SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 19 Andy's Hunting Guide How many times have you taken a potential trophy animal, only to leave the tusks, horns or antlers behind? This is usually because you didn't know what to do with them yourself, or couldn't afford to have a taxidermist do it for you? I'm sure most have done this, but there is no reason to. In the following article I will endeavour to show you some easy and interesting ways to prepare and display trophies and they won't break the bank. Not all trophies warrant spending your hard earned dollars at the taxidermist and if you don't spend enough on taxidermy, your trophy will come back looking like a goat, even if it started out as a deer. Not all our spouses or partners are keen on having their every move in the room followed by a pair of cold, glassy eyes. Nor do I take a trophy animal because I am taken by its "boyish grin". With antlered or horned game you have two choices: 1. A skull cap mount is where you saw the skull through, above the eye sockets, towards the back of the skull. This is suited for display in confined spaces or narrow hallways. 2. A complete skull mount is where the whole, bare skull is on display with the horns or antlers. This is better suited for display where more space is available. Both these styles only need the bony section boiled for a couple of hours, then cleaned with a "Gernie", followed by a soak in some bleach water which will get the skull nice and white. Pig tusks can be removed by boiling, and displayed as a pair on a timber board. Another interesting style is the nose or snout section of the skull, containing the whole tusk, stuck to a board. This method shows the relationship of the tusks to the grinders of the upper jaw. A whole pig skull also makes a good trophy. An animal skin floor rug is also a striking and hard wearing trophy that is often overlooked. I believe this is because tanning is thought to be a "dark science" and not possible for the novice. This is incorrect. A medium sized deer or goat skin can be tanned easily and cheaply at home, using readily available items. A half sheet of ply or MDF, staple gun and salt will get the skin flat and dried out. The tanning is done using a paste made from bicarbonate soda and kerosene, applied twice for 3 – 4 days each application. Brush or broom the skin clean and gently sand the surface all over using a circular sander and coarse disc. Apply a mixture of neat foot oil and cloudy ammonia, or leather dressing oil, to help soften the hide following drying. All the above processes can be done for very little cost. Salt is cheap and all homes have some bleach or bicarb soda. Kerosene is easy to get and most pet shops or saddleries have neat foot oil or leather dressing. I will explain the different methods for the above processes in greater detail in a later article. Call me at the Range if you can't wait until then. See you in the bush. Cheers, Andy Mallen Budget Trophies

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