I had a customer today, he has a caribou still in velvet. It doesn't feel soft. A couple of the tips are alittle spongy. He shot it 6 days ago. There is no smell to it. Does anybody have an opinions on if it will still be good? I checked the archives, found answers on how and what to do if the velvet is softer. This is my first time dealing with velvet. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Eric
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If the antlers weren't injected earlier, this one's likely to haunt you some. The tips, by being "spongy" mean that the antler has not hardened underneath. That also means that a large amount of blood is still contained in them and they are slowly rotting from the inside out. You need to spray them quickly with Preservz It or 4in1 from Touchstone. Then HOPE you've saved them. Don't be too shocked, however, if massive amounts of velvet start sloughing off. Make the customer aware of this and make sure he signs a contract acknowledging it. Even if the velvet does fall off, the horns are going to look like blackened cork on the tips that weren't matured yet.
Go to your pharmacie and get a bottle of formeldahyde. VERY IMPORTANT
do this outside,use rubber gloves,gogles,and proper clothing.Place the formeldahyde in a spray bottle and spray the antlers and inject any soft areas very well,then put in a bag ,and seal the bag ,and do not touch for about 2 weeks,then leave it outside to air out,in a shead. This is the best for preserving antlers in velvet.
Remember be very carful with this stuff,the fumes can blinds you and can cause cancer.If you are not sure call me at (705)476-0483 eastern time
My husband went on the hunt of a life time and got to trophy caribou. He does taxidermy on the side, but never caribou. With the antlers do you just keep soaking them in plain water and changing the water? He wants them to be white when he mounts them.
Thank you ,
Lisa
Lisa soak in clean water and remove the velvet with a knike and pliers
and then you can stain them dark,since the horns get stained from the dirt when they remove their velvet.Their antlers are not white in the wild