# How do I preserve my velvet???



## bigpapacow (Nov 15, 2007)

Question for everyone. I hunt down by cedar city and am considering getting a shoulder mount done or a euro mount with the velvet still on if I finally put down the big boy. What is the best way to preserve the velvet if we stay on the mountain for a few days before heading home to SLC? Or does anyone know a good taxidermist in Cedar City? That would probably solve it right there...


----------



## Firstarrow (Sep 28, 2007)

Great question big papa...

I have another.
What about a velvet look on a european mount?
How would you do that?


----------



## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

Kept cool, in the shade, your velvet bucks should easily last 2 days, more depending on how developed the antlers are. I would say just drive home or talk to your taxidermist and have him show you how to preserve it. I inject all velvet antlers with a formaldahyde. I send it with clients after I show them how to use it and we over over the safety measures. There are less toxic ways to preserve them, but I found nothing works better. Talk with your taxidermist before the hunt.

Firstarrow- Velvet Euros are a trick. You have to get all the meat off the skull, yet preserve and leave the "meat" on the antlers. I do them for my clients and other taxidermists as well. I would recommend to pay to have it done, but that is easy for me to say. haha

Best of luck to you guys.


----------



## torowy (Jun 19, 2008)

I don't know how you would get the skull clean without damaging the velvet. I would either do a sholder mount, or just a horn plaque.

To preserve the velvet....There is a chemical you inject into it, but i don't remember what is called. Any taxedermist would know.


----------



## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

> Kept cool, in the shade, your velvet bucks should easily last 2 days, more depending on how developed the antlers are. I would say just drive home or talk to your taxidermist and have him show you how to preserve it. I inject all velvet antlers with a formaldahyde. I send it with clients after I show them how to use it and we over over the safety measures. There are less toxic ways to preserve them, but I found nothing works better. Talk with your taxidermist before the hunt.


+1


----------



## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

Beautiful mounts Packout, I remember seeing them a few years ago and I loved them then. What's your method for cleaning euros, if you don't mind me asking? I've done several and have been happy with the results, but not the time factor. Do you have beetles? Pressure washer? 10 hours and a pocket knife?


----------



## Firstarrow (Sep 28, 2007)

Yes, that is mighty sweet!!!


----------



## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

Thanks for the compliments.

Tree- I use a variety of methods to clean the skulls without damaging the velvet. I can't divulge too much in my method, but it is a variety of what you said (except no beetles) and much more. They are very labor intense and it takes time to get them done right.


----------



## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

Probably similar to what I do. Do what it takes to get it done to specs. A lot of back pain. :wink: 

Thanks

T


----------



## sliverflick (Sep 18, 2007)

bigpapacow,

A few things that are a little obvious but still worth mentioning:
+ Don't manhandle the antlers getting the buck off the mountain, this will permanently damage the velvet.
+ Be mindful of how you transport the antlers home in your rig. Hours of bumping and jostling the bed of your truck or whatever will leave a nice bald spot (rub spot).

I thumped a decent 4x4 on the 2006 hunt and decided to have it mounted. At the time, I really didn't know how sensitive the velvet was and assumed it was tougher than it was. Unfortunately, I made those mistakes mentioned above. I had the head/antlers to the taxidermist about 12 hours after shooting him (overnight) and the velvet was still OK with the exception of where I manhandled it or didn't protect it on the drive home.

By the way, the taxidermist immediately injected the antlers with some chemicals and then put them into the deep freezer for a couple of months. 

Hope this helps. Good luck on your hunt!


----------



## sliverflick (Sep 18, 2007)

Packout, those euro mounts are excellent!

Makes me wish I had done that instead of a full head/shoulder mount. 

Have you done that for elk as well? Any pics?


----------



## EvenOlderFudd (Jun 18, 2008)

2 years ago we were lucky enough to take 3 bucks during the archery hunt in the Books. We took off and headed to the nearest meat locker. Had em frozen. came back and got em 3 days later. we drove back to salt lake and they never thawed out , had em packed in ice All 3 mounts turnned out great, 2 shoulder mounts and 1 euro all in velvet. So get that big boy froze up as soon as u can..


----------



## bigpapacow (Nov 15, 2007)

Good tip Fudd, I contacted all the meat lockers I could find in Cedar city and was told that they can't put game animal heads of feet in their freezers due to health regulations. Go figure...I guess I will just go for the shade and get it back home asap.


