Since ancient times, hunting has been one of the main ways of human survival. She provided food and clothing. In addition, ancient people believed that trophies obtained from hunting warded off evil spirits and protected their owner from various troubles, so people decorated themselves with fangs, teeth, parts of the horns and skins of killed wild animals. But, with the development of progress, such aspects of this ancient activity have undergone obvious changes. Hunting has become more of a hobby, a sport, a way to get a trophy to confirm one’s worth. This is what we will talk about modern hunting trophies.
Since ancient times, hunting has been one of the main ways of human survival. She provided food and clothing. In addition, ancient people believed that trophies obtained from hunting drove away evil spirits and protected their own, so people decorated themselves with fangs, teeth, parts of horns, etc. But, with the development of progress, such aspects of this ancient activity have undergone obvious changes. Hunting has become more of a hobby, a sport, a way to get a trophy to confirm one’s worth. This is what we will talk about modern hunting trophies.
Trophy hunting goals
Today's hunters practically do not decorate themselves with amulets, but it is the trophy that is more often than not the meat that is hunted. Today there is great amount methods of tanning skins, not only traditional, but also using various chemical substances And modern technologies that the production of stuffed animals, skulls and decorative skins brings good income to craftsmen and skilled taxidermists.
There is another aspect of modern hunting - the improvement of species and the expansion of populations of wild animals, for which the shooting of sick and weak individuals is organized, from which stuffed animals are made for the study of animals and birds. Also, such material has great value for veterinary medicine.
Hunting trophies also have status significance, and with the growing interest of financially wealthy people in them, recently exhibitions and competitions are increasingly being held at which owners exhibit their exhibits from home collections.
Rules for evaluating trophies
At first, the evaluation of trophies was carried out practically without rules - exhibits were assessed visually by size, shape and “like/dislike”. And only in 1920, a number of European countries - Austria, Germany, and Hungary - developed a unified system for evaluating a number of trophies. In subsequent years, this system was repeatedly improved and became more and more objective. Nowadays, innovations are also constantly being introduced, there are many national rules assessments. A system of discounts and point bonuses has been created for a number of trophies.
For example, bonuses are awarded for the presence of certain characteristic features, and discounts - for their absence. There are also exhibitions of anomalous trophies.
Uncharacteristic signs are different lengths of horn processes, congenital or acquired defects during life, and injuries received during hunting. The trophy rating scale is based not only on determining its size, but also originality, beauty and quality of workmanship. The latter depends both on the physical data of the hunted animal, on its living conditions, and on the literacy of processing the trophy and the skill of the manufacturer.
One of the first sets of rules for evaluating trophies in Russia was the book “Temporary Regulations for Hunting Trophies Taken on the Territory of the USSR.”
One of the important rules is that trophies of animal species for which hunting is prohibited are prohibited from being presented at exhibitions, unless the owner can provide documents that the trophy was obtained before the ban on hunting for this species was introduced.
Trophy horns of ungulates
Of the thousands of trophies that are annually caught by domestic hunters both in the Russian Federation and abroad, the most valuable are the horns of ungulates - elk, red deer, wapiti, and large antelope. Our country has simply fantastic collections. And the most luxurious and interesting is the collection that it dropped from year to year. The apotheosis of such a collection is the skull with the horns of this beast. Naturally, the hunter is interested in the animal living longer and catching it when the time comes for natural death.
In order to be guaranteed to get a high-quality trophy, it is necessary at the stage of preparation for the hunt. Firstly, you need to choose the right place for hunting, because most of the skins and heads are damaged during transportation.
Secondly, great importance has knowledge of prey cutting and initial processing. We will talk about this in detail later.
How to design trophy antlers
And now there are some generally accepted rules for preparing trophies in a presentation. Exhibition appearance is one of the decisive factors for evaluating a trophy. Trophies processed and prepared for exhibition are placed on special stands called medallions or cartouches. They can have the most different shapes- circle, oval, shield. But, the condition is that this medallion should not attract more attention than the object located on it - like large elk antlers or. Dimensions are selected taking into account the size of the trophy and its weight; thickness can be from 1 to 2.5 centimeters. For trophies small sizes Carved stands are more often used.
