How to Make Deer Feet Gun Racks
A deer feet gun rack is a popular addition to a deer head mount, as well as being a novelty in its own right. While most game mounting is best left to a professional taxidermist, a deer feet gun rack is something any outdoorsman can create. A display panel for the feet to be mounted on can be homemade; however, the feet mounting forms, clay, and preservative for the feet will need to be ordered from a taxidermy supply house. Order the supplies before season and have them on hand.
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Things You'll Need
- Knife narrow 4- to 6-inch blade
- Wire cutters
- Salt
- Taxidermy hide preservative
- Taxidermy clay
- 2 foot forms
- Glover's needle
- Waxed dental floss
- Stainless T- pins
- Display panel
- Drill
- Tape measure
- Clear varnish
- Small paint brush
Instructions
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1
Cut the front legs off of the deer by cutting in between the joints at the knees.
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2
Poke the tip of the knife between the hide and bone, at the top of the cut-off leg, and make a cut all the way down the back side of the leg, between the dew claws, to the hoof.
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3
Cut and peel the skin away from the leg bone. Dig the knife tip into each dew claw and cut around the cartilage, freeing the claws from the leg.
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4
Skin down to the hooves and dig the knife tip into each half of the cloven hoof, cutting around the bone and cutting the tendons free. Clip the bone free from inside the hoof with the wire cutters. Repeat this procedure for the second foot.
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5
Lay both skinned legs out flat on newspaper, skin side up, and coat them liberally with salt. Work the salt into the dew claws and hooves. Let this sit, as is, for 24 hours to give the salt time to draw out the moisture.
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6
Scrape and brush the wet salt off the leg skins and dig the salt out of the hooves. Dry the legs with paper towels, clothes, or other absorbent material. Thoroughly rub the taxidermy preservative into the skin side of the legs and into the inside of the hooves.
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7
Stuff a small amount of taxidermy clay into the hoof and dew claws, filling them completely. Do one foot at a time; complete the mounting before starting the second foot.
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8
Push the toe of the foot form into the hoof and mold the skin around the form.
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9
Sew the incision closed using the glover's needle and dental floss. Start sewing at the hoof and work up the leg by sticking the needle in from the underside of the skin, coming out the top, and crossing over to the opposite side of the incision. Repeat this stitch from side to side every 1/8 inch.
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10
Mold the skin around the end of the foot form and pin it in place on the end around the bolt protruding out the back of the form. Use as many T pins as it takes to flatten the skin. Trim off the excess skin and leave the foot to dry. Mount the second foot in the same manner.
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11
Remove the pins from the dried feet and trim excess skin, if needed. Determine where on the display panel the feet will be mounted and drill holes in the panel the same diameter as the bolts on the form.
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12
Push the bolts through the holes in the panel, arrange the feet so the hoof tips are straight up, and tighten the nuts.
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13
Paint the hooves with two coats of clear varnish.
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1
Tips & Warnings
The skin sticks tight to the legs and will need to be cut free the entire way. Cuts in the legs are hard to hide, so proceed slowly.
Waxed dental floss is a good thread for taxidermy work as it is strong and not affected by the chemicals.
Glover's needles are triangle-shaped with three sharp sides that cut through skin and hide. This is the standard needle for taxidermy work; a regular sewing needle does not puncture or stay sharp enough to work on tough hide.
The freeing of the leg from the inner hooves is difficult and requires some effort working the knife tip inside the hoof. There is a chance for slipping with the knife and cutting yourself here; work with the knife pointing away from you, not toward you.
