Deer shed their antlers every year, usually in late winter. You can find them lying on the ground or still attached to the deer's skull. To mount deer shed antlers, you will need to clean and whiten them first. Then, you can either mount them on a plaque or create a wall-hanging display.
Cleaning and Whitening Deer Shed Antlers
To clean your deer shed antlers, start by boiling them in water for about 30 minutes. This will loosen any dirt and debris that is clinging to the antlers. Next, use a toothbrush or other small brush to scrub away any remaining dirt. Once they are clean, you will need to whiten the antlers so that they are bright and white again.
There are several ways that you can whiten deer shed antlers. One method is to soak them in hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours. Another option is to boil them again, this time with bleach added to the water. After boiling, rinse the antlers well and allow them to dry completely before proceeding with mounting them.
Mounting Deer Shed Antiers on a Plaque
One way to display your deer shed antlers is by mounting them on a plaque. You can buy plaques specifically for this purpose at many craft stores or online retailers specializing in taxidermy supplies. To mount the antlers on the plaque, simply glue them down using strong epoxy resin or another type of glue made specifically for bonding wood and metal together . Be sure that the tips of the horns are pointing up so that your finished project looks like a real set of trophy horns mounted on a wall .
Creating a Wall-Hanging Display
Another option for displaying your deer shedant lers is by makinga wall-hanging display out ofthem . For this project ,you'll need some additional supplies including thin strips of leather ,strong wire ,and needle nose pliers . First ,cut two piecesof leatherinto strips that are long enoughto wrap aroundthe baseof each horn once . Cut twomorepiecesofleatherthatarelongenoughto goacross th e topand bottomofthesegmentsthatwillbejoinedtogethertohangonawall .YoucanalsouseAwire cuttertocutthe wiresothattheyaretheproper lengthsbefore youbeginwrappingthemaroundthehornsandleatherstrips Next ,useneedlenosepliers totightlywrapwire aroundthebaseofthefirsthornand then secureitby wrapping itseveraltimesarounditselfbeforemovingontothenext horn segmentand repeatingthisprocessuntil allofthehornshavebeensecuredtogetherwithwire Finally ,usetheleathercordstotieeachendofthewirehangertogethersoyouhaveloopstoattach ittoa nailorhookwhenyou'rereadytohangituponyourwall