60 Nebraskaland • May 2020
MIXED BAG
Have you ever left a deer mount outside for too long and
now the antlers are chalky and bleached? All you need to
restore them is dish soap, a paintbrush, wood stain and fi ne
steel wool. If the antlers are chalky and porous you will also
need two-part molding compound and fi ne sandpaper.
Start by cleaning the antlers with soap and water and
allow them to dry. Wrap the skull in paper to protect it during
restoration. When the skull is dry, use molding compound to
lightly coat the antlers, fi lling in holes and crevices. Again,
this step is only necessary on badly deteriorated antlers.
Use as little compound as possible to preserve the antlers'
character. Once you are fi nished, allow the compound to dry
for at least 24 hours and sand it smooth.
Antlers are naturally white, but they pick up stains in late
summer when rubbing on trees to remove velvet. One buck
might have rubbed on cedar trees while another pick ed up
dark blemishes from walnut trees. No two antlers are the
same. If you have a photo of the buck, use it as a reference.
For all but the darkest antlers, I use early American wood
stain. It's light enough to match most bucks by varying the
number of coats. For darkly stained antlers, provincial wood
stain is an excellent match.
Starting at the base of the antlers, brush on a light coat of
stain, immediately wiping away any runs. Use as little stain
as possible, brushing the excess up the antler until it's coated.
Most antlers are darker near the base and gradually lighten
toward the top. This method does a good job of imitating that
color transition. When both antlers are dry, compare them to
the photo of your buck and apply more stain as needed.
At this point, the antlers will be tacky with a slight sheen.
Use fi ne steel wool and lightly brush the antlers to remove
this gloss. Now the antler should have a natural matte
appearance. Some bucks will have areas that are totally
white, like around the antler tips. For this, use a wire brush
to remove the stain. Then let the antlers dry for an additional
24 hours. Taking the time to breathe life into aging antlers
allows you to remember the hunt for years to come.
Ryan Sparks is a writer and photographer originally from
Cass County. To see more of his work visit sparksryan.com.
RESTORING ANTLERS
By Ryan Sparks
PHOTO
BY
RYAN
SPARKS
Left in the elements for two years, this skull mount was bleached white by the sun. To restore the antler coloration,
Jillian Sparks applies wood stain, working from an original photo of the animal.
