Velvet Question...

[pghntr]

Hey Guys, been on the site for a year or so - just never posted. Great info out there!

Livin' in PG - love the hunting year round!

Anyways, lucked out on the 'any bull' LEH out in 7-16C - but it's the early draw (Aug 15-Sept 30) (already out yesterday cow/calf but no bulls). This might be a really dumb question - what do you do with antlers still in velvet - is there a process to preserve in velvet or remove it??? (Used to hunting in the Maritimes so never been an issue). I've done a search on here - sorry if I missed previous posts...

Being first post, I guess the customary joke is in order - wife loved this one:

If a man is hunting without his wife in the woods and says something, is he still wrong??? (Her answer was 'definitely')....

Thanks for any info..

[gary murray]

I imagine there is a way to preserve it as i've seen a few head mounts in the past with velvet and it looked fine. Or maybe it just dries hard without cracking or splitting which is what you would think it would do when it dried.

[6 K]

A taxi can inject them with phermaldihide sp. or I have in past let deer horns dry in a safe(where no bugs or dogs ect can get to them) place but the taxi does a better job for sure.
Good luck

[Brambles]

I bought some Velvet preservative for when I get the desire to shoot a mulie early season and actually keep the velvet on, I'm not too terribly fond of velvet mounts but some day I might depending on what condition its in.

Look online for a taxidermy supply and order some, there is one in Alberta but off the top of my head I can't remember the name. Google will help you out though

[Eskimo345]

I really like mounts done with full velvet just cause u dont get to see many of them my hunting partner and i got a 48 inch moose a couple yrs back in full 3 color phase velvet and he got an antler mount done.6 K is right they need to be injected to save them properly and when my friend got his done the taxi said that he had to inject them once every sq inch so it is a time consuming thing and he told us that it was best if u can inject them right away as soon as possible for the best chance at saving them. I am sure others here will be able to give u a much better detailed way to do it tho

[Blainer]

I believe the new process is some kind of dry freezing.
The previous process was to inject with formaldehyde

[MB_Boy]

Just for kicks I just did a google search on it......there is mention of formaldehyde and also freeze drying. I do recall them describing the process on an episode of Canada in the Rough when they were hunting caribou in northern Quebec. If I recall correctly it was using formaldehyde and I thought they also used a salt or some other powder (borax?) as I recall them wrapping the antlers in some sort of fabric; likely cheese cloth???


Saw this on one Q&A forum....may help for what to do out in the field or shortly after the animal is down? It is cut and pasted from a Cabela's forum.
on a fresh harvest, have full bottle of tannin oil with ya"formeldahyde" 12 ga. needle and big seringe, and rubber glove, poke neddle in each tip of antllers and waller it a bit, go to the base of it, find the vains and run that stuff till starts leaken out the holes, then do the other side, take the rest pore all over horns and rub it in good .

[Brew]

we got an immature bull a few years back still in velvet. we just put the anters in the garage and let them dry out. that velvet is hardened on there like concrete. the only thing is that if you handle the antlers to much the velvet lays flat. if you want them to have there natural fuzzy look dont handle them much. Good luck on your hunt hope you get a giant.