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I hope you can help me out here in understanding how best to care for the horns and antlers on my mounts. I've done some searches here when these questions have been asked in the past, but there never seems to be a consensus. I doubt there will be this time, but I'm hoping to at least get a majority opinion.  So, how do I take care of antlers and horns to make sure they don't dry out and start looking bad? I live in the Denver, CO area and it is usually very low Relative Humidity. I have mounts of Elk and caribou that have antlers and I also have Dall sheep, mountain goat, Impala, and Steenbok mounts with horns. I normally just use compressed air to blow the dust off the hair every year, but I have never done anything to the horns or antlers. Please advise. Test | ||
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Test, not much else should be required. However, you might want to take a damp cloth and wipe down each set once per year. As long as they are not mounted above a fire place (in use) or heating vent, you should be fine. Also, avoid hanging them where direct sunlight can shine on them. This is bad for the hair, more than the horns. Applying a wax, oil or polish (as some recommend) will usually attract more dust or yellow over time. Your main concern on any antelope, sheep or goat should be insect infestation. Talk to a local Taxidermist about getting you some Pro-tex. Cheers, David Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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I can only tell you what I do. I use a 50/50 mixture of Turpentine and boiled linseed oil. Used it for nearly 50 years now. It adds some sheen but quickly dissolves into the antler leaving it clean with a natural gloss that doesn't look fake. For your Dall sheep, however, the golden horns pose a bit of a problem and the 50/50 could stain them. I'd recommend wiping them off with Pledge or some other furniture wax. Don't spray it on the horns, but use a soft T-shirt and wipe it on. On the dark horned animals, it's back to the 50/50. Paint it on, wipe it off. Lasts well and doesn't evaporate like some of the thinner WD oils. RETIRED Taxidermist | |||
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Thank you both for your replies. Much appreciated. I'm still hoping for a little more input from other taxidermists. Hopefully, they'll chime in. Test | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Taxidermy Care of horns and antlers
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