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need help with odd velvet antlers

Discussion in 'Deer and Gameheads' started by Turkey Creek, Jul 2, 2012.

  1. Jul 2, 2012 #1
    Turkey Creek

    Turkey Creek Member

    283
    0
    I had a customer shoot a mule deer buck in colorado late October, last year. The bucks antlers still had 95% of the velvet intact. While it did have testicles they were very small and they figured that is why it was still in velvet. When he brought the deer to me the velvet seemed tight and it is hard horned. I told him to take the rack home and put it in a freezer until we were ready to mount it. Figured if there was any residual moisture left it would finish freeze drying it. He brought the antlers back last week and they layed on my shop floor for a few days. I picked them up to move them and there was a small greasy/bloody area where one of the beams was touching the floor. I felt the beams and they seam to have a greasy feel to them, and a couple of the exposed "skin" areas on the back of the beams kind of feel like tar (soft and tacky feeling). I am starting to wonder if these antlers are going to continue to ooze. I am starting to think that eventhough the antlers are hard on the outside maybe it is only a thin layer and that this fluid is coming from the core of the antler? Possibly the bone in the antlers is more porous than on a normal buck. Any thoughts? Obviously I don't want to mount this deer only to have the antlers continue to ooze. Wondering even if I strip the antlers and mount without the velvet if this rack is going to continue to have issues. Surely there is someone out there that has learned a hard lesson that they are willing to share! LOL

    Thanks
    Chris
     
  3. Jul 2, 2012 #2
    BMHET

    BMHET Member

    54
    0
    I think you need to send them off to a actual freeze dryer. Just putting them in a freezer will not do it.
     

  5. Jul 2, 2012 #3
    CBRO

    CBRO Member

    384
    0
    Heart O Dixie
    Knoblochs antler in velvet tan should be all you need to preserve the velvet. All the no nuts whitetails Ive ever delt with had hard horn underneath. You should have treated them though as they were thawing. All you can do at this point is refreeze till you get the product and hope for the best.
     
  6. Jul 2, 2012 #4
    waylon

    waylon New Member

    4
    0
    Brighton Colorado
    I had the same issue last year also. I tried Knoblochs products and I finally just soaked them in Methanol alcohol. I should have done this first. It was tight and orderless. Also cleaned them up nice. Please use common sense if you go this route. It is highly Flammable.
     
  7. Jul 2, 2012 #5
    double shovel

    double shovel SilverWillowTaxidermy

    616
    0
    Cadogan,Alberta Canada
    I have the same thing going on right now. I use knoblachs but it doesn't seem to be doing the trick. One antler took but the big non-typical side didn't. So if I just soak them in Menthonal Alcohal would this fix it? They have an odor to them but are not slipping. How long do I soak them for?
     
  8. Jul 2, 2012 #6
    Old Fart

    Old Fart Active Member

    4,947
    6
    Minnesota
    This might help......

    http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,295868.0.html
     
  9. Jul 2, 2012 #7
    jkmitch

    jkmitch Member

    658
    1
    Biloxi ,ms
    The experiance I had with velvet antlers from deer that have been cut is there is all stages of velvet. There will be parts like they are ready to shed velvet , the parts that look like new growth. I kept injecting them with velvet tan till they all dried up.My client was in a big hurry to get it mounted and didn't have time to freeze dry them. They came out nice ,by the way the antlers scored over 300 and came from a high fence area and the deer had a micro chip in its ear.The best turn out on velvet is to freeze dry or set in the freezer and let them freezer burn.I had an axis set that just started to grow back that we're just 6 inches or so , I just kept them in the freeze for a long while. They weren't to be mounted so I just kept them in there till they freezer burned. Turned out fine. Till hurricane Katrina got them.
     
  10. Jul 4, 2012 #8
    dablaw

    dablaw Member

    655
    0
    Murray,Ky
    Two ways I do it...Put them in the salt box and LEAVE THEM ALONE!!! Or become good friends with your local mortician...They have some killer stuff ..no pun intended...