Bucktail and antlers

[Betty Hiner]

Can someone please help me find how to de-bone a bucktail? And how to remove a good portion of skull cap from antlers? My son presented me with the tail and antlers from his first ever buck hunt, and I'd really like to use the bucktail for tying, but certainly don't want it even out of the freezer till I know how to clean and de-bone it. Would like to use the antlers for display of flies, but again, the same provision applies!
My kids bring me the coolest things!? This one at least beats the duck head my son-in-law came home with! (yes, the feathers were really great, but the tongue sorta turned me off) Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Trouts don't live in ugly places

[billknepp]

Betty,

Depending on which of the colors your most concerned with keeping the most of...You can either slit the hide up the tail...which would be the easiest way or take the hard route and try useing a pair of pliers to strip the hide down the tail..very hard to achive after the tail has been removed from the animal..This is best done while skinning the animal...no matter the animal.I use the inside of the handles themselves..that way you get a good grip and still keep a smooth slideing surface...a little dextarity is required...I debone all of my tails during the skinning opperations..I hunt mostly because I tye ...lol...and the tablefare is'nt bad either

Oh yeah..the skull cap...do mean the removal of the hide...or the skull...for hide..all I can say is pliers and knife with some muscle...skull...Bone saw...Goodluck Miss Betty !

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"I've often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before" A.K.Best

Everyone wants to excel in this sport but at the same time we let traditionalists place restrictions on our tactics, methods, and ideas. I always assumed that fly fishing was a sport that allowed imagination, creation, adaptation, investigation, dedication, education, revelation? : Fox Statler, On Spinners (Not the dainty Dry Fly kind) "Spinner'd Minner Fly"

"Wish ya great fishing"

Bill



[This message has been edited by billknepp (edited 26 November 2005).]

[This message has been edited by billknepp (edited 26 November 2005).]

[bubba_orvis]

Getting hide/meat off a skull....well nature let's the ant's do it nicely. Just put it near a mound for a few days.


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bubba_orvis

[William Fitzgerald]

Just finished a couple tails--First I wash them with soapy water to remove any dirt or blood and rinse. Lay it good side down and slit to the tip of the bone peal the skin off the sides and air dry. Do not use salt or borax!!! That just adds more work in cleaning. I just use a hack saw to cut the material off the antler,then pliers.

My son likes to leave the bugs clean scull and all by putting the head in a tree--
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Bill




[This message has been edited by William Fitzgerald (edited 26 November 2005).]

[Betty Hiner]

Oh, my ... this is going to be interesting!

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Trouts don't live in ugly places

[billknepp]

The latest rage is boiling and then bleaching the entire skull...you know like you see those old steer skulls with the horns sitting in the sand ..thats what ppl are trying to duplicate...they'll wrap the bases of the antlers with thick old rope and hang them on their wall that way...seen these selling for big bucks...umm no pun was intended ...lol..but I doubt that is what you were looking for...

[MNFisher]

Here's something that may help:

[url=http://www.atving.com/tmpl/features/outdoors/hunting/mount/antlermount.html:f4f60]http://www.atving.com/tmpl/features/outdoors/hunting/mount/antlermount.html[/url:f4f60]


If the tail has been cut from the deer, you can easily remove the entire bone from it by pulling it out with a pliers (without cutting the length of the tail)