DIY Antler Mounting

Sportsmen can mount the antlers of their game with relative ease. By removing the rack from the head of the animal, the hunter can mount and keep the antlers without dealing with the cost of a taxidermist or the time and expense of preserving the head and hide of the animal. Mounting antlers is simple and only requires a few hours of time.

Things You'll Need

  • Hack or hand saw
  • Ice pick
  • Fillet knife
  • 2 1/2-gallon pot
  • Putty knife
  • Wire brush
  • Drill
  • 1/4-inch bit
  • 1/4-inch deck screws
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut through the forehead of the skull 3 inches below the burr. Make your cut perpendicular to the main beam and forehead. The back of the skull will remain attached to the antlers. At a 45-degree angle in relation to the main beam, 3 inches below the burr, cut laterally through the remaining portion of the skull. This leaves 3 inches of skull below the burr and 3 inches behind it.

    • 2

      Dig any remaining brains or membranes out of the brain cavity with an ice pick. Scrape the hair and skin off the skull. Place the base of the mount in boiling water. Hold the mount by the antlers and allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Remove and allow the skull portion to dry. Rub borax over the skull portion of the mount and allow it to dry overnight. Scrape the borax off the skull and remove the borax from any hard to reach places with the ice pick.

    • 3

      Wire brush the skull portion of the mount. Do not stay in the same place for too long. Simply brush long enough to smooth the skull. Wire brush the antlers using the same method.

    • 4

      Four inches above the perpendicular cut -- between the two antler burrs -- drill two holes, 2 inches apart. Drill a third hole 2 inches above the first two, centered between them. Place the plaque under the 45-degree cut. Drill the screws into the plaque.