I have two sets of Mule deer antlers that I got when I was a teenager. Now I want to mount them on full shoulder mounts. Question, should I purchase the capes first and try to figure out their sizes, then purchase the forms or should I purchase the forms first and ask for the capes to match?
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antlers can be any size on a deer
you put them on your form & build It up
you should have some Idea has to size of the antlers you have In relation to cape your going to get
I realize that antlers can fit any size mount. However, isn't it harder to figure out the correct size of a cape that has already been tanned? Or, do you believe that the capes should come with measurements already for ease of selecting a form? I figure that the one set comes from a mediuum deer (225 lbs) and the second from a large deer (350+lbs). As you can tell I am still confused.
I would find a wet tanned cape 20-21 for the small set and 23-25 for the larger set.
The openings from the antler bases is not as critical as many will lead you to believe.
If you have a good fitting cape youcan adjust the opening two ways, either trim with scalpel on the side that doe NOT have lonh hair to cover it or work as much cape as possible onto the head. My bet is once you have the cape pretty close to right it will never look odd.
You can also use apoxie sculpt to build the antler burr out, blending the apoxie to look like the burr with a small paint brush and lacquer thinner.
When you state the weight, are you talking estimated live weight or dressed weight?
JOhn C as this what I needed. O.F.I was speaking of live weight. Will any of this make a difference as previously stated?
.....Would make the capes that you need a bit smaller than if you were talking dressed weight. As a rule of thumb in replacing capes I use the neck size next to the head as a guide. Example; if the deer dressed 180 I would look for a cape in the 18" range, with a swell of about 20". Keep in mind that by using a cape that is just a size smaller than the original you will make the rack look bigger. I have never had a complaint from a customer when his rack looks bigger! Capes will be a bit less spendy that way also. BIG mulie capes are hard to come by. Also take into consideration the spead of your rack and keep the head in proportion to the rack rather than the same size(exactly) as the original.