Transforming Whitetail Antlers into Stunning Cabin Decor
I started working with antlers as a hobby shortly after the COVID pandemic hit. I had a good cross section of old antlers that had been collected over the years, including quite a few from previous harvested whitetail that did not make it to the wall. I started making small projects out of antlers for a small hunting cabin that we spend time in each fall and I was thinking of other creative ways to display the antler collection. I came across a photo online of a European deer skull that someone had mounted on a shoulder mount made of antlers. I thought it would look impressive to have an entire mount made solely of deer antlers, so that is where the shoulder mount project started from. I completed this project and had a nice set of sheds I wanted to finish it off with. This was probably the most frustrating point in the project. I tried various methods including screws and pins, but had difficulty in lining up the antlers so they were perfectly symmetrical with each other and I had no real “play” with the methods I was trying. I was never completely satisfied with the end result. I found the RH2 after some searching and thought I would give it a shot. I wish I found this earlier as once installed, it was extremely easy to fine tune the antler set to exactly how I wanted them to finish off the mount.
I was happy with how this project turned out so I thought I would try another. This time I wanted to challenge myself in using 100% sheds and without cutting any antlers in the process. As I accumulated more antlers, the project grew legs (literally) and just kept growing until the entire deer sculpture was formed over time. Although the RH2 worked so well for me last time, I opted to try the antler bars this round as I wanted to hide all hardware on the project to keep the natural look as best as possible. Once again, I was surprised how easy this was to work with. The antler bars were an simple install right into the existing antler formation and I did not need the perfect angle on install to make them work. They are firm, yet you can bend them slightly if needed to fine tune your adjustments to get the look you want.
I can honestly say that I am impressed with these products. They are quality material, look great and are very easy to use. I look forward to trying out some of the other products being offered by RACK HUB in future projects.
Submitted by Lee Fortin