I have done 50 or so felt covered antler mounts, but have never done any using deer skin (hair on). I did my first one a couple days ago and used some of the cape left over from a shoulder mount. I covered the antler form with the hair pointing or going towards the antlers from the bottom of the form. The hair at the bottom of the form where it comes from the back towards the front is sticking up. I put a lot of gel on it and even put some plastic wrap over it to hold it down, but it is still sticking up. What was the correct way to do this? At this point can I use some sort of brush on glue, etc? The rest of the mount looks wonderful, the hair is laying down great, but not the bottom edge. Please Help!! Thanks! Tom
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to do this properly you "crown" the dear...ie: skin the top of the deers head off, go through or below the eye sockets over the bridge of the nose and around each side tight to the top of the ears. Make your antler incisions as you would for a mount and free skin from around them. I then tan the "crown" in an auto tanner, shave thin and utilizing quality hide paste attach to antlers already built up with plaster to the proper shape of a deers head, stapling the side underneath the plywood "disc" you've attached your antlers to. By utilizing the hair that comes from the right place it will lay as it always has and leave you with an anatomically correct antler panel.
.....is to place a border all the way around the base where the hide meets your backboard. You can use decorative rope or twisted leather strips, just use your imagination and experiment...good luck!