The type of wood should also be in harmony with the object itself.
The interior and furniture of the room where this trophy will be placed are also taken into account. Most often choose black or Brown color stands, or fired and varnished. Most suitable breeds- conifers, oak, birch, aspen, beech. A stand made of a birch slab or circle looks very picturesque. Polished wood is used less frequently. The workpiece must be well sanded, fired, treated with stain, and most often varnished after installing the horn mounts.
Deer and roe deer are often hung on the wall rather than placed horizontally on a medallion. Important rule- for exhibition or evaluation, horns, like the tusks of a wild boar and other animals, should be easily removed and placed back on the medallion.
To attach heavy horns, 4 holes are drilled in the skull, for light ones - 2.
Ram horns - features
Separately, it should be said about the features of making a stand for ram horns.
The difficulty is that the horns are large, heavy and curved. Therefore, the stand must have special form. If it is impossible to secure the horns in this way, they are hung on a strong cord either on the wall or on the ceiling. Another option for attaching strongly curved antlers is to cut a stand from a thick piece of log, but the cutting angle of the upper part should not exceed 30 degrees.
Tusks of wild boars and beavers
Medallion stands are also used for display. They are attached symmetrically, the top ones are placed in the center, the bottom ones are placed on the left and right. To be able to measure their dimensions (in particular, girth), be sure to leave a gap of about 1 mm in height from the stand. To attach fangs, frames made of non-ferrous metals, bone, and wood are used. For example, narrow strips are cut out of a copper plate up to 0.5 mm thick, which grip the fangs in several places.
It is customary to indicate on the medallion the name of the animal, the place and year of the trophy, and the name of the hunter.
Before sending the trophy to an exhibition or placing it in a home collection, it also goes through dressing: the skins are cleaned, treated with poisons to remove pests and fungi, the skulls are boiled and bleached, and the antlers are polished.
We will tell you in detail with recipes in the future how to do the initial processing of the extraction yourself. And also about making stuffed animals.
After primary processing the trophy is given into the hands of a taxidermist, who creates a real work of art from it. Whatever trophy you choose, you must remember that the process of making it requires a lot of patience and painstaking work. Therefore, such products are very expensive. But the aesthetic pleasure and pride received from contemplating this creation of nature and human hands will justify all the efforts and resources expended.
Video about processing buffalo horns
Video about the hunting exhibition
Trophy antlers are the pride of a hunter
As we mentioned in the first part about the production of hunting trophies, among the numerous trophy collections, the most valuable are exhibits of ungulates, in particular skulls with horns. Such a trophy, and even an animal hunted with one’s own hands, is a source of pride for any hunter. Most often, the head is given to a specialist to make the trophy. But if desired, anyone can make a high-quality trophy skull on their own. This will be a huge additional reason to be proud of yourself, and for family budget- big savings.
As we mentioned in the first part, among the numerous trophy collections, the most valuable are exhibits of ungulates, in particular skulls with horns. Such a trophy, and even an animal hunted with one’s own hands, is a source of pride for any hunter. Most often, the head is given to a specialist to make the trophy. But if desired, anyone can make a high-quality trophy skull on their own. This will be a huge additional reason to be proud of yourself, and big savings for the family budget.
An exhibition of trophies is a way to show yourself as a hunter, and to see what others are worth
A bit of zoology
All ungulates are classified as bovids - bulls, yaks, bison, rams, goats, chamois, saigas, goitered gazelles, antelopes and bovids (deer). Deer species include fallow deer, reindeer, elk, muntjac, white-tailed deer, musk deer, and deer.
A distinctive feature of full-horned ungulates is the presence of bony horns. Female deer, elk, and roe deer (except female reindeer) do not have antlers.
