The need to hunt is deeply and firmly rooted in masculine nature. Although the modern heads of families no longer have an urgent need to drag the carcass of a killed animal to a hungry family, they are still attracted wild nature... For some it is a way to change the environment and relax, for some it is an excellent workout, for others it is a profitable form of earnings. And every hunter appreciates trophies. This is a memory of a heroic deed, a clear proof of one's own heroism.
Hunting trophies and collecting them
They even invented the term "trophy hunting". People who hunt bear consider the skin, skull and claws of the killed animal as trophies. The killed birds are stuffed or retain their claws and the most beautiful feathers. Wild boar and elk heads are also highly prized. But the most valuable exhibit in the collection of any hunter is the horns of ungulates - elk, deer, maral or bison. Even if the animal, for some reason, had only one horn, you can make a beautiful wall decoration out of it. Horns of ungulates are not always the same size or shape. But this does not stop avid collectors at all.
A collection of horns from one animal is considered to be an indicator of the success of any hunter. They are collected after the elk or deer have shed their antlers. It is necessary to keep an eye on the ungulate, to know all its habitats, the main routes of movement. The main exhibit is a skull with horns, which the hunter gets after the death of the animal.
The horns of ungulates are most often bulky and heavy. A special shield or medallion is made for them. Medallions for hunting trophies can be purchased in the store or crafted with my own hands... Even a person without special knowledge and skills can cope with this matter.
Horn locket
The main function of the medallion is to hold heavy weight trophy. Therefore, they are made from wooden planks not less than 4 cm thick. In order to hang the exhibit on the wall, 2 metal brackets are attached to the medallion.
But forgetting about the aesthetic role of the horn medallion is also not worth it. After all, too large and bright designs will distract attention from the trophy itself. The size should also be appropriate.
The shape can be chosen to your liking. The main thing is that the resulting product fits perfectly into the interior of the room where it will be located.
Often a tag is attached to the medallion under the horns with data on the date of shooting and the type of animal.
How to make a horn locket with your own hands
There are many types of medallions: round, square, shield-like, with carved elements. It is not difficult to create a medallion for horns with your own hands.
Stages of creating a medallion:
- We draw on paper a figure with the size and shape of the future medallion, fold the paper in half, cut it out with scissors.
- We attach a drawing to a wooden blank, circle it.
- Cut out the figure with a jigsaw.
- We grind the product with sandpaper.
- We cover the surface with varnish or paint.
The horn locket is ready!
How to prepare the horns and skull
There are several main stages in the processing of the horns and the skull:
- The head of the killed animal is separated from the carcass immediately after shooting. For this, an incision is made between the second and third vertebra. The largest muscles are cut off with a sharp knife, the eyeballs and tongue are removed. In order to clear the head from the inside, a wire is inserted into the back of the head, the brain is shaken and taken out through this hole. The remains are washed out under a strong stream of cold water.
- If the separated head is sprinkled with plenty of salt, then it will retain its "freshness" for several days. After that, the head must be boiled in spring or rainwater. It is important that there are no chemical impurities in it. After all, their presence can affect the color change of the skull and even contribute to its destruction.
- The head is completely immersed in water. At the same time, the horns must remain dry. For convenience, a special stand is often used, which does not allow the skull to sink below. It is necessary to boil the skull until the meat is completely detached from the bones. The "finished" head is left in water until it cools completely. After that, the skull is taken out and allowed to dry.
- Often the skull does not have an aesthetic appearance, and hunters prefer to "hang on the wall" only horns. In this case, with a surgical saw with fine teeth, they cut off all excess, leaving only a small section of the skull to which the horns are attached.
- If necessary, the skull can be bleached. To do this, mix ammonia and hydrogen peroxide in a 5: 1 ratio. Cotton wool is soaked in this solution and wrapped around the skull. Leave to bleach for 15-20 hours. The horns must remain intact.
- The horns must also be carefully processed. If the size allows, then the future trophy is soaked for 48 hours in saline... Then washed with running water. To give the surface a homogeneous structure, they are cleaned with fine emery paper. With help milling machine you can also remove any irregularities and sand them. The final stage is the treatment of the horns with stain. This will help to disinfect them and protect them from the influence of external factors. If you wish, you can apply another layer of varnish on top. This will give the horns a shine.
How to attach the horns to the medallion
The final stage remains - fixing the trophy on the medallion. If the horns are small, then they are attached to the base with a wire. Massive - attached with self-tapping screws. Medallions for elk antlers should be as reliable as possible, since they are under heavy load.
