Velvet care

[huntstrong2850]

If lucky enough next month to harvest a deer in velvet what’s the best ways of preserving the velvet on the antlers until can get the deer off the mountain?


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[Idahomnts]

I was just talking to an old taxidermist, I’m sure times have changed and technology too since he was really busy but he recommended making a slurry with borax and coat it well , soaking into the velvet and brushing it off later , curious if the beatles will leave it alone that way?

 

[rlmmarine]

They sell an injection kit to pierce the tine ends and inject into the veins. Some sort of formaldehyde. I looked into it before going to the artic for caribou last year. I ended up being able to freeze them and get them over to a taxidermist.

 

[bowuntr]

The blood under the velvet is what rots... Inject formaldehyde asap, or freeze dry (professionally or in a freezer for a year). I also have beetles and nothing will keep the beetles from eating the velvet. They'll still eat it with a pesticide on the velvet. Ed F

 

[huntstrong2850]

The blood under the velvet is what rots... Inject formaldehyde asap, or freeze dry (professionally or in a freezer for a year). I also have beetles and nothing will keep the beetles from eating the velvet. They'll still eat it with a pesticide on the velvet. Ed F

I’ve never seen it in person so I’m asking cause i don’t know but does the fake velvet when mounted look okay? If unable to save the velvet or just make him hard horned and don’t worry with it?


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[idahohikker]

I don't like the looks of the fake velvet normally. If someone isn't able to treat the velvet how they like I'm also wondering whether it's possible just to remove the velvet and display the buck hard horned. It would probably look unusually bleached white.

 

[huntstrong2850]

I don't like the looks of the fake velvet normally. If someone isn't able to treat the velvet how they like I'm also wondering whether it's possible just to remove the velvet and display the buck hard horned. It would probably look unusually bleached white.

Yeah I’m not sure either. This is the first time I’ve had a tag for August so I’m lost on all this with the velvet


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[teamvit]

I don't like the looks of the fake velvet normally. If someone isn't able to treat the velvet how they like I'm also wondering whether it's possible just to remove the velvet and display the buck hard horned. It would probably look unusually bleached white.

I shot a blacktail that was in velvet. It was already splitting and ready to get rubbed off when i shot him, I peeled it off in one piece like a glove. yes the antlers were white and the taxidermist was able to darken them up to make them look more natural

 

[huntstrong2850]

I shot a blacktail that was in velvet. It was already splitting and ready to get rubbed off when i shot him, I peeled it off in one piece like a glove. yes the antlers were white and the taxidermist was able to darken them up to make them look more natural

That’s good to know. Anyone know if the severe drought affects how soon the velvet will dry out and they begin to rub them off? Or is that something that wouldn’t be affected by how dry it is?


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[rlmmarine]

When you get back to the truck wrap them in newspaper and plastic and put them in a cooler with a block of dry ice for the trip home they should be okay. I wrapped the caribou in cyran wrap and put them in a deep freezer in camp the last two days they had to come out due to other hunters meat. They were picked up at the airport after the float plane ride home and then froze again. The taxidermist in thompson then freeze dried them under vacume. Three months later he sent them to me here in the states. On two sets of horns I have two or three spots a couple inches long that are split but still attached. The two caribou were days away from shedding their velvet so I'm happy with them. Most people in camp stripped them but I wanted the real look of how they were when they were shot. Fake velvet was out. I haven't got them back from the taxidermist yet here in Florida because the capes aren't back from the tannery to be able to show you a finished mount but here's a glimpse.
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