Deer Mounts

[DaveS]

OK TGO friends, it's that time of year again. We know in October (fire prevention week) we change our smoke detector batteries. We have been doing this right? Why not?

November brings on rifle season, and December brings on...well....time to clean our deer mounts from years past, and lick our wounds from this year if "ol' mossy horns" put the slip on us. So, lets get our supplies together and clean the ol' boy (or girl) up.

Although they look cool as heck, the absolute worse place you can hang your deer mount is above a fire place. The heat and smoke will work wonders in destroying your mount if you are not lucky enough.

Hanging them above a heater vent or where direct sunlight will hit them is almost as bad.

To put a spark of life back into your deer mount, you will surely need the following items. I only mention the brand name products that I do, because that is what "I" use. If you have similiar products, that's cool too.

1. Armor All foaming tire cleaner: Spray your deer mount with foaming tire cleaner and allow it to work for a few minutes. Use a damp cloth and wipe in the direction the hair lays.

2. Using a soft hair brush, brush the deer down (use styling gel for any unruly areas) to include the insides of the ears.

3. Using Windex window cleaner, spray a paper towel or soft cloth, and clean the eyes until they have a lifelike luster.

4. Using Lemon Pledge (or Armor All Protectant) spray the antlers with a good coat (if it's a Doe...sorry about that...lol) and wipe with a soft cloth.

5. If stubborn smoke stains remain, repeat step one above. I have cleaned many deer mounts over the years for customers, and for really stubborn smoke stains, I used a product called "Smoke Away". It is available through several Taxidermy supply houses. I have restored many a mount with it, even some that were in house fires. The stuff is well worth the investment if your deer mount is smoke stained.

Well, that takes care of it for now. We still have a couple of weeks of deer season left, so there is still time to get a good deer to have mounted for next year.

Good hunting and Happy Holidays to you all!

[ShaunM]

Will this work on just deer mounts or other mounts as well?

[DaveS]

It will work on other mounts as well, especially those with short hair. Bobcats, Coyotes, Foxes and similiar furred animals are treated slightly different. After spraying and wiping down the fur, use a brush and low pressure air to dry and fluff the fur back up. I hesitate to tell anyone it's "OK" to use a hair dryer on low setting to dry their mount. If you decide to do this, be very careful.

Clean the eyes of all of them with a soft cloth and windw cleaner.

Most any mount can be cleaned and dusted in this manner. Just be careful as you work on them. Most of the time, just a light dusting weekly or so with a feater duster is all that is needed.

The Armor All will put luster and sheen back into fur and feathers. It's good stuff to use, just as with anything else, don't over do it!