There is a hole in the skull of elk and other ungulates, which is best closed with a piece of wood. To do this, you need to cut out a wooden "blank", which will correspond in size to the hole in the skull, insert it into the hole and seal everything up with putty. The surface can be sanded if necessary.
A hunter's trophy, decorated with his own hands, will become an ideal interior decoration, it can be sold at a high price or made a striking exhibit of exhibitions. Hunting horns are highly prized abroad.
Video
In our video you will find a master class on how to make a medallion with your own hands.
M. ZASLAVSKY, head of the experimental taxidermy group of the Zoological Museum of the USSR Academy of Sciences
"Hunting and hunting economy" No. 1 1980
From a hunting animal, you can prepare trophies suitable both for display at hunting exhibitions and for location in the interior. I would like to suggest some of the most easily homemade hunting items.
Skulls of ungulates (deer, elk, roe deer) and predators (wolf, bear, lynx) are valuable hunting trophies that adorn the hunter's corner and are exhibited for evaluation at hunting exhibitions. To make a trophy, the skull must first of all be intact, without visible defects. The skin is removed from the skull, the muscles are cut off, the eyeballs and tongue are removed, the lower jaw is separated, the brain is removed through the occipital foramen, and its remnants and the brain film are washed out with a strong stream of water. To remove blood, the skull is soaked for 10-12 days in running water or allowed to soak in standing water, changing it frequently.
Most affordable way cleaning the skull from muscle and bone fat is maceration by putrefaction. Unfortunately, with rotting tissue, which lasts at least two to three weeks, a strong specific smell arises. To weaken it, you need to add an agar-agar solution to the water.
Maceration should be done in cold, unboiled water using wooden, glass or plastic dishes. You cannot macerate in an iron dish: the bones in it will turn black. The solution is changed every five to seven days. After leaving the bones, muscles and fat, the skull is removed and washed in running water. Then well washed hot water the skull is dried with soap.
Another no less effective method processing - digestion of bones in soft water. The skull is poured with it and the dishes with it are put on the fire. If the skull has horns, flyers are attached to them, which, located along the edge of the dish, do not allow them to plunge into hot water... Foam is removed from boiling water; boiling continues until the remnants of the musculature are separated from the bones; at the same time, bone connections and seams weaken, teeth fall out, therefore it is better to digest such skulls sewn into gauze or linen bags.
After digestion, the skull is washed in water for a long time and then dried. When a fatty plaque appears on the bones, it is immersed for 30 hours in a 10% solution of ammonia.
In bovids (wild ram, ibex), horn covers are separated: wrapping the horn in a rag, pour boiling water over it. Having softened, the cover easily comes off the rod. After boiling out the skull, the covers are again pushed onto the rods and fastened with screws or fixed on glue.
You can treat the skull and bones of the skeleton with warm water, maintaining a constant temperature of + 30 C, + 40 C. Maceration in this way lasts no more than 10-15 days. If it does not pass actively enough, a piece of fresh meat is added, which accelerates the putrefactive process. The skull that has undergone this treatment is thoroughly washed with warm water and soap. If sticky substances appear on the bones of the skull, it should be immersed in hot (+60 C) five percent soda solution for 10 days. The skull cannot be degreased in a hot solution of alkali: it destroys the surface of the bone, spoils its appearance. A well-washed skull is dried.
It should be remembered that when macerating in warm water canines and incisors crack, which is caused by a sharp change in temperature. In this case, it is better to rot the skulls of predators and large rodents.
If the skull is still there; remained greasy, it must be dipped in gasoline for 10-15 days, where it will finally degrease.
Whitening is desirable for all skulls after maceration; it is produced with a 4-5% solution of hydrogen peroxide in an enamel, wooden or glassware without crumbs. For quickest reaction add 2.5 g of ammonia to 1 liter. To make the skull evenly white, it is occasionally turned over. The natural color of the bones of the skull is light yellowish, therefore, when bleaching, you should not achieve too much whiteness.
The bleached dry skull is rubbed with a mixture of chalk and lime, paraffin and polished with a clean cloth. The bones that fell out during processing are glued into place. As such, the skull is prepared for mounting on a stand.
Trophies are fixed on stands or medallions. Stands can be made in different types and shapes, but they should always be modest. The stand made of birch logs and burl are very expressive. Its size should be proportional to the trophy. Stable stands are placed on legs made of sturdy poles (Fig. 1). At the same time, harmony should be created between the type of bark on the support, the structure and color of the horns. Stands should be made only from dry, seasoned wood, not touched by pests. They can be either simple or carved, with motifs of vegetation on the sides (Fig. 2). The coasters are painted with water paints in light or dark brown tones, grinding their surface until matt appears. The coasters are "old": they are burned, smoked, which makes it possible to more sharply highlight on its surface a light skull or frontal bones with horns.