Full-horned ungulates are the most desirable trophies
The second stage is removal of the brain. To do this, you need to take the wire, twist it into a spiral and insert it into the hole in the back of the head. The brain is shaken with wire and removed through this hole. Residues are removed with long tweezers. Then you need to rinse it repeatedly under a strong stream of water.
Water must be taken from rain, spring, stream, melt - without the slightest chemical impurities and chlorine. Otherwise, the skull and horns may change color, lose their attractiveness, and even collapse during prolonged boiling.
For cooking, you need to take a vessel so that the skull fits completely. It needs to be filled cold water and put on fire. At the same time, the antlers of roe deer, deer, and elk themselves should not come into contact with water. To do this, a transverse plank is tied to them, and bottom part need to be wrapped in dry cloth.
Boiling of small animal skulls is done in one stage until the muscles and tendons are separated from the bones. This may take several hours. The boiling water must be constantly replenished to the original level - carefully add boiling water along the walls of the container so that splashes do not fall on the horns. After boiling, the skull is left to cool in water for 8 hours. At the same time, the water temperature is not higher than 20 and not lower than 10 degrees. Next, remove the skull and let it dry in the shade, out of direct sunlight.
Trophy elk antlers – high-end exhibition samples
Filing the skull
This is a very important stage, because it would be a shame to spoil the trophy after the most unpleasant operations have been completed.
Rule 1. The skulls of deer, rams and goats are not filed.
The fact is that a trophy with teeth is very valuable, because the age of the animal can be determined by the wear of the teeth. For these ungulates, the lower jaw is attached to the upper part by wire or cord.
Rule 2. If the antlers are very massive - on an elk or red deer, then the base of the skull and teeth are removed - the nasal, premaxillary bones and eye sockets are left.
Sawing off the base of the skull should be done using a carpenter's saw or, better yet, a surgical saw with fine teeth. In this case, the cutting line is set as follows: the skull must be immersed in water so that the necessary parts remain above the surface. Then carefully remove the skull and mark the water level with a pencil; the sawdust will be made along this line.
Be sure to do it while the skull is wet so that it does not crumble.
If after cooking the skull remains dirty, then it should be washed with water with the addition of table salt or soda. Then clean off grease stains using ammonia, you can wipe it with chloroform, or, in extreme cases, with gasoline or ether.
Skull bleaching
This is the stage of preparing the trophy for exhibition condition. In order to properly bleach the bone, the entire skull is wrapped in cotton wool and tied with a cord. The horns remain open. If there are few bones, you don’t have to wrap them. Next, a 25% ammonia solution with hydrogen peroxide (15%) is diluted in a closed container. The ratio of components is 5 to 1. All this must be done with gloves, goggles and a breathing mask. The wrapped skull must be carefully filled with this solution (2 cm above, but without touching the horns). Exposure time is 15 hours for small skulls and 20 for large ungulates.
Polishing the skull
This last procedure in production. For polishing, use the following mixture: 2 parts Vienna lime and 1 part powdered chalk. It must be applied with a clean, dry cloth and lightly rub the entire surface and all grooves. Second recipe: 1 part crayon to 2 parts denatured alcohol. If you like the matte shine of the bone, treat the skull with paraffin, gently rubbing it into the thinnest layer.
By the way, when participating in exhibitions of hunting trophies, the use of light cosmetics is allowed.
If the horns are very light, then they can be darkened - rubbed with a solution of potassium permanganate or an alcohol infusion of the shell walnut. This must be done with a sense of proportion - too much potassium permanganate will simply ruin the horns. To prevent damage to the skull itself, it is wrapped in plastic bag. The horn shoots should be polished with soft fine sandpaper.
If the skull was supposed to be made with teeth, sometimes they fall out during digestion. They must be inserted into place and secured with quick-setting glue or ecoxy.
Even at exhibitions it is possible to display exhibits with an imitation of a skull - made of wood, clay, plastic, plaster or metal. Special rules not here, the main thing is that the stand is visually similar in shape to the skull or head of an animal.
