I don't know if you are like me but I have been keeping all of my whitetail deer antlers throughout my lifetime. I have two 55 gallons plastic barrels full of south Texas whitetail antlers that I have sawed off of the pedistals and zip tied the pairs together. They are in perfect shape, not bleached, and just stored away. Now I want to make something out of these. What ideas do you have on projects with these antlers? I would like to see some photos as well as "other" nifty ideas with the use of deer antlers!

I used to think a person was crazy if they didn’t keep every pair of antlers. Now I rarely keep any, it has to be a special set for me to keep. I gave away a lot to knife makers.

I shot a 146” 8 point this year and told my taxidermist to skull cap it and never picked it up. I wonder if it’s still there, need to call.

A 146" 8 is a trophy to a lot of hunters. Would be to me.

I have 5 shoulder mounted South Texas whitetails and 4 European mounts in my home. Of course, these are my biggest racks and the rest went into barrels for later use.

We have a ton of euros from all our species and a ton of sheds and deadheads.
Yep, we keep it all but do give away some antlers and euros.

Spouse went up and found his chewed up spike elk skull from last Fall last weekend, only had 1 spike left but we brought it home.

Oh it’s a big deer for sure.

One of my buddies owns a ranch that is one of the best in all the state. A bunch of us went down there the 2nd week in January. I got there about 3 and two of the guys had already gotten into the stand. I wanted to go hunt but ended up getting goaded into riding around in the Polaris and drinking a few beers. Low and behold we run up on a buck that ways over 400 yards down a road, me and my buddy ( who doesn’t get to hunt all that much) put a stalk on him while the ranch owner stayed back and video’d it. We ended up killing that buck at 76 yards. Ended up scoring 148” as an 8 point with two broken brows.

The next morning I got into the blind ( nursing a slight hangover ) and killed my buck around 30 min after sunrise.

Comparing the two hunts, I would rather relieve the 1st hunt 10x’s over, even though I didn’t pull the trigger.

I’ve been fortunate to get some nice animals on the wall and the experience certainly means more to me now than just the headgear, although the large headgear is nice.





But…I did pick up the rack on Friday from my taxidermist. Into the garage it went. I’ll keep that rack

I have all but 5 of mine in boxes in my attic. I had them displayed in my shop about 10 years ago and then we sold the place and moved. I finished out my new shop and don`t want them on the walls taking up space. Over the years I`ve lost the first buck I ever shot (8 pointer) and a few small bucks I shot 40+ years ago.

We find about 40-60 antlers a year, and sometimes we shoot a pair.
My niece hauled off a few hundred and sold them to someone that makes lamps and other artsy stuff.
I cut up few antlers for things around the house and the hunting cabin like fan pull chains, key fobs, drawer pulls, hat hook, etc.. But you do not need many for that kind of thing.
I know some that have stacked them into a tree for decoration sake, like at Christmas. My brother called the one his wife started a spider habitat, he decided that was a bad idea.
I know a guy that had pairs like you described. He tied the pairs together with a little bit of string between them and hung them on nails in his garage. He covered a wall, he had a big garage.
If you are patient enough maybe make a chandelier, I have seen some good ones. A friend look a bunch of his bigger antlers to a guy that made a chandelier for him. It was cool that he hunted ever one of them.

I rarely kill a buck since I am happy with a couple of does for meat. I have a bunch of deer antlers (mulie, whitetail and blacktail), elk antlers and pronghorn horns tossed over a rafter on a place I still own in CO. If I get a buck now I just toss the antlers into one of my wife's flower beds as decoration. I would be content to never take another buck now that my focus is on steaks and burger. In the end antlers just end up gathering dust somewhere.

Same here, I have shot one buck in the last 10 years, and he was about to die from a gangrene infection.
My wife has a few small sheds that she uses around candles and vases, like yearling size, that have a good curve to match whatever she has.

A friend of mine used to have a side business where he made Chandliers, and lamp stands with antlers.

Absolutely!

My biggest 8, 136-2/8". We have this genetic, some really big 8's. My hunting partner killed one this past season bigger than mine shown here, it was 21" wide. I don't think it's been scored. The one I'm showing here has some 3-4 year old off spring running around I've seen. Here in a year or two they will be hard to pass up.

Crappy pic but here he is

I was thinking he'd go 140 easy. Didn't. Measured a few times, 136 and some change. This was dry 2022 season.

This was the big guy we shot the day before. One of the best hunts I’ve been a part of.

It doesn't look like broke brow tines........looks like a straight huge 6.

just google antler lamps.

I've always wanted an antler tree, Christmas tree.

Used some to make my fireplace tool holder -

Got all of mine except for my first 4. I don't know what will happen to them all when I'm gone.

I have kept all in the past but don't keep any now unless what is larger. Looking at the ones I have does remind me of the good times.