I typically don't start deer hunting until early Oct and by that time I'd say most bucks already have their velvet removed. I have my eye on a couple nice bucks that are visiting my one spot most evenings. I'm planning on going out the 1st week of the season. I just seen the boys last night and they still are in full velvet. I've never shot a buck in velvet before. Is there any special care that needs to be done to the rack when they are still in velvet?
Velvet
- Thread starter GSuders
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mdunphyjr
Ultimate Member
I've hunted many years to shoot a buck in velvet with no luck. I'd love to add a velvet buck to the wall! Good luck to ya. And I dont think you need to do anything differently?
Do you want the velvet preserved? If so, get the rack in a freezer fairly fast (I mean, within a day) and to a taxidermist. Options are freeze dry or chemical preservation for the velvet. Otherwise it’ll rot.
If you just want the rack, best option is boil it in a large pot for a couple of hours and use a utility knife to (carefully) slice the velvet and pliers to strip it off. It took me about an hour to remove all of the velvet and other bits attached to the antlers and skull cap of a spike I shot 2 years ago.
If I got a nice 6+ point I’d probably go taxidermist to preserve them just for something cool and unique.
In the future I wouldn’t bother stripping the velvet on a small bucks antlers. Pain in the butt. I don’t have a ton of bucks and I was thinking of getting them taxidermied and then changed my mind and didn’t want to toss them. I was considering using them for a knife hilt or something. Still might.
If you just want the rack, best option is boil it in a large pot for a couple of hours and use a utility knife to (carefully) slice the velvet and pliers to strip it off. It took me about an hour to remove all of the velvet and other bits attached to the antlers and skull cap of a spike I shot 2 years ago.
If I got a nice 6+ point I’d probably go taxidermist to preserve them just for something cool and unique.
In the future I wouldn’t bother stripping the velvet on a small bucks antlers. Pain in the butt. I don’t have a ton of bucks and I was thinking of getting them taxidermied and then changed my mind and didn’t want to toss them. I was considering using them for a knife hilt or something. Still might.
Doco Overboard
Ultimate Member
Boil the head out in water after stripping as much flesh as you can. Toss in some washing soda with the mix
Repeat using some professional hair color bleach that women use in beauty shops. You may find it in like a 20-30oz bottle. it's expensive and pretty powerful stuff.
Ive seen some boiled off and then painted with off white or antique spray bombs. The bones will darken or grey out sometimes when you cook them.
Works pretty good but not really a professional approach. You can get a reasonable facsimile like I mentioned.
Kman
Blah, blah, blah
When I opened this I thought I'd see a stripper.
And don't over boil! Otherwise small bones of scull will get disconnected.
Pale Ryder
Ultimate Member
Only did this one time with good results so YMMV. I dug a hole in the backyard, tied a rope to it so I could easily find it, and buried the head for several weeks. Let Mother Nature run its course. Boiling would be quicker for sure, but wife ain't gonna be happy if I do that indoors. 
- Dec 27, 2012
- 30,203
Anyone else use beetles to clean a skull?
I think I used a combination of the above beetle/natural methods on my first buck. I wasn't sure how to clean it up and wanted to keep it for sentimental reasons, so I just left the head on the ground in the woods where I could find it easily. Two years later, I recovered it and it was perfectly clean, except the lower jaw was gone.
rgramjet
Ultimate Member
Its worth the $120-$180 to have it professionally done. Big PIA to boil imo.
Yea, wife has a beetle box. Hard to keep them fed this time of year. The Notorious AOB had a skull here. Not sure which of his family members it was LOL.
Right, good call. I used baking soda added in to the boil to help soften everything.
Only did this one time with good results so YMMV. I dug a hole in the backyard, tied a rope to it so I could easily find it, and buried the head for several weeks. Let Mother Nature run its course. Boiling would be quicker for sure, but wife ain't gonna be happy if I do that indoors.
Big pot and a propane burner helps. I’ve got a 6 gallon pot and banjo propane burner for brewing. So that helps.
wilcam47
Ultimate Member
not necessarily the same as washing soda. Also washing soda needs to be limited to 45min MAX. simmer....not rolling boil. otherwise it will erode the skull parts.
That’s why I wouldn’t use washing soda. I have no doubt it works, but it has a PH of around 13 IIRC. Baking soda is about 8.5 or so and not particularly corrosive.
Doco Overboard
Ultimate Member
Flesh them out and throw in a bucket of water to speed along. Keep down wind of the house.
Burying them in a manure shed works good to if your near some chicken houses but keep an eye on the skull because that will really be hard on the bones. You could wind up with nothing if you forget about them.
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