What you will need:

antlers, drywall screws, screw gun, 1 foam form, 1 wooden plaque, 1small picture hanger, mache (and water), batting (approx 12inch X 12inch), leather or suede (approximately 12inch X 12inch), staple gun, staples, braid, trim, scissors, super glue

What to do:

Trim horns on band saw so that they fit foam form.

Drill 3 holes in skull plate. Use screws to attach horns to form, screwing through skull plate and into the wood in the back of the form.

Mix mache.  Work mache in around and under skull plate and smooth around form. Any "rocky" texture in the mache will show through in the finished plaque. Take time to smooth out all bumps.

Let mache dry. (Make "rocks" for future projects out of any leftover mixed mache.)

For medium-sized foam form, cut a 12inchX12inch piece of high-loft batting.

Place batting square on table in "diamond" shape, with the four corners pointing to the four directions: north, south, east, west.

Place antlers/form down on diamond, with bulk of form in the middle of the batting. Pull the top (north) point of the batting through the antlers to the back of the form. Staple near center of form back to secure. Wrap bottom (south) point of batting to back, pulling smoothly, but not tightly. Secure batting to back of form with a staple, being careful not to overlap the points, or to staple through more than one layer of batting.

Wrap the sides (east and west) around to the back, securing batting near center of form, being careful not to overlap any previous batting.

On front side of form, with lower blade of scissors as a guide, cut batting down the front of each horn to the edge of the burrs, being careful not to cut past the burrs. Cut a nickel-sized circle out of the center edge of this cut. Pull top edge  through antlers and wiggle it down through antlers and down the back side. If wrinkles across the crown of the form have gone away, your trimming has been done correctly. Secure the edge down the back side with a staple to the back. Repeat on other side.

If wrinkles persist, keep trimming out in a circular fashion, until batting lies smooth across the crown.

Secure with a line of staples 1/2" in from edge, following the curve of the form back and down the sides. Trim batting close to staples.

Wrap side up toward the top and back of the form. Tuck the extra fabric under, making a fold-line that looks finished and try to hide this line behind the angle of the antler, so that plaque, when viewed from the front, appears to be seamless. Experiment with folding and stretching until a nice look is achieved. Secure at top and back of form with one staple. Duplicate this look on the other side, securing with another staple.

To work out bulges in batting, "split the difference". Any place where the 2-dimensional fabric is balking at fitting on the 3-dimensional form, grasp the middle of the buckling fabric and pull snugly toward the back, aiming for the spot that is midway the staple that is securing the top of the buckling section, and the staple that is at the bottom of the buckling section. Secure with one staple. Continue to grasp the middle of buckling fabric, pull tightly and secure to back. This process will eventually whittle your excess fabric down to manageable amounts that can be stretched to the back and secured.

Check the front of your plaque frequently to be sure that it is turning out the way that you want it to. Continue to split-the-difference, stretch, and staple until all batting is secure. Trim close to staples.

Repeat the batting process with your suede or leather, following the same procedure for affixing, cutting, fitting, and trimming.

Cut braid to fit around base of burrs, securing with super glue or hot glue. Hide seam behind horns.

Staple or glue trim around back of form, starting and finishing at crown of form and securing both raw ends behind form.

Drill pilot holes in wooden plaque. Secure form to wooden plaque with screws from back of plaque. Countersink screws.

Fasten small hanger to back of wooden plaque.

Home, Skinning, Salting, Fleshing, Washing, Tanning, Shaving, Rehydrating,  Mounting, Finishing, Base/Habitat

Birds, Game Heads, Life-Sized,  Fish

AntlerPlaques, TurkeyPlaques

Supply Links, Graduate Web-Sites, Job Opportunities

Taxidermy Reporting Forms, Federal Duck Labels

Antler Scoring Sheets, Scoring Instructions

 Miscellaneous