Restoring some nice NM muley sheds...

mozey · Dec 2, 2008

Some of you have seen these already, as I posted a pic of them in the shed hunting forum. I found them last spring about six feet apart laying under the same tree. I'm guessing they were laying there somewhere between five and ten years. The left G2 and G4 had each surrendered some inches to rodents.

Anyway, I finally bought one of Mountain Mike's skull mounting kits and attached 'em:

As you can see, I've still got a lot more restoration work to do. This is my first attempt ever at restoring antlers, so if any you have some helpful hints such as stain, filling in cracks, sanding, or restoring broken points, I'd very much appreciate any advice you're willing to share. I eventually hope to do a full shoulder mount with these, but for now I'm just interested in how to make 'em look new again.

nmbullfighter · Dec 2, 2008

damn that looks sweet.. did the kit come with the skull? i have a set of 350 elk sheds i found that i want to mount like that

mozey · Dec 2, 2008

LAST EDITED ON Dec-02-08 AT 08:13PM (MST)[p]Yes, it came with the skull:

http://www.mountainmikesreproductions.com/

Not sure if they make 'em for elk, I want a couple of those too if they make 'em.

NMPaul · Dec 2, 2008

Those look cool.

nmbullfighter · Dec 2, 2008

i sent him a email about a elk mount. i'll let you guys know if i get a reply

nmbullfighter · Dec 2, 2008

quick reply from mike..said that he is working on the elk shed mounts and they will happen soon

crazeymaez · Dec 3, 2008

Nice Moz

I was wondering about those horns the other day.Coming out good

trophytruck1 · Dec 3, 2008

Nice, very nice. Look on Van Dykes Taxidermy website or Wasco Taxidermy website. There are a lot of products including stain and restoration products.

TT

mozey · Dec 3, 2008

LAST EDITED ON Dec-03-08 AT 05:46PM (MST)[p]Much thanks for the comments and research, guys. When those elk skulls come out, I'm going to be all over 'em. And I'm all over those taxidermy sites now. Some good looking products in there that I think I'll be able to use.

mozey · Dec 3, 2008

Hush now crazey, that's our spot... ;-)

For those that are curious, as mounted these gross about 203 with an inside spread of 24 and an outside spread of 32; nets about 196. Main beams are both 27.5, and the mass measurements are close to identical at 20 each. The fronts are some of the deepest I've ever seen on a muley.

Sure hope I get a chance at one of his sons or grandsons next season. Gotta draw the tag first, though.

muliefanatic · Dec 3, 2008

nice sheds mozey they are big. here are some pics of a set of sheds that I found and restored. I got the skull and plaque from van dykes.

mozey · Dec 3, 2008

Very nice, mulie. What did you use to stain them? Did you have to fill in any cracks? If so, what did you use?

kysersosay · Dec 3, 2008

Hmmm, secret spot where Mozey's country and Crazymaes' country overlap... I'll have to give that some thinking.... (just teasing)

Hey Mozey- Can you take the antlers of the skull again to restore them? I'd recomend that if it's not too hard. My buddy and I restored a very similar set (about a 220NT with huge club double droptines) in the same condition- It took him a year to find the second antler. We did a lot of practice runs on other sheds (which I recomend) using many of the products you can buy. We ended up using regular-old potting soil and water- makes a deep dark brown soup- and just rubbed it into the antlers- and we finished them with a little vegetable and mineral oil- They looked awesome! He had it shoulder mounted. I'll try to come up with some pics. Some times, simple is better. The cracks were not as much of an issue as you'd think if they are properly stained- if you fill them make sure they will stain consistantly.

give us some time-laps photos of the restoration. I'd like to watch your process and see how it turns out. I'd definitley test your methods on other sheds first and compare.

mozey · Dec 4, 2008

Thanks for the tips, kyser. I'd love to see those pics.

I can easily detach the antlers, it's just a matter of unscrewing the screws that are holding them on.

I'd already worked on them somewhat trying to repair the gnawed points, which got a little tedious, and I was getting frustrated 'cause I couldn't get the left G2 to look right (still don't like it, but I think the left G4 looks okay). Anyway, because of that, A.D.D. started kicking in, and I let it sit for about four months. I needed something to re-jumpstart my enthusiasm for the project, and attaching them to a skull so I could get a better idea of what the end product is going to look like seems to have done the trick. I'm back on the job.

vinihunt · Dec 5, 2008

Moz..

very nice findin and attached to the skull! can't wait to see the result! are u plan to do the same with the elk sheds?

congrats!

vinihunt

mozey · Dec 5, 2008

Absolutely, vini; but I don't have any elk sheds that are on par with these muleys. Best I could do is about a 360 (assuming a 40-inch spread), and that would take a signficant repair job on one of the sides:

The unbroken side has a 53" main beam and measures 163, but the match, as you can see, has a broken main plus broken tips off four of its five remaining points.

I've got a couple other sets that would look pretty good though, both going between 320 and 330:

BIGBULL, on the other hand, had the audacity to show both me and crazey up when we were "kind enough" to let him come along on a shed hunt last June... ;-) (dude is always showing me up). On his one and only shed-hunt last year, he found the first side of a set that will go about 380 (assuming a 40-inch spread) after I'd walked right past it about a week earlier; crazey later found the match in some deep grass after BIGBULL walked right past that one, but being the nice guy that crazey is, he let BIGBULL have it just so the set would be together (I would have held out for at least a Big 'N Tastey meal deal).

I know BIGBULL plans on restoring and mounting those up as soon as he gets some of his higher priority projects done. I'm looking forward to him posting up a pic here when he's finished. BIGBULL is actually very good at this kind of stuff, and if he wasn't so busy and/or if I weren't so cheap, I'd be paying him some $$ to do these...

mozey · Dec 5, 2008

...I'd also like to mount this little fiver with 23 and 24" G-2s...

nmbullfighter · Dec 6, 2008

Yeah i would like to mount this set.My uncle and I are working on some metal fabrication that would look good mounting sheds to. i'll post a pic if we ever get it looking good

photo is

mozey · Dec 7, 2008

LAST EDITED ON Dec-07-08 AT 11:26AM (MST)[p]Yup, I think you should get those mounted. Awesome. They look bigger than 350 to me...

vinihunt · Dec 8, 2008

wow what a hogs! unit 34?

nice finiding!!

vinihunt

nmbullfighter · Dec 8, 2008

LAST EDITED ON Dec-08-08 AT 04:52PM (MST)[p]>wow what a hogs! unit 34?
>
>
>nice finiding!!
>
>vinihunt

vini who you asking? i found the elk sheds in Jemez Mtns