Processing skulls without horns
It also allows the option when the horns are displayed with the skull of another animal. For example, deer antlers on. For this purpose and for many collectors, there are a couple of prepared skulls with stumps. Such skulls are prepared according to all the rules from hunted animals that have already shed their horns. Before last stage processing, special fasteners are inserted into the stumps on which the horns will be attached.
Patterned decor on the skull is a rare but very valuable way to present a trophy
Skulls without horns can be bleached more in a simple way than with horns.
After boiling and cleaning, the bone is treated with a 15% hydrogen peroxide solution. Or another way - wrap the skull in natural fabric - maybe several layers of gauze and place it in the oven, where I slowly heat it to 70-80 degrees for a few minutes. Next, after cooling, the fabric is alternately moistened with a solution of soda and denatured alcohol - 2-3 times. Then the skull is dried, clamped in a vice and the lower part of the skull is cut out. In place of the stumps, 6 mm holes are drilled - this is where the horns will subsequently be attached. Hollow tubes in the form of stumps, 3-4 cm long, are inserted into these holes.
Next, the skull must be thoroughly wiped with acetone, with outside seal the base of the stumps with clay, and from the inside - epoxy resin or any water-repellent glue. After 24 hours, the clay should be removed with a damp cloth, the skull should be thoroughly cleaned, dried and the joints should be covered with transparent glue. The transition from the forehead to the horns must be carefully processed - to make the transition as natural as possible. To do this, prepare a mixture of clay, chalk, nitro varnish and glue. The antlers are attached using screws that are inserted into a drilled base. Be sure to treat the hole with acetone to degrease and fill the screw with glue. The skull is attached to the stand using wire.
Video - deer antlers
Moose antlers - video from home collection
The first regional Kamchatka exhibition of hunting trophies – 2015
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Traditionally, the antlers of roe deer, deer and elk are considered one of the best hunting trophies. The presence of horns on the wall indicates the reputation of the hunter himself. In addition, trophies will give the room a special charm. However, this is only possible if the installation is carried out correctly. Judging by numerous reviews, most novice hunters do not know how to hang elk antlers on the wall. There are some nuances to this matter that you should be aware of. You will learn how to attach the antlers of roe deer, deer and elk to the wall with your own hands by reading this article.
Where should I start?
The first thing you need to do is get horns. They can be found in the forest, but judging by reviews, they often have a rather unattractive appearance. It is best if these are horns obtained from hunting or purchased. Before installation begins, they are carefully processed in boiling water, then bleached and degreased. It is better to entrust this work to professionals.
Which mounting method should I choose?
For anyone who doesn’t know how to hang elk antlers on the wall, experts recommend first deciding what exactly will hang. For example, you can hang the entire head of a hunted animal, or you can hang only the horns.
Therefore, the trophies will weigh differently. In this regard, the home craftsman will have to decide which mounting method to choose. Mostly the horns are attached to a small plate.
To do this, the horns are drilled and a large threaded pin is inserted into their base. Then, with its help, the trophy is screwed into the board and hung on the wall. You can also use metal profile. In this case, the board will not be needed, since the profile itself will be attached directly to the wall. However, the first method is the most common. How to hang elk antlers on the wall is described in more detail below.
What will you need for work?
In order to hang antlers on the wall, you need to acquire the following tools:
- Bench vice. You can also use a clamp.
- Drill. An electric screwdriver is also suitable for this purpose.
- With a tap.
- A set of drills.
- Collar and hairpin.
- With a file.
Which drill should I use?
Many beginners who don’t know how to hang elk antlers are interested in which drill to choose. According to experts, choosing a cutting attachment is easy. You need to proceed from the dimensions of the bolt itself and the tap. Next, the thread pitch is subtracted. For example, if you use an 8 x 1.25 mm metal drill, you will get 6.75 mm. However, this indicator is applicable for working with metal surfaces. Since the horn is softer, you can use a smaller drill - 6.3 mm.
How to hang moose antlers on the wall? Progress
First of all, the horns should be equipped with a special hole for a hairpin. You will have to work on a workbench equipped with a bench vice. If a home craftsman does not have this tool, then clamps will help him out.
