HOW TO CLEAN A DEER MOUNT 

Go with the milder stuff at first soup and water etc

Very true Greg, when the hunt becomes about the deer only and not the story of the hunter, it’s easy to get discouraged. Well said. 👍

You too Richard! Good luck this season 😊👍🏔🦌

What did you get for a mount? Deer?

@@mtndeer Yes it's a nice Virginia mountain buck I shot last November.

Awesome! Congrats on your buck 🦌👍

@@mtndeer thank you!

You're welcome 😊

maverick5162010 the openings that develop over time from expansion and contraction (drying) can be filled and painted like body work on a car. I use sculp all and hide paste or even bondo on the bad ones then paint to blend it in ... go for it match color with what’s there.

@@mtndeer Thank you very much!! :)

Bruce Maatta I attended the New York State taxidermy association meat and there I listen to a seminar from Calli Morse. He’s a world champion taxidermist for turkeys and heat freeze dries all my heads. Hazel creek taxidermy

@@mtndeer thanks for the info

most any kind of clear coat even auto will work

Not usually, I would probably start with an air hose and try and blow as much of the dust and debris loose from it without wetting it and rubbing it into the cracks first. Then a dry dust cloth and wipe out it some if you have to again try not to push dirt into the cracks or any existing grease pockets where the skull appears yellow it might make it worse

Patrick Fredrick, hair dryer to blow the dust out wipe hair down with the paint thinner ( order less)on rag or paper towel) air hose will be better if it’s been on the floor.

Keep old mounds and dry even humidity. Leather can absorb orders and this can increase or decrease with humidity so staying dry is always good. The other thing that happens is there is a contraction and expansion of the leather with the ambient. moisture. So if there was any pressure it has to give somewhere and it might crack. McKenzie taxidermy supply sells a two-part clay type Apoxsee called magic sculpt. Mixed to even amounts fill in under the cracks and on top of them after and smooth with a wet finger or dental instrument. Then paint back to original. This leaves the leather loose but keeps it from getting worse and hides the crack much as Bondo in a fender. Sometimes Johnson’s baby powder or always my baby powder can assist with old smells. And Lysol Can be fairly effective as well.

We probably can switch them. Would need to look at the mount and the new set. Bases can sometimes be an issues but we do it a lot.

Inspect all your stuff pronto! Wire brush the bugs and lose hair out clean and spray , mount especially where it meets the wall on the backside. Inspect all your mounts everywhere and clean them ! Look for any food source like dog food under the refrigerator or cluster flies I don’t want any deadheads or any raw skull plates around either. I used Ray lawn and garden outside and gloves to spray. The moths are really tiny so keep the outside air and moisture away from your mounts. Birdseed can be another food source or grain. Continue inspecting finding and killing for the next few months.

@@mtndeer ok.yea this is bad news.i have brushed them realy good & sprayed & cleaned them.i hope this gets rid of the problem.i have 4 mounts & went ahead & cleaned them all.geez i have alot of money & time & memories invested in these mounts.

We will see what we can do 😉👍🦌

Rodney Elmer & Mountain Deer ok thanks and good luck this season

😂😂👍🦌

If stored near high heat it can make the hair brittle and dusty. We try to put them away from either extreme hot or cold. Room temp, interior wall, away from direct sunlight, and moisture. 👍

Yep it’s perfect

HarveyT33 If you discover that you have larvae chewing on your mount take it down and remove it from your game room right away and check other mounts. Go through and gently brush the hair and find out just how much is loose and where it is do you want to remove all the larvae and as many eggs as possible from it it’ll usually be near the wall but could be most anywhere , look the whole thing over good I like a small fine wire brush and gently brush at things and see where the loose are. Then outdoors I’ve use some flea bomb spray or raid type sprays to help kill the bugs. I’ve never had any of these bothered the hair myself but the more you physically remove them and then spray and place it inside of a big plastic bag or something to help contain it and take care of the problem before it gets real big and the mount is toast.

yep has for me just not on the painted surfaces!

Rodney Elmer & Mountain Deer thank you. Also, I prefer to have a beer WHILE I’m cleaning. Lol. I’m guilty though. It’s been a couple of years since I cleaned mine.

I use Kleen strip green. by barr. safe paint thinner non flammable

Most any kind of non yellowing clear coat

Sure!

@@mtndeer Thanks

Naturally watching a few taxidermy videos and learning about how it is done and there are dozens of ways may help. As far as the make up job of the painting yeah you can’t hurt anything to give it a try we can go over the top of what he’s done or you might be able to scrape some of it off and start over most any kind of glue can be chipped and picked away at and then cosmetically covered up with an airbrush or careful hand painting. A complete amount can also be washed externally with some shampoo and conditioner to help cut the greasy feel maybe. Try to keep the water from getting under the hide here. Also do you want to dry it as quickly as possible. Out in the sunshine with a hairdryer. A lot of how the hide is glued down, and probably the ears are in a great lot that you can do about without starting over. Remember we do taxidermy for feelings so you’ll have to work on your feelings as well. If you just can’t live with it. Don’t be afraid to start over, some things can get chalked up to experience and of course experience comes at a cost. I look back at some of my first mounts that I did for myself and they’re nothing special , Except they were at a place in time where I was then and again part of the story. Looking back on it now I just smile and it’s all OK.

Paint thinner

Mildew is the hardest to get rid of but scraping it out, and putting it near a dehumidifier will help, but there almost isn’t much of a way to get rid of it without ruining the mount

Whats the going rate now days to have a deer mount ? Bc the last time I had it done was in 2015.

jim Gallagher raid lawn and garden has worked good for me and do Outdoors of course and wear some gloves or something putting some on a rag and then rubbing it in will probably be a good idea to and it’ll have a lasting affect for a while And it’s mostly for things that you’re not gonna handle. Like a flat high that you would put out of the shower something you’re probably not gonna wanna put it on that something a little less harsh probably would be better. The big thing is to not have any moisture so they don’t wanna be around to eat it in the first place

Tim Farris If the deer needs an out and out washing, you can actually take some soap and water go in the direction of the hair and wash it (dawn ) doing your best to not let that water get underneath the leather from the outside. Then do a quick rinse and dry it fairly quickly like on a warm day in the summer.Take an air hose to blow most of the water out and then a hair dryer to finish up