the animal may have been harvested. 
         [0006]    From another perspective, existing structures for presenting or displaying antlers or horns involve decorative finished surfaces and structures are not reflective of the environment from which the animal was harvested. It is also believed that existing structures are less environmentally acceptable in that synthetic or treated materials are used that are not viewed as environmentally compatible. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0007]    A structure for mounting antlers has a base formed with a cut out and a filler. The antlers include a right antler structure having a right root which is formed of a solid material having a right thickness with a right inner surface that is concave and a right outer surface from which the right antler extends and a left antler structure having a left root which is formed of a solid material having a left thickness with a left inner surface that is concave and a left outer surface from which the left antler extends. The term antler typically refers to bone that is an extension of the skull of the animal (e.g., deer and deer family). In some animals similar structure is horn (e.g., impala). In this application the term antler is used to refer to both antlers and horns of animals that one may wish to mount or display. 
         [0008]    The base of the structure for mounting is formed from a natural material having a bark like exterior surface. The base has a front side that is arcuate. The base has a top and a bottom. 
         [0009]    The cut out is formed in the bark like surface. A user can use a knife or similar structure to cut out the desired shape and then peel off the bark like material or use a scraper to separate the bark like material from the underlying surface. With the bark like material removed, the underlying surface becomes a support surface. The removed bark is referred to as a first scrap as it may be reused. The cut out has an area sized to receive said right root and said left root which are spaced apart from each other a preselected distance. The area is sized to form a fill area after positioning of said right root and said left root in the area. 
         [0010]    A filler is sized and shaped to fit into and fill the fill area. 
         [0011]    In a preferred arrangement, the base is section of a tree having bark that is removable. It may also be a large bush. In typical applications the tree is a lodge pole pine tree. It may be a cylindrical section with a bottom that is configured for positioning on a support surface (e.g., floor or surface of a table or desk) or a piece that is substantially semicircular in cross section that may be laid on a support surface or hung on a wall. 
         [0012]    In some configurations the cut out has a shape which in projection is the profile of a selected animal head like the animal from which the antlers were harvested. 
         [0013]    In some configurations, the filler has an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface is formed or shaped to fit against said arcuate surface of said base. Thus the inner surface is concave. The inner surface of the filler is secured to said base by any suitable means preferably by an adhesive such as an epoxy. The outer surface of the filler is covered with bark That is, the first scrap and any other scraps needed to cover the filler are glued to the outer surface by a suitable adhesive. At least one second scrap may be harvested from the base and attached to the outer surface of the filler by adhesive. 
         [0014]    A method of forming a structure with antlers mounted thereto has several steps. A right antler structure is obtained that has a right root which is formed of a solid material having a right thickness with a right inner surface that is concave and a right outer surface from which the right antler extends. A left antler structure is also obtained that has a left root which is formed of a solid material having a left thickness with a left inner surface that is concave and a left outer surface from which the left antler extends. 
         [0015]    A base is provided that is formed from a natural material having a bark-like exterior surface. The base has a front side oriented that is arcuate. 
         [0016]    A cut out is formed in the bark-like surface wherein said bark-like material is removed to form a first scrap and a first mounting surface. The cut out is formed to have an area sized to receive the right root and the left root spaced apart from each other a preselected distance to reflect the spacing of the left antler and right antler on the animal from which they came. The area is sized to form a fill area after positioning of the right root and the left root in the area. The fill area is sized and shaped to reflect the projection of the head of the animal from which said right antler and said left antler were harvested. The right root is positioned with its concave surface against the convex or arcuate surface of the base or the mounting surface with the antler extending away from the base in a first direction which is typically selected to be the direction it would extend as if attached to the head of the animal. Similarly the left root is attached to the base on the first mounting surface with its antler extending away in a second direction which is normally different from and away from the first direction. The left root is spaced from said right root a preselected distance selected to reflect the distance between the left root and said right root on the animal from which left antler structure and the right antler structure were harvested. The left root and right root are preferably secured to the base with wood screws. 
         [0017]    A filler is formed for attachment to the base in the fill area. The filler is sized and shaped to substantially fill the fill area. The filler has an interior surfaced formed to effectively mate with the mounting surface. The filler also has a filler exterior surface. The filler is attached in the fill area by any suitable means such as a suitable adhesive. 