When the horns are securely fixed, you can start drilling. If the material dangles, the hole will end up in the wrong place. To prevent the vice from damaging the processes, planks are installed between the horns and jaws. At this stage, it is important that the drill remains in a vertical position and does not change the specified direction. Next, the thread is cut using taps. Experts advise working with two taps. You should start with a rough one with a sharp tip and one notch, and finish with a finishing one with a blunt tip and two notches. Mostly, threads are cut using special wrenches.
If a home craftsman wants to save money, he can replace the branded wrench with a regular open-end wrench. For example, an M8 tap is used with 4 x 5 mm keys. The master decides how deep the hole should be based on the mass of the antlers. If the trophy weighs decently, then the hole should be deep. The optimal length is considered to be at least 4 cm. Then they begin to screw in the stud; it is advisable that it be screwed in all the way without any reserve.
Wall mounting
At this stage, you should measure the length of the hairpin protruding from the horns. A hole should be made in the wall to exactly the same depth. Then, having determined the place where the trophy will hang, they begin to work. A 10 mm anchor is inserted into the resulting hole, its screw is unscrewed and its size is determined. It should match the pin protruding from the antlers. If necessary, a part can simply be sawed off. Immediately before installation, place the trophy against the wall and see how it fits to it.
To begin with, it is worth mentioning that an elk antler medallion is used as decoration or kept as a trophy and reminder of a successful hunt. At first glance, you might think that doing such a thing is quite easy. But this is not so, unless, of course, you know the features and nuances. Such unique trophies can be bought or made with your own hands. The main thing is to have a lot of time for this hobby. This article will talk about how to process elk antlers with a medallion. The process is quite entertaining.
How to process elk antlers with your own hands?
The whole algorithm is not that difficult. All work begins with the fact that the workpiece must be available. A skull with horns attached will do. You can either make such things yourself or order them from a store. The types of horns will depend on the client's wishes. In addition, you will need the following tools:
- grinding machine;
- saw for metal. The smaller the teeth, the better. The edges will be smooth and will not chip;
- hacksaw with reinforced teeth;
- a small piece of cardboard;
- pencil;
- jigsaw;
- a piece of wood from which the medallion will be made;
- special glue. Epoxy might work. An expensive option, but quite reliable. Can be replaced with two-component putty.
These are, in fact, the main tools needed when working.
The process itself begins with the main part of the skull being cut off using a metal saw. It is important not to forget to leave a small circle on which the horns are attached. If the cut plane is uneven, this can be easily corrected on a grinding machine. The horns, if there are any flaws, can be corrected using the same installation, or go through a drill with special nozzle to get a smooth surface.
Medallions under moose antlers
After preparing the skull and horns, you should make a blank for the medallion. To do this, you need to fold a piece of paper or cardboard in half and cut out the required shape. After this, everything is transferred to wood and cut out using a jigsaw. After this, the edges can be milled on a special machine. The form is given whatever your heart desires. This whole thing is limited only by your imagination. After the workpiece has accepted optimal view it needs to be polished. The peculiarity is that this must be done from the largest sandpaper to the smallest. It will be possible to stop at a fineness of 320 grid. This concludes the matter with the medallion for now. It is worth noting that you can buy a medallion for elk antlers.
How to attach moose antlers to a medallion?
It is worth saying that there is a recess in the skull. In this regard, it is necessary to seal it for a tighter connection with the medallion. This is also necessary in order to secure the horns themselves to the medallion. Take a regular white piece of paper and crimp it into the recess. Then this leaf is traced on the tree and a blank is cut out along the contours. It is sharpened so that it fits perfectly into the recess of the skull. After everything fits, it should be sanded on a machine. This is followed by either epoxy or a special auto-putty. The excess can be removed with anything. The ideal option would be related to grinding machine. Then the entire blank with the horns is placed on the front part of the medallion, and on the back side the whole thing is screwed with self-tapping screws. Their size should be selected there so as not to drill through the horns or skull. It would be a good idea to first drill holes using a drill and then screw the screws into them. This will make the process a little easier.
