antler

Racks From The Dead

Joe_Cermele — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:12:33 -0400

Take a look at the racks on some bucks recently found dead in the Midwest. It's a bittersweet find, but at least the animals are honored by shed hunters.

Whitetail 365 blogger Scott Bestul sent in these photos. Click here to weigh in on the subject of harvest racks from dead deer.

The Heritage Blade: Extra Steps

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 05:30:00 -0400

Follow these steps to dress up the handle of your knife:
Materials:

2 small-diameter brass pins
2 brass rivets
A piece of cardboard

Directions:
Before inserting the tang into the handle...

[BRACKET "Step 1"] Make a cardboard template of the blade and tang.

[BRACKET "Step 2"] With a carbide bit, drill a test hole in a part of the tang where you don't intend to insert a pin. By testing the steel this way, you'll be able to tell if it is tempered too hard to drill.

[BRACKET "Step 3"] If the steel is soft enough to drill, position the tang in the handle, superimpose the cardboard template over the handle, and mark the positions for your pins by pricking the handle with a sharp nail poked through the template.

[BRACKET "Step 4"] Using a bit just wide enough to accommodate the brass pins, drill holes through the handle until the steel underneath is marked by the bit.

[BRACKET "Step 5"] Remove the tang, then drill out holes in the steel at these marks using a larger 3/16- or 1/4-inch carbide bit.

[BRACKET "Step 6"] If the steel is too hard, mark the handle through the template so that your holes are located near the edge of the tang, then take out the tang and cut notches for the pins in its sides using an abrasive cutting wheel.

[BRACKET "Step 7"] Fit your brass rivets into these holes or notches.

[BRACKET "Step 8"] Reinsert the tang into the handle, and with the finger guard in place, epoxy the tang in position.

[BRACKET "Step 9"] When the epoxy has cured, finish drilling the pin holes through the soft brass rivets and on through the other side of the handle.

[BRACKET "Step 10"] Tap the pins through the handle before the epoxy sets and peen the ends to secure.

Dream Bucks: Your Trophy Deer Photos From the 2005 Hunting Season

fieldandstream-editor — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 05:00:00 -0400

The Heritage Blade

fieldandstream-editor — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 04:05:00 -0500

Click here for additional directions on decorating the handle of your knife with brass pins.

A handmade knife, its handle crafted from the headgear of an animal obtained in the chase, is a treasured heirloom that will pass the stories of its maker from generation to generation. Anyone with a steady hand and a few simple tools can make one in an afternoon session at the workshop.

[BRACKET "Step 1"]
Cut the Handle
Select an antler or horn and cut it to length with a hacksaw, then file and sandpaper the piece until it fits your hand.

[BRACKET "Step 2"]
Choose the Blade
I advise buying a blade (Jantz Supply carries a wide selection; 800-351-8900; knifemaking.com), instead of trying to shape one. Choose a blade and tang with dimensions compatible to your handle.

[BRACKET "Step 3"]
Make the Finger Guard
Cut a finger guard from a piece of brass stock using a hacksaw. Shape it with a file, then drill a series of vertically aligned holes through its center. Using these holes to start the file, rasp out a slot for the tang.

[BRACKET "Step 4"]
Drill the Handle
Position the blade and tang, with the finger guard in place, above the handle so that the spine aligns with the handle's back. Using this for reference, mark a slot for the tang in the cut end.

[BRACKET "Step 5"]
Fit the Tang
Clamp the handle in a padded vise and drill a hole into the cut end. Using a piece of masking tape wrapped around the bit to mark depth, drill progressively shallower holes to either side of the center hole, then excavate a slot with files. Epoxy the tang and guard into this slot.*

[BRACKET "Step 6"]
Finish
File and sandpaper the handle until smooth and polish it with carnauba wax. Buff brass parts with a buffing wheel.

*Note: Do not epoxy the tang yet if you wish to decorate your knife with brass pins. Instead, Click here and follow the steps listed.

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Want to show off the knife you made following these directions? Send a digital photo to nate.matthews@time4.com and we may post it here on the site!

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Rack Up the Points

fieldandstream-editor — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 05:05:00 -0400

Your buck is down, and it's a brute. But what will it score? You'll need to wait 60 days for the antlers to dry to see if it's a record (the net score, which deducts points for asymmetry and extra kickers, is the only number you'll get into the B&C books). But most hunters and wildlife biologists only calculate the gross "green" score anyway, since it adds every inch of bone to the total. And with a flexible tape measure, you can take it right there in the field. -Gerald Almy

[BRACKET "1"] MEASURE the inside spread at the widest point between the main beams. Make sure your tape measure is perpendicular to the length of the skull and parallel to the top of the head. Round all measurements to the nearest 1/8 inch.

[BRACKET "2"] PLACE the tape at the burr edge and run it along the middle of the main beam on the outside, all the way to the center of the last tip. Repeat on the other side of the rack.

[BRACKET "3"] MEASURE the tines from where they emerge off the main beam along the outside of their curvature. Start with the brow tine (called the G1), then the next point (G2), and so on. Then record all abnormal points. Only count points longer than 1 inch.

[BRACKET "4"] MEASURE the circumference (mass) of each antler in four spots: roughly halfway (or at the narrowest spot) between the burr and the brow tine, the first and second points, the second and third points, and the third and fourth points. If the buck is an 8-pointer and doesn't have a fourth tine jutting off the main beam, take the measurement halfway between the middle of the third point and the tip of the antler.

[BRACKET "5"] ADD all the measurements for the final gross score.

For more information on scoring, contact the Boone and Crockett Club, 406-542-1888; boone-crockett.org; Safari Club International, 520-620-1220; safariclub.org; or Buckmasters, 334-215-3337; buckmasters.com.