----------



## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

+22 on the keeping it cool and dry. Don't put the rack on display for your ride home. Keep it under some soft things like blankets and sleeping bags where it won't be exposed to the wind. 

If you choose to inject it with formaldahide and are planning on a shoulder mount then you need to have the cape off of the skull before injecting. Where safety glasses and start from the top of the antlers and immediately after the hide comes off before the bases become dry . Inject the tops and watch it work it's way down. It should push the blood ahead of it and replace it with the fluid. Then work your way down to the bases by injecting it several times along the way. It will run out the bottom and onto the skull. If you leave the hide on, the formaldahide wile dry it out and also discolor it. 

This process should only be done if you are in a very remote area and have been trained by a taxidermist. Other wise keep it cool, dry, and out of the sun and wind and get it immediately to a taxidermist.


----------



## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

http://www.hidetanning.net/SkullCleaning.html


----------



## Flyfishn247 (Oct 2, 2007)

If injecting Formaldhyde, be extremely careful. Just a mere prick of the needle without any injection could cause a person to lose their arm or life in a matter of hours. My taxidermist recommended a synthetic Formaldehyde that has the same effect without the personal risk. Look into it.


----------



## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

Personally, I wouldn't do velvet Euros as shown in the link above. Maceration with velvet is a dangerous business and cutting a clients antlers off the head is unacceptable to me. But that is just my opinion. 

Fly fishing is also correct on the dangers of the -aldehyde family. I should have better stated my first post, in that a hunter must be aware of the dangers, have eye protection, rubber gloves, and a mask. If injecting, I send dull/flat needles that reduce the risk of self-puncture. Formaldehyde can be rubbed into the antlers also to protect them, depending on the hardness of the antler. 

I will be testing a different solution, which isn't as toxic, on smaller (non-mount) bucks this year to see how it works.


----------



## HuntingCrazy (Sep 8, 2007)

There's a popular taxidermist on main street in Panguitch. That's near Cedar Mountain if you'll be in the east part of cedar. Don't know any good ones in Cedar City if you're hunting west of Cedar.


----------



## bigpapacow (Nov 15, 2007)

thanks for all the suggestions on the velvet. I think I came up with an idea that may work...After getting an animal on the ground and caped out, bomb down to cedar and get enough ice to fill a storage tote with ice water and toss it all in. I hear the water doesn't hurt it and the tote is roomier than a cooler. So, what do you think?!


----------



## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

Keep it out of the water, if possible. The water will not lengthen your window, the ice will. You could buy some dry ice, which works better. I usually don't set the capes (or velvet) touching the dry ice. You are going to shoot a bigger buck than will fit in a tote. Best of Luck


----------



## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

Another option is to strip it and then send it to Research manakins for them to re fuzz it and it looks much better than the velvet after it's had nicks and bumps. It is perfect!


----------



## havnfun (Dec 3, 2007)

What is the going rate for a velvet uro mount?? Is it more or less than a hard horn??


----------



## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

elk22hunter said:


> Another option is to strip it and then send it to Research manakins for them to re fuzz it and it looks much better than the velvet after it's had nicks and bumps. It is perfect!


TOO perfect is a better word... Plus they NEVER get the right shade of reddish brown. :?


----------



## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> TOO perfect is a better word... Plus they NEVER get the right shade of reddish brown. :?


Too perfect may be the word but when you walk up on a freshly killed velvet buck they can look very nice. By the time that you move it for photo's, field care and getting it back to the truck, it looks much worse. Sprayed on velvet may be too perfect but it looks much better than a beat up velvet that has been attempted to save. It is also a very good option for bucks that have been weathered such as sheds or grandpa's old buck that hangs on the shed and you always wished that it would have been mounted before it looked so bad. The spray on velvet will spruce it up much better than trying to stain and fill cracks.


----------



## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

Havnfun- I charge $90 for a hard-horn deer euro. Add $30-40 for average sized velvet bucks to preserve the velvet and an additional $20 just because they take a lot more time and work. For an average velvet euro the price is around $140-150. They are very labor intensive to do them right.


----------



## havnfun (Dec 3, 2007)

Thanks Packout. Now I just need the deer !!


----------