Actually, that's the whole creation process medallion for moose antlers. All that remains is to figure out a way to mount it on the wall. This can be either fastened with screws or suspended by any thread. However, you should not forget that the method must be reliable and withstand the weight of the entire medallion.
The most important thing is patience.
Finding antlers in general is not so easy, they are very inconspicuous in the forest, however, from time to time, they still catch your eye. And how can you not take them with you after that? True, they often just gather dust somewhere in the attic with no hope of ever decorating the wall.
This is how it was with me, two single horns with two and three branches were kept for the time being. Everyone was going to find a use for them, but in addition to desire, apparently they also needed desire. And so, having finally pulled myself together, I finally decided to bring it to life.
Anyone who is planning to do the same has a question: what is the best way to do this? In principle, there is enough information about this process, but everything is described in words. The work is not difficult, but without being able to see everything clearly, it may cause difficulties for someone. Therefore, we present the process step by step with photographs.
For the first time, we take a simpler object. Here we note that as described below, you can only proceed with ordinary finds. Truly trophy and unique horns are best left to professionals to handle.
He was found in, still in the snow, on a logging road. Driving past a fresh cutting area, I saw a sharp twig sticking out ahead, and as it turned out, the horn of a one and a half year old elk (1.5-2.5 years old).
What tool will you need?
Tool list:
Yews for metalwork
Drill/screwdriver
Tap
Drill
Vorotok
Hairpin
File
We will attach our “trophy” in a very simple way - using a threaded pin. Its diameter can be like this:
for small horns d=6mm is suitable, for large ones - d=8-10mm. In stores they are sold one meter long, so in order not to overpay, you can buy a regular long bolt, from which we cut off a piece of the required length with a hacksaw.
By the way, it (the length) needs to be thought out in advance, but more on that below.
Work order
First of all, we drill a hole for the hairpin, and so that the hole is where it is needed, we fix the horns. This can be done on a workbench, pressed against a table with a clamp, or in a bench vise like this.
To avoid damaging the surface of the shoots, we lay planks between the jaws. We clamp the metal drill into the drill and off we go. It’s not easy to drill a bone, but it’s not difficult either; the main thing in this matter is to maintain verticality and a given direction.
Let's say a few words about the selection of materials. The bolt in our case is M8 (8x1.25), based on this we select the diameter of the drill and the size of the taps. This is done very simply: from 8mm we subtract the thread pitch of 1.25, we get 6.75, but this is true for metal, we have a softer material, so we take an even smaller drill, in this case - 6.3mm.
For taps, it is advisable to cut the threads in a set consisting of two pieces:
— No. 1 — rough (sharp approach, one line, on the right in the photo),
— No. 2 — finishing (blunt tip, two notches).
In this case, the thread is cleaner, but if there is only one of them, it will do just fine, just run it back and forth a few times.
To cut a thread, the tap needs to be clamped somewhere; special wrenches are sold for this; if you don’t want to spend money on it, you can pick up a regular one open-end wrench. For example, for an M8 tap, a 4x5mm gauge is suitable.
We determine the length to which it is necessary to drill and then cut the thread ourselves based on the weight of the horns. In this case, we got about 40mm.
The length of the pin should be such that it is enough (without reserve) to screw it all the way into the horn, and then into the wall. In the place where it will be attached, drill a hole for any 10mm anchor bolt, with an 8mm internal pin.
We drive the anchor into the wall, unscrew the screw, and measure its length. This length should be equal to the one that comes out of the horn, taking this into account, we file the hairpin.
If you intend to attach the horn not immediately to the wall, but first to the medallion, then we also take into account the thickness of the board
Before screwing the product to the wall or medallion, we apply it and see if everything fits evenly. We grind off the interfering protrusions with a file.
If the wall is wooden, then we proceed as follows: we attach the horns through a bolt to the medallion, to do this, use a feather drill or a Forstner drill to select a groove for the head of the bolt. And then we attach the medallion with the shoots to the wall.
