Introduction: Bring Life Back to Your Taxidermy Mounts

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With all the money you spend on getting an animal mounted, you definitely want your mount to last a lifetime. Mounts can deteriorate and crack over time. However, with a little maintenance using common household products, you can keep your mount looking as good as the day you got it back from the taxidermist.

Step 1: What You Will Need

Paper Towels
Rag
Q-tips
Glass Cleaner
WD-40
Furniture Polish
Petroleum Jelly

Step 2: Cleaning the Hide

Spray some furniture polish on your rag. Wipe off the dust and dirt from your mount. Be sure to follow the direction of the hair when cleaning.

Step 3: Cleaning the Antlers

Spray some WD-40 on your rag and wipe down the antlers thoroughly. Be sure to get into all the cracks. This will leave a nice shine and bring a life-like, colorful look back into them.

Step 4: Cleaning the Eyes

Spray some glass cleaner on a paper towel and clean off the eyes. After they are clean from the glass cleaner, spray some WD-40 on a paper towel and shine up the eyes to bring a life-like shine into them.

Step 5: Applying the Petroleum Jelly

Apply the petroleum jelly with a Q-tip or your finger around the eyes and on the nose. You don't need a large amount, just enough to surround the eyes and cover the nose. This will keep these areas from drying out and cracking in the future. It will also bring a life-like shine into the tear duct area and nose.

You may notice I already have some cracking around my eyes on this particular mount. That is from many years of doing no maintenance on this mount.

Step 6: Enjoy Your Rejuvinated Mount

You can see the major difference it makes with a good before and after picture.

I recommend doing this to your mounts at least once a year.