         [0018]    Bark is attached to the exterior surface of the filler. Thus the first scrap, the second scrap and any other scraps as necessary are used to cover the filler exterior surface. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. It should be understood that the drawing depicts only a typical embodiment of the invention and therefore is not to be considered limiting of the scope of the appended claims. More specifically: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective exploded view of a base for mounting antlers and horns; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a partial side sectional view of a base for mounting antlers; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a partial exploded side sectional view of a structure for mounting antlers; 
           [0023]      FIGS. 4 and 4A  are partial perspective views of the antler structure of the type useful for mounting on a base as seen in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is an exploded top plan view of a structure for mounting antlers and horns as disclosed; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a front plan view of a base for mounting antlers and horns with the cut out removed and the antlers attached; 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a front plan view of a structure for mounting antlers with the antlers attached; 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is a photo of an actual structure for mounting antlers with the antlers attached; and 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of another structure for mounting antlers with the antlers attached. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0029]    A noted, it has long been a practice to harvest and display the antlers and/or horns of any animal that grows and/or maintains horns or antlers. The list of animals (typically or often the males of the species) from which antlers or horns are harvested includes virtually every animal that grows or develops horns or antlers which one may want to put on display. Male deer (bucks) have antlers or horns that are sometimes selected for display. Other animals that have antlers or horns include elk, moose, antelope, mountain sheep, caribou, buffalo, impala, kudu, wildebeest, cape buffalo, water buck and other members of the same families. Antlers are understood be bone, while horns are understood to be bone covered with other materials. So while different, they are similar. So unless otherwise clear from the context, and to avoid complication and confusion in the application and claims that follow, the term “antler” is being used hereafter in its broadest sense and is intended to include horns of those animals that have horns like bovines, buffalo and the like. 
         [0030]    Turning now to  FIG. 1 , a base  10  is shown which has a bark like exterior  12 . The bark like exterior  12  is made of a material of the type that it may be cut with a knife or similar tool. That is, the bark like exterior is intended to be like tree bark that can be removed from a tree leaving a solid surface which for a tree is solid wood. The bark like exterior  12  has a thickness  14  and completely covers or surrounds the base  10  which is here shown to be substantially cylindrical in shape having a height  16  and a diameter  18 . While the base  10  is shown to be cylindrical, it should be understood that the base  10  may be elliptical otherwise non circular while having an arcuate face  26 . The base  10  may even have one or more faceted faces I (not shown). The base  10  has a core  20  that presents a mounting surface  22  that is exposed when the bark like exterior  12  is removed. The core  20  here is shown to be solid with a top  21  and a bottom  23 , but it may be hollow as long as it presents a mounting surface  22  of sufficient strength and thickness for mounting antlers as hereinafter discussed. 
         [0031]    As seen in  FIG. 1 , a sharp tool like a knife  24  may be used to cut the bark like material  12  to form a cut out  28  which can be seen to be generally in the form or shape of an animal head. That is, the knife  24  is used to cut through the hark like material  12  down to the mounting surface  22  while another tool like scraper  30  is used to pry the bark like material from the mounting surface  22 . The bark like material  12  that is removed forms a first scrap  32 . While the first scrap  32  is shown as a single piece, it may be in multiple pieces depending on the skill of the user removing the bark like material  12 . The cut out  28  has a width and a height which is comparable to the width  34  and height  36  of the first scrap  32 . The height  36  and width  34  are selected to approximate the height and width of an animal head that is related to the actual height and width of the animal from which antlers are harvested. It may not be the same size as or even proportional, but it would be sized to be generally suggestive of the head of the animal from which the antlers are harvested. 
         [0032]    In  FIG. 1 , it may be noted that the bottom  23  is generally flat and in fact normal to the axis  38  of the base  10 . However, it may be noted that the bottom  23  may in any shape so long as it provides stable support to the structure for mounting antlers with the antlers attached as herein after discussed. In some cases, one may desire to put protective feet on the bottom  23  to protect a support surface upon which the base  10  is positioned. The top  21  is also shown as flat or in a configuration so that one may position other items on the top  21  if desired. 
         [0033]    Turning now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the base  10  is shown in partial side view with the cut out  28  made and the first scrap  32  removed. The cut out  28  reveals the arcuate mounting surface  22  of the core  20 . In  FIG. 3 , it can be seen that the left antler structure  40  of a pair of antlers is positioned broken away for mounting to the base  10  within the cut out  28 . The antler structure  40  is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 4A  to have a root  42  that is concave. That is, the antler structure is harvested from the animal so that it has a root  42 . The root  42  has an inner surface  44  that is dished inwardly and can be said to be concave. The root  42  is also has a perimeter  46  which is generally circular in projection. The root  42  has a thickness  48  which is formed of solid material and a height  50  so that the root  42  may be positioned snuggly and generally register against the mounting surface  22 . The antler itself  52  extends from the exterior surface  54  away presenting points or other structure. The left antler structure and the right antler structure from an actual animal are different but are also quite comparable to the antler structure  40  shown in  FIGS. 4 and 4A . However, it they will differ as the left hand differs from the right hand of a user. That is, they are mirror images and differ as the animals are believed to have slightly different antlers on both sides. 