Medallions for large skulls with horns or for heads of elk, deer, wild ram should be made of durable materials - beech, birch, oak. Their shape can be different (Fig. 3). In terms of their dimensions, the stands should correspond to the type and size of the trophies, to be in harmony with the interior for which they are intended.
For the horns of a wild ram or ibex, which extend their bends far beyond the nape of the skull, the stand is made differently: a piece of log is attached to it, on which, in turn, the skull is strengthened or frontal bone with horns (fig. 4). It is possible to mount such horns on ordinary stands, but then they have to be fixed to the wall on special welded metal stops (Fig. 5).
Large skulls without lower jaws are attached to the support as follows: the front part of the skull is strengthened with a copper tape (10-15 mm wide), an arc encircling the upper jaw, and passed along the sides of the skull into a slot on the support; with back side it is fixed with screws. To strengthen the occipital part, a threaded metal bracket curved at a right angle is used. To do this, a hole is drilled in the stand through which the end of the bracket is passed: the other end is inserted into the occipital foramen. By tightening the nut under the stand, the skull is pulled to it and firmly fixed.
To strengthen the horns with the frontal bone on a stand, two holes are drilled in the frontal part. Light horns are reinforced with screws, heavy and massive ones - with bolts, securing them with nuts from the back of the stand.
Depending on the length of time spent under the snow, the sunbeams discarded deer antlers turn white, lose their color and collapse. If the horns were found soon after they were discarded, they may still be naturally colored. Such trophies can be used for various crafts - making chandeliers, lamps, candlesticks, handles for hunting knives.
To give the discarded horn a natural look, it is first of all well washed from dirt with hot water and soap, then the cornea is painted with paint dissolved in water (stain, bismarck, potassium permanganate or other water paints). To make the horn fresh, it is rubbed with paraffin and polished with a cloth.
Single or double lamps made of elk antlers, deer can be made depending on the number of symmetrical or similar appearance and the size of the horns. On the upper surface of the horn, an electric wire is brought to each process, which is strengthened on the bone with carnations or epoxy resin(fig. 6). At the ends of the horny processes, small lamp holders are installed. The horn is attached to the stand as follows: a hole with a diameter of 5 mm and a depth of up to 30-40 mm is drilled in its base in the center. In the center of the wooden stand (at the place where the horn is installed), drill through hole and through it, combining the horn and the stand, a strong and long screw is screwed in, which holds and fixes the horn well (Fig. 7). If the horn is heavy, then a slot of 2-3 mm and a depth of 40-50 mm is cut out at its base; an iron strip is inserted into it, the base of the horn is aligned with it, and the iron and the horn are drilled at the same time. Rivets are driven into the holes or the horn is reinforced with bolts, cutting the heads into the bone (Fig. 8). The curved opposite end of the strip is passed through the slot into the support and fixed on the other side with screws. The electrical wire is passed through the hole in the stand.
When making a decorative chandelier from a deer horn, bulbs or candlesticks are placed on its branches. The horn is suspended by cables from the ceiling (Fig. 9). Holes are drilled on the sides of the shovel or antler, in which the end parts of the cables are fixed. The electrical wiring is lowered from the ceiling to the center of the horn. The location of the wire, its fixing is the same as in the manufacture of the lamp.
If a chandelier is made of 3-4 horns, then in this case the horns are aligned with each other in the center with the bases and are strengthened at a certain angle on a strong welded crosspiece. The base of each horn is crimped with an iron strip, which is secured with bolts. A copper tube 20-30 mm in diameter is firmly attached to the cross and becomes a holder, which is suspended from the ceiling hook. The length of the tube depends on the height of the room. The crosspiece from the bottom side is decorated with a horn or a burl cut (Fig. 10). Such a chandelier can have 10-15 lamps. Candlesticks are also strengthened on the processes of the horns. It should be borne in mind that the chandelier is heavy and requires strong fittings and reliable fastening.
The very shape of the graceful fore or hind limb of the wild boar suggests its use as a wall lamp. A limb is removed from a killed animal, an incision is made on its lower side to the base of the hooves. It is better to insert the knife under the skin, then it does not spoil the hair. If possible, it is better to pull the skin off the leg with a stocking to the hooves and make one small incision on the sole to separate it (Fig. 11). If this succeeded, the skin must be well scraped off the tendons and muscles, preserved table salt and potassium alum. At the same time, the extremity extracted from the knives is laid sideways on the paper and traced with a pencil, getting its outline. According to it and the dimensions removed from the limb, materials are cut out of dense foam or wound around the wire frame, materials convenient for reproduction of the limb in the model - hemp, straw, shavings, hay, moss.
