Archie's Archery Depot

More Info On Antlers Skull:

On a recent scouting trip to the Diamond TF Hunting Ranch in Sonora, the ranch owner's son and I made a sad discovery. Lying near a cross fence, scattered around, were the bones of a young blackbuck antelope. We determined it was likely the remains of the first blackbuck ever seen on the 1,900 acre low fenced ranch. First observed, alive, 2 years ago, he had apparently escaped his original home range on a neighboring ranch to find residence on the Diamond TF. As I picked up the sun-bleached and badly weathered skull, my mind was already at work as to how I could manage to give this blackbuck a better (tribute) than having it turn to dust along a secluded field edge.

Having no background in taxidermy, I set out to restore the skull into something (at least to some of us) "beautiful"! After a little online research and a few phone calls to taxidermist friends, I got to work. Here is the process (you're going to be amazed how easy this is!) of reviving an old blackbuck skull:

STEP 1: Clean off the skull of any dirt, caked mud or other debris using hot water or a wet rag. If you can't get it all, don't worry, STEP 2 will take care of the rest.

STEP 2: Soak the skull in a bucket (something just large enough to contain the skull) of hydrogen peroxide 3% (available at WalMart for around $0.99/bottle). Make sure that you have enough peroxide to cover the skull completely. Leave the skull in the solution for 24-72 hours. The longer the soak, the more bleached the skull will become (to a point). Remove the skull and allow it to air dry for a day or so. Check for any teeth that have fallen out and reset w/glue. If the color is to your liking, skip to STEP 4. I was looking for a brighter white look, so I moved on to STEP 3.

STEP 3: Next, wrap the horns with newspaper or tin foil to protect them. Once the horns are wrapped, take some flat white spray paint (again, around $1.00 at WalMart) and coat the skull lightly. Repeat this process one or two more times to coat the skull evenly.

STEP 4: During my research, I found this gem. Most suggestions involve finding a good wood stain along w/ some paint thinner. Remember, we're trying to make this quick and painless...try this instead. Cover the skull or areas just around the horn bases. Now, take WD40 (yes, WD40) and spray the horns thoroughly and evenly. I was skeptical at first, so I only sprayed one horn tip. When I saw the results, I was sold. The chemicals really revive and bring out the NATURAL colors of the horns. Check out the results!

Final Product

There are dozens of suggestions of ways to restore animal horns and antlers. This combination of several was the most affordable and easiest in my opinion. Best of luck on your future restoration projects and I hope this will shed some light on a quick and easy way to give some life to that old, weathered skull from the "field edge".

Craig Ellwanger runs a website about Exotic Hunting and has many years experience in hunting. If you have any questions make sure to head over to AllAboutExotics.com

Some Ideas on the Calibers and Velocity of the Guns

While go for hunting it is very important to know the distance between the hunter and the target. And each of the guns doesn't cover the same distance. In this article you will find out some ideas which you might use while shooting the target in particular distance.

I borrowed a gun in which is used the .30/06 cartridge and killed four deer with it. The first was standing at an estimated distance of three hundred yards. (It measured 270 paces.) The deer was hit in the spine and practically all of one vertebra was destroyed. The second shot was at another standing deer at a distance of 310 paces. The bullet hit the deer in back of one shoulder, passed through the lungs and hit the leg bone in the opposite shoulder. It died almost instantly, but the meat of one shoulder was practically destroyed. The third was standing about fifty feet from me and I shot it in the head. Apparently the bullet failed to expand in passing through the head, as the exit wound was little larger than the entrance hole. The fourth and last deer on which I used this gun was another standing shot at a range of about fifty yards. Another headshot, the bullet entering just above the right eye on a slight upward angle so that the entire left antler and a good portion of the skull were removed when the bullet left the head. Four deer with four shots proved the killing ability of this load, but I doubt my ability to handle the gun fast enough for running deer. Every time I used this gun, I felt that I was over gunned for the game. I have the same personal objection to other high-velocity loads in the larger calibers.

Except for the .250/3000,1 have never used the small- caliber guns with high velocities on deer, but I object to their muzzle blast on the target range. I am quite sure that this muzzle blast would have an adverse effect on my marksmanship. Some of these high-velocity bullets in the smaller calibers have a tendency to explode, or disintegrate, on contact with the bone or muscle of the larger game animals, causing a large shallow wound, which might or might not prove fatal. The bullet makers may possibly overcome this fault as they design better bullets with controlled expansion.

Smaller-caliber bullets without high velocity do not have the force or the weight to kill deer consistently, except when fired by an expert. I have seen a bullet from a standard .22 caliber gun driven through the cover from a kitchen range. A neighbor had a horse killed by a stray bullet of this caliber which traveled for about a half-mile before hitting the horse between the eyes. But a more humiliating experience occurred when I attempted to use one of these guns to kill a deer that another hunter had wounded. I had to use three shots in the head before the deer died. Each shot would knock the head to the ground but it recovered from the first two shots. Later I examined the head and found that one bullet had gone through the base of the nose.

Another had hit a sloping part of the skull, cracking the bone but not penetrating the skull and the third had entered the brain passing through the skull but lacked sufficient power to get through the hide on the opposite side. Had any of these hits been made with a heavier bullet with correspondingly greater force, the deer would have been killed by the concussion or by bone splinters penetrating the brain. For my money, the successful use of this and other small low-velocity loads, depend on the shooter's having a thorough knowledge of a deer's anatomy and the ability to place a bullet in the exact spot which he chooses.

Some of these high-velocity bullets in the smaller calibers have a tendency to explode, or disintegrate, on contact with the bone or muscle of the larger game animals, causing a large shallow wound which might or might not prove fatal. Hunters must know the proper gun that he has to use to shoot the animal.

About the Author

Mitch Johnson is a regular writer for
http://www.kids-games-n-crafts.com/
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http://www.tipsforcrafts.info/

whitetail skull cap cleaning??

if you shoot a whitetail buck and its something less that a wall hanger, what is the best way to clean off all the membrane,hair,skin.ect. without ruining the antlers

Cut off all you can before, then boil it in water for a couple of hours, then use a knife and cut/scrape off the rest you can..

If you have them where you live, put it on a fire ant bed. They will pick it clean, just make sure that nothing like squirrels chew on the antlers.

Then when you go to mount it, take a light stain and use and old rag to apply a **little** bit of stain to give the antlers their natural color back. Then buy a no-gloss polyurethane (in a spray can) and spray the antlers (about 2 or so coats) so they'll keep.

Dunbar Critter Dinner Puts Delicacies on the Table
Saturday was the main feast, but the cooking started back on Wednesday.

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