         [0034]    As seen in  FIG. 3 , the antler structure  40  is positioned for association with the mounting surface  22  in the cut out  28  where it is to be secured using a suitable fastener such as the screw  56 . A hole may be pre drilled into the core  20  by a suitable drill to snuggly and securely receive the screw  56 . The antler structure  40  and the right antler structure  60  are shown being mounted to the mounting surface  22  in  FIG. 5  with screws  56  and  62  that are inserted or urged into the core  20  of the base  10 . The cut out  28  has an area  64  selected to accept the antler structures  40  and  60  plus have additional area for presenting a representation of an animal head. The additional area remaining after mounting the antler structures  40  and  60  is fill area  66 . 
         [0035]    As seen in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , a filler  68  is sized for positioning in the fill area. That is, the filler  68  is made of a suitable low cost light weight material which is easy to shape by cutting and trimming. A polystyrene foam has been found to be suitable. The filler  68  has an interior surface  70  and an exterior surface  72 . The interior surface  70  is cut or shaped so that it is registerable with the mounting surface  22  in the fill area  66 . ( FIG. 6 ). It is also shaped to fit over and around the antler structure  40  and  60  as hereinafter discussed. Upon shaping, the filler  68  is affixed to the mounting surface  22 . While it may be screwed or stapled or similarly mechanically affixed, it is preferred to affix the filler  68  to the mounting surface  22  with an adhesive  74 . The adhesive  74  may be applied from a suitable tube. A simple epoxy adhesive has been found to be adequate. 
         [0036]    Either before or after affixing the filler  68  to the mounting surface  22 , the first scrap  32  is affixed to the outer surface  72  of the filler  68 . While other mechanical means of affixing the first scrap  32  to the outer surface  72  may be used such as small nails, brads or screws, it is preferred to affix the first scrap to the outer surface  72  with a suitable adhesive such as an epoxy supplied from a tube  78  or other disperser/source. The first scrap  32  may need to be cut using a sharp instrument like knife  26  to fit onto the filler  68  creating more scraps. A plurality of scraps from the first scrap  32  as well as from other parts of the base  32  are used to fully cover all of the outer surface  72  of the filler  68 . With the filler  68  fully covered or substantially fully covered with scraps including the first scrap  32 , it presents an appearance of the exterior bark like surface  12  of the base  10 . Inasmuch as the exterior bark like surface  12  is representative of the environment from which the animal with the antlers is associated, the structure for mounting with the antlers has the appearance of the selected environment. 
         [0037]    In  FIG. 7 , the base  80  is a piece of a real tree with bark. The piece may be from a limb or from the trunk so long as it has a suitable covering of bark. The piece has a height  94  and a width which is really the effective diameter  96  inasmuch as the base  80  is essentially cylindrical and in turn essentially circular in cross section. That is, the base  80  may not be perfectly round and could even be somewhat elliptical or pear shaped in cross section. 
         [0038]    The height of the base like height  94  is variable and is selected to be generally related to size the antlers to be mounted. If the antlers are mounted to a base, the antlers will have a height from the root to the top and a width that extends from the outside of the antlers when looking at the filler like filler  68 . The antlers will also have a center of mass or gravity like center of gravity  98  ( FIG. 3 ) creating a lever arm like lever arm  100  ( FIG. 3 ) that is supported by a wall if the base is cut in half along its axis (like axis  38 ) or cut along a line parallel to that axis to create an essentially flat back surface so it can be hung on a wall. A small indentation can be made in the essentially flat back surface to register with a suitable hanger. The hack surface may be rough cut so that it is not flat. It may even be a little convex or concave and still be positionable against a wall or similar flat surface. In another configuration, the base like base  80  and base  10  are sized in height and diameter so that with the antlers and the filler attached, the center of gravity of the combination is such that the structure for mounting with the antlers attached is stable and will not tip when the bottom like bottom  23  is positioned on a support surface. 
         [0039]    As noted before the base like base  80  may be essentially cylindrical in shape with a flat bottom like bottom  23 . The bottom may be cut at an angle to tilt the base like base  80 , if desired. This can be done for aesthetic appearance and to move the center of gravity to stabilize the structure for mounting with the antlers attached. 
         [0040]    For small antlers, the base like base  80  may be sized (e.g., from about 18 inches to about 24 inches in height with a diameter or effective diameter (or width) from about 10 to about 14 inches). That is, the base may be essentially cylindrical or it may be cut along or parallel to its axis. With the base having a flat bottom and small antlers, it will still stand on a support surface. 