It should be borne in mind that in the place where the tendon usually passes through the entire limb in the layout will pass electrical wire... A lamp made from a limb should have a bend in the joint, which allows you to strengthen a small lamp holder between the front hooves or install a candlestick-type lamp. This bend justifies the type of luminaire (fig. 12). Before installing the model and sheathing it, it is necessary to prepare the skin for this, wash it well in warm water from salt and blood, using soap or washing powder, then wipe it with a rag, dry it into the fur with starch, rubbing it deep into the undercoat, and then blow it out of the fur with a stream of air from a vacuum cleaner. To protect the exhibit from being damaged by a moth or a skin beetle, the flesh side of the skin is lubricated several times with a 3-4% solution of karbofos. The hooves, cleaned of muscles and bones, are stuffed with soft clay to give this part of the leg correct shape... The prepared model is placed in the skin and sheathed, trying to make the seam unobtrusive. Due to the fact that the wire or metal pin emerging from the model of the limb has a thread at the end, it will be easy to attach it to the wall on a stand.
A pencil cup can be made from the lower part of a boar's limb. To do this, the skin is removed or pulled together to the hooves with a stocking, an incision is made between the hooves, through which the skin is cleaned. The skin is etched and, having sewn up the incision, its cavity is tightly stuffed with dry sawdust or sand. At the same time, it is correctly installed, strengthened on a temporary stand and dried, making sure that the skin does not deform. After a few days, it hardens firmly, the contents are removed and the inner side of the skin and hooves is glued with layers of gauze. The upper edge of the cup is leveled, cutting off excess skin. To make the glass stand firmly, it is attached to the stand with a bolt, drilling for this a hole between the hooves on the sole (Fig. 13).
The ashtray is made from the skull of a wolf or bear. A lid is cut out of the cranium, which is then fixed on a hinge and folded back (Fig. 14). Lower jaw in this case, it can be separated, and the souvenir itself is fixed on a stand made of birch or birch burl. On the stand, you can fix the skull with an open mouth, securing it with screws: then the fangs will be clearly visible.
To begin with, it should be said that the moose antler medallion is used as a decoration or kept as a trophy and a reminder of a successful hunt. At first glance, you might think that doing such a thing is pretty easy. But this is not so, unless, of course, you know the features and nuances. Such peculiar trophies can be bought or made by hand. The main thing is to have a lot of time for this hobby. This article will focus on how how to process moose antlers with a medallion. The process is quite entertaining.
How to handle moose antlers with your own hands?
The whole algorithm is not that difficult. All work begins with the fact that a blank must be available. A skull with horns attached will do. You can either do these things yourself or order them in the store. The types of horns will depend on the wishes of the client. In addition, you will need 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 canvas of wood from which the medallion will be made;
- special glue. Epoxy may work. An expensive option, but quite reliable. Can be replaced with a two-component filler.
These are, in fact, the main tools required for work.
The process itself begins with how the main part of the skull is cut off with a metal saw. It is important not to forget to leave a small circle on which the horns are attached. If the plane of the cut is uneven, then this can be easily corrected on a grinding machine. Horns, if there are flaws, can be corrected on the same installation or walk with a drill with a special nozzle to get a flat surface.
Elk antler medallions
After preparing the skull and horns, a blank for the medallion should be made. To do this, fold a piece of paper or cardboard in half and cut out the desired shape. After that, everything is transferred to the tree and cut out with a jigsaw. After that, the edges can be milled on a special machine. The form is set whatever your heart desires. The whole thing is limited only by your imagination. After the workpiece has taken the optimal form, it must be sanded. The peculiarity lies in the fact that this must be done from the largest sandpaper to the smallest. It will be possible to stop at small things in 320 grid. This completes the work with the medallion. It is worth noting that it is possible in advance buy a medallion for moose horns.
How to fix the moose antlers on the medallion?
It should be said that there is a notch in the skull. In this regard, it is necessary to close it up for a more tight connection with the medallion. This is also necessary in order to fix the horns themselves on the medallion. Take a regular white piece of paper and crimp it into a notch. Then this leaf is outlined on the tree and a blank is cut along the contours. It is honed so that it fits perfectly into the notch of the skull. After everything has come up, it should be sanded on the machine. After this, either epoxy or a special auto-putty is applied. The surplus can be removed with anything. The ideal option would be associated with a grinding machine. Then the entire workpiece with horns is placed on the front of the medallion, and on the back of it, the whole thing is screwed on with self-tapping screws. Their size should be selected there so as not to drill through the horns or the skull. It will not be superfluous to first drill holes with a drill and screw the screws into them. This will make the process a little easier.
