I want to kill a velvet buck. I mean I REALLY want to kill a velvet buck. I blew chances the past two years in Kentucky and I'm hoping that changes this year, but I've suddenly realized that there are some things I don't know about this. I know quite a few of you have killed velvet bucks before. What special care do you have to take in the field to keep from doing irreparable damage to a velvet rack? How many of you have tried to preserve your own velvet antlers? I've been doing some homework on this topic. I used the search function on here, but came up empty. From what I've read so far, unless you really know what you're doing it's best to get them in the freezer as quickly as possible and let a taxidermist take care of them for you, whether they use the freeze-drying method or the formaldehyde injection method. I've read that in the field you can do your own preservative injection but to be honest I'd be worried about trying to do it myself.
Artificial velvet is the way to go. Remember the velvet is full of blood making it very difficult to preserve. Which means nothing can touch the antler from the time you shoot it until it is in that taxi's freezer. Not the ground, no rope, no hands, no truck bed......you get the idea. Artificial velvet is cheaper in the long run, impossible to tell the difference (unless you are a taxidermist) will last much longer and be perfect- not damaged. From latest issue of Outdoor Life: http://www.outdoorlife.com/how-to-preserve-velvet-antlers
I have used this on a couple of small set of antlers... worked well https://www.mckenziesp.com/K916-P11320.aspx https://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/Antler-In-Velvet-Tan-W155.aspx I also have a buck mounted in full velvet and the taxidermist did something similar;
Yes to this! We jacked up the velvet on my mule deer a bit when moving him around, loading him up and getting him to the processor. There's a few bare spots on his rack now that weren't there when I shot him, but it is what it is. In retrospect I would have been fine with fake velvet.
I read about this stuff when I was researching the topic. Did you actually inject it into the blood vessels and flush them out?
I just listened to a podcast earlier in the week that covered velvet antlers... The McKenzie products were mentioned. https://exomountaingear.com/88/
The McKenzie product worked well on mine.. Again, the ones I did myself were just little CT bucks... nothing large, One come out better than the other... However, both have lasted 5+ years and they seem fine... no smell or anything. We were as careful as possible bringing my big velvet buck out. I was shocked he still had velvet on as all of the other bucks I had on cam in that area where already shed. He was starting to split a bit and I assumed he would have been out in the next couple of days. We did a little bit of damage on the way out, but not too bad. we put him in a Jet Sled to take out and propped his head up and tied it off.. we did manage to avoid most contact in the drag, but a few saplings rubbed up and damaged some... the taxidermist did his best to hide it with some sort of paint on "velvet". It was no the spray on kind. I thought about the spray on, but he said it was just as much as the mount to have done by itself I guess. Regardless, I am very happy with the result.
Had a buddy kill a nice whitetail in velvet last year. He sent the rack off and had the artificial velvet put on it and looked good. Think it costed him about 150 to have it done.
wow... so maybe the guy who did mine was blowing smoke when he said it would cost $500+ to put the artificial velvet on.
Possibly, might be what he feels like charging, ha. My buddy sent his to a guy in Nashville I'm pretty sure.
I got nothing on original question. I just want to say I'm super jealous of all those velvet bucks tho! No hope for that in Illinois Sent from my SM-G920V using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Those look great.. the color is more accurate than on mine that was preserved.... much more brown on mine than that off white / grey tone that one has and the deer do when they are in velvet.
I was shown by my taxidermist to get the antlers in the freezer as soon as possible, then when you take them out put them into denatured alcohol. That's how he preserves them. he did my velvet buck in 2010. It still looks the same.