         [0041]    As apparent from the discussion above, the lever arm of the antlers may also be counterbalanced by the weight of the base like base  80  as it has a mass and a center of gravity. That is, the base  80  is sized to have a mass and center of gravity to have a lever arm that balances the lever arm of the antlers. The result is a center of gravity for the combination of the structure for supporting the antlers and the antlers like that seen in  FIG. 7  will be toward the axis like axis  38  and in from the support surface like support surface  22  so it is stable and upright when positioned on a suitable support surface. 
         [0042]    Also, it may be noted, that the lever arm of the antlers can be adjusted by forming the cut out (like cut out  28 ) larger so the root of the antlers are farther apart in turn shortening the arm of the lever arm like lever arm  100 . 
         [0043]    As shown base  80  is made from a lodge pole pine tree. That is the base  80  is taken from a lodge pole pine by using a saw and cutting a large limb or the trunk. The base  80  has bark on it which can be removed with a sharp tool like knife  24 . In some cases, the user may be able to pull the bark off by hand and in others may need to use a scraper  30  to separate the bark from the support surface like support surface  22 . In turn the user will form the cut out  84  comparable to cut out  28 . A left antler structure and a right antler structure are mounted to the base  80  in the cut out  84  in a manner similar or comparable to the mounting of left antler structure  40  and right antler structure  60 . In  FIG. 7 , the left antler  86  of left antler structure and right antler  88  of right antler structure are visible. The roots are not visible as they are under the filler  90  which has been glued into the fill area comparable to fill area  66 . The filler  90  has an exterior surface that has been covered with the first scrap and other scraps to present a finished and uniform appearance of an animal head  92  reflective of the animal from which the antlers were harvested. The use of the bark on the filler suggests that the antlers came from the wooded environment of the tree or a natural environment. 
         [0044]      FIG. 8  is a photograph of an actual structure for mounting antlers that has a visible base like base  80  made from a lodge pole pine. The antlers are visible and mounted to the base. A filler has been formed in the shape of an animal head with scraps affixed to the exterior. The filler with the scraps affixed is attached in the fill area to present a mounting without the head of the animal but suggestive of a natural wooded environment. 
         [0045]      FIG. 9  is an alternate configuration in which the base  102  is semicircular in cross section presenting an arcuate outer surface  104 . It is formed here to have a flat bottom  106  and opposite sides like left side  108  and right side  110 . The base is made of a tree with bark like a lodge pole pine. The bark  112  is cut and removed to form a cut out  114  in which the antler structure is mounted. A filler  116  is formed and positioned in the fill area comparable to fill area  66 . The antler structure includes roots secured to the support surface comparable to support surface  22  and have antlers  118  and  120  which outwardly form the cut out with the filler  116  formed to be thereabout. While the base  102  of  FIG. 9  is seen as a half cylinder, it should be understood that the base may have rounded sides  108  and  110  and a hollow bottom  106 . The base  102  may also be formed to be in other shapes which can even be generally spherical. 
         [0046]    To form a structure for mounting antlers with the antlers attached, the antlers are first harvested from animal. With the antlers known, then a base like base  10  is obtained by, for example, cutting section from the trunk of a lodge pole pine or other tree or tree limb having bark. The size is selected in relation to the antlers and is preferably under four feet in height like height  36 . Typically, the height will be from about 1.5 feet to 2.5 feet. 
         [0047]    After selecting and cutting to form the base like base  10 , the cut out is formed using a suitable knife like tool. The cut out may be the outline of an animal head. However, it may also be the form of a desired geometrical shape. The bark is removed to reveal the mounting surface like surface  22 . The bark is scrap; and it is saved for later use as it will be attached to the exterior of the filler. 
         [0048]    The root (like root  42 ) of each of the two antlers are then mounted to the base using at least one screw like screw  56 . Multiple screws may be needed in selected applications. Thereafter, the filler like filler  68  is shaped to fill the remaining area or the fill area of the cut out. The shaping may be done using any suitable tool including scissors, knives and the like. The filler is a light weight material easy to work with and shape. Polystyrene is preferred but other forms of foam like material should also be acceptable. 
         [0049]    The filler is then affixed into the cut out to fill the fill area and present the desired shape. It can be affixed mechanically by screws or brads or the like, but is preferably glued by the use of a suitable epoxy adhesive. 
         [0050]    The bark or scraps may be affixed to the exterior surface of the filler either before or after the filler is affixed to the support surface of the base in the fill area. The bark or scraps are preferably glued by a suitable epoxy adhesive to the outer surface of the filler Additional scraps or bark may be taken from other parts of the tree not used for the base to present a covered surface so that the shape of the filler blends visually with the outer surface (bark) of the base. 
         [0051]    Those skilled in the art will recognize disclosed structures and methods may be practiced using materials that may be different from those identified hereinabove without departing from the principles as disclosed. Only specific embodiments have been disclosed to illustrate the structures and methods as defined by the appended claims.