Actually, that's the whole process of creation moose antler medallion... It remains only to come up with a way to mount it on the wall. It can be either screwed or suspended from any thread. However, one should not forget that the method must be reliable and withstand the weight of the entire medallion.
The most important thing is patience.
You will need a large, special container. Keep in mind that the structure of its horns will make it difficult for you to immerse yourself in boiling water. An ordinary round container will not work, because the horns themselves will be exposed to the temperature effect of the steam, and will change their original color and structure. The same Negative consequences will be when processing a trophy at the stake. Therefore, where the horns bite into the edges of the container, make slots so that you can put the lid on.
Pick up a container. The skull should fit freely in it. In the place where the horns lie on the edge of the container, make a slot, the size of which should be larger than the base of the horns. Make sure that the rosettes of the horns go out. If in the future you come across a younger animal, and the rosettes of its horns will be located closer to the base of the skull, fall into the container, then tie the rosettes with a rag. So you will ensure that the skull, although not all immersed in boiling water, will boil well, and the horns will retain their natural color.
If you are in the field, then use a blowtorch, always with a guide nozzle for the container. You can make a special oven out of metal or brick. The specified procedure should be included in the services of the forestry administration, so it is better to ask before whether the farm has a device for pretreating trophies.
If you want to create classic moose antlers with a bleached skull placed on a medallion, then the above tips are for you. If you plan to make the horns of the moose together with the head, then make sure that when cutting the carcass, first make a circular cut on the skin in the area behind the shoulder blades of the animal. Then remove it with a stocking to your head. If it is not possible to immediately start taxidermy work, then remove the skin completely in the usual way making an upper incision from the shoulder blades to the horns. Then make a dovetail incision followed by an incision around the horns, around the eyes and around the lips.
After boiling the elk antlers, degrease them, bleach them and start arranging them. Please note that the elk skull is large, so it is not left intact. Make a standard section of the elk skull in the middle of the eye socket, keeping the nasal bones.
Go to making a medallion. Its thickness can be different, from 30 to 50 mm, depending on the type of elk. Do not carve the medallions, only slightly decorate the lower half of them. In addition to expensive tree species, you can take a veneer covering. Attach the horns to the medallion with two bolts. Drill blind holes on the reverse side at the base of the horns, cut a thread.
My husband bought horns and hung them on the wall. What does it mean? - a question was asked from the vastness of the Internet.
The sympathizers answered: - Probably his dreams ...
Someone thought: - He is an esthete with an innate sense of taste. One warned: - The owl can not be in the house, the horns are allowed.
There was advice to check the crown of her husband: - What if? ...))
And someone remembered that "the formations on the heads of deer have a repelling power against damage and evil spirits- they are rubbed and drunk with water. "
Someone chided: - I bought it, I didn't instruct it. Deer antlers. And you can hang everything on the wall.
The category of "trolling" can be attributed to: - It begs. | - You have to ask why the husband has horns. | - Maybe it's not reindeer, but for memory?!?
Not without sentimental stories:
At one time, my husband and I bought deer antlers (in Norway), or rather, I bought it, my husband resisted ... The antlers lay for 4 years in the basement, because I did not know where to attach them. My husband forbade me in the corridor, but there was nowhere in my room. Finally, I found a place for them on TV, they look gorgeous. As for our relationship with my husband, they have not undergone any special changes - as they were none, they remained.
The mother-in-law has horns in the house. Everything is fine in the house, BUT ... our friend took a picture under these horns and after a while got treason and divorce. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but no one else even stands under these horns.
Horns have been hanging in my house for about 20 years. Until another man gets up under the horns, everything is ok.
We also had - as a result, divorced. Throw them away !!!
Hence the conclusion: Russian people are not used to deer antlers. In a family of two, there will always be one that will be "for" and one that will be "against".
But there are "horn lovers - accumulators" in the world, filling their entire house with a controversial element.
1. Quiet, rural County of Columbia. In a house that looks like a barn, lives well, a very famous photographer in Manhattan and his two dogs:
2. Dining room, furnished old furniture... Horns of bulls.
3. In the living room there is also an antiquity, made in France, some 200 years ago:
5. In an authentic home, only the bedroom betrays the glamorous profession of the owner:
6. Everything else is a chaotic broker world. Mixing expensive things with simple ones.
7. Antique wooden table.
8. Terrace, where a company of 12 people can easily fit. The rusty chairs and table date back to 1900.
