Randy, please give us more details. You mentioned once how to care for antelope horns, after harvest, to minimize shrinkage. I've googled this several times and haven't gotten any clear directions. Could you make a Youtube video or give more details ? Something about filling them with Bondo or plaster ???
Pronghorn Horn Care ?
- Thread starter Trigger50
- Start date
I can tell you how "NOT" to do it. I have since left it to taxidermists to do it properly. Summary, take the horns off the core immediately and then bondo them back to the cores as soon as you can.
If you don't do that on a very massive buck, it will shrink and look like someone put a hose clamp around the bases and the horns will rumple when drying and look like the bottom of hanging drapes.
If you don't do that on a very massive buck, it will shrink and look like someone put a hose clamp around the bases and the horns will rumple when drying and look like the bottom of hanging drapes.
Lv2hnt
Well-known member
A couple hints ---
One tip before you start >>> drill a small hole through each horn on the back side near the base (this will give you a reference point to insert a nail later to line up the sheath where it was originally on the core). When the skull is clean and you're ready to slap the horns back on, car bondo will work its magic (as stated, the nail will be your guide for positioning the sheaths correctly before the bondo sets up).
DON'T boil to get the horns off the core --- you'll have ALL sorts of issues at the bases you don't want to mess with. If you put the fleshed out skull outside in a black plastic bag, the sun will heat things up in a couple days and, voila, the horns should pop right off. A caution here --- the stink will be considerable when you open the bag, so do so outside! Then clean away --- the skull MUST have all fleshy matter removed!
You want the insides of the sheaths as clean as possible before you reattach them to the cores. After you've removed the sheaths, fill them with baking soda and let them sit for a few days (just NOT out in the sun where they'll have the chance to shrink). You can then dump the baking soda and brush/blow out.
And as Randy stated, DON'T delay too long --- the sooner you tackle this after getting home, the better ...
One tip before you start >>> drill a small hole through each horn on the back side near the base (this will give you a reference point to insert a nail later to line up the sheath where it was originally on the core). When the skull is clean and you're ready to slap the horns back on, car bondo will work its magic (as stated, the nail will be your guide for positioning the sheaths correctly before the bondo sets up).
DON'T boil to get the horns off the core --- you'll have ALL sorts of issues at the bases you don't want to mess with. If you put the fleshed out skull outside in a black plastic bag, the sun will heat things up in a couple days and, voila, the horns should pop right off. A caution here --- the stink will be considerable when you open the bag, so do so outside! Then clean away --- the skull MUST have all fleshy matter removed!
You want the insides of the sheaths as clean as possible before you reattach them to the cores. After you've removed the sheaths, fill them with baking soda and let them sit for a few days (just NOT out in the sun where they'll have the chance to shrink). You can then dump the baking soda and brush/blow out.
And as Randy stated, DON'T delay too long --- the sooner you tackle this after getting home, the better ...
Last edited:
Southern Elk
Well-known member
I never even knew this was an issue. Guess I better keep this in mind if I ever hunt pronghorn.
Boil the head and check often for the sheaths to slip off. It does not take long.Set them aside to air dry. We have never had a problem with the multitude of european antelope mounts my husband does himself. Once the skull is cleaned and peroxided put the sheaths on asap . My husband uses a paper machet type stuff our taxidermists gives him to bond them to the bony core.I use SKidmores liquid wood finish to coat all of our horns and antlers. It is a mixture of natural oils and beeswax and gives horn and antler a natural shine. The sheaths will naturally go on the way they should. The bony core has a shape to it that guides them on right.
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