How much antler shrinkage have you all noticed on deer species?

I once had an older Taxidermist tell me that antlers shrank over time. He was talking over long periods of time not just the drying period when scored. Sounded like bunk to me so, when I thought about it one day at home I put a tape on some of my whitetail mounts and sure enough some didn't have the spread that was recorded years ago when they were green of course.

I know B&C has a 60 day dry period but, I never would have thought they would shrink all that much from green to dry. Some of my deer have shrank over 1/2" on inside spread but, some remain about the same as when killed.

I asked my current Taxidermist and he said he though it was bunk but, I know for a fact that some of my mounts have narrowed. I also thought that this may be caused when the Taxidermist attaches the horns to the form.

What have you fellas observed over the years?

Reloader

With all due respect, your current taxidermist is either misinformed or uneducated on the topic and YOU are correct. I've also noticed shrinkage. In fact, I had a couple of sets measured twice each over a 8 and 11 year period of time and they shrink steadily during that first 5 or so years, then after that, it is hardly noticeable.

It is not bunk.

Is it because of actual shringage of the antler or rather a drying and subsequent change in the shape of the skull plate thus affecting the spread. Only a very small change in the shape would resut in a greater change in the spread due to the angle/leverage thing.

I know a taxidermist that puts a woodspacer block in between the antlers so they don't change "shrink" as the skull dries

Funny, my bucks antlers alway seem to grow.

Actually, the buck at the side shrunk from 34 to 32 3/4, 20 years after I took him. I hate saying that 3/4, so I just round it up to 39.

Antlers consist of bone matter, a mineral called calcium phosphate. No shrinkeage possible, pnly loss of weight when drying.

Possibly a different issue with real "horns", their matter is creatin, a kind of protein commonly found in finger nails and hair. This I would guess is more prone to shrinkage.

well something shrinks --maybe it's just the skull plate, but they do get smaller in width for sure, which is why I say skull plate, but there may be some residual moisture inside the antlers that dries up also affecting things to a small degree, but I think the skull plate does the majority of shrinking vs the actual antler itself--they don't have that drying period for nothing and freezing isn't allowed either as a drying method, so moisture is in the card---chris

I think I just figured out what's wrong with me....