how much do antelope shrink?

H

hangingmeat

Guest
i just picked up my antelope from the taxi- he did an AWSOME JOB!

very detailed, and everything about the taxi work i am super happy with!

BUT they seem to measure quit a bit shorter than when they were measured before? i'm talking about a full inch in length?

i have the original score sheet- and they measure an inch shorter in length right now.

is this normal because antelope have "horns" made of hair or is there a chance that the horns were set to deep and on the mold?

again, i'm super happy with the mount, and would not even think about taking it back to the taxi- i'm just curious more than anything- thanks
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-21-12 AT 06:42PM (MST)[p]It really depends on how they were handled from when you killed him until they did the taxi work. Depending on how they were handled sometimes they won't shrink much, but from reading of other's experiences I've heard of them shrinking more than what yours did. Are you aware that they actually remove the outer black horn from the bone it sits on to clean it all up? Most of the time I think they boil them to loosen them for removal and then it depends on how they store them until the 60 day drying period is up for official scoring.
 
I have four antelope shoulder mounts and three antelope skull mounts done by two different taxidermist and they all shrank a surprising amount. Some a little less than yours and some a little more. Yes it is normal for them to shrink that much.
 
All horned game shrink more then antler game i dont know why but when i worked in the taxi shop we would always take a green score and final and most antelope if i remember right average about 1/2 shrinkage but i have seen almost 1 3/4

www.hightopoqutfitters.com
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-21-12 AT 08:09PM (MST)[p]Length can only accurately be measured with the horn off the sheath as the base is always irregular and you have to take the measurement at a 90 degree angle from the lowest point on the base with a straight edge...I've killed over a dozen bucks and the most shrinkage I've had on length was about 1/2 inch. Your assumption is probably right...on the mount an antelope will normally always measure less than when its off the sheath. I've never heard of an inch shrinkage on an antelope 16 inches and under by an official measurer. To have that much shrinkage would probably be the fault of one of the scorers...either way congrats on the antelope.
 
30 hart, do you think a scorer could possibly mess up a length of horn measurement by an inch?

i mean- wrap the tape from the base of the horn , along the outside line, to the tip- i don't see that as possible . i could see and 1/8 or 2, but an inch would be pretty tough.

again- i'm not complaining- i'm super happy with my antelope. he's got some killer cutters and is layed out super wide- with great mass.

i just couldn't believe how much length is gone. although- i cant hook the base of the horn now, so i'm just wondering how much more is down there that i cant see?

it doesn't matter to me - i'm not a score hunter, just a mature animal hunter. it's just that when everyone asked how big he was , i told them- 15 1/8.

now when i pull my tape, i'm being a little "favorable" by giving it 14"?

it's fine by me, but it don't sit well with me that i told some people one thing and now it's not true. i REALLY don't want to be known as "that guy".

but i still think he's awsome!
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-22-12 AT 01:15AM (MST)[p]Your buck didn't happen to take a dunk in cold water before you measured, did it? :)

Kidding aside, antelope horns can and DO shrink...speedgoats are amongst the worst of the 'horned' animals with regards to shrinkage

Shoot, I've got one muzzleloader buck that is Euro mounted (without any filler to hold the shape of the bottom part of the sheath...just horns slid onto the cores) that measured just under 75" as he lay dead. He went right at 71" within about a year from when he was killed. That includes close to an inch of length per side. **14 7/8 down to barely over 14"

This is a pretty extreme example, as the sheaths are not 'sealed' in any way, nor have any 'filler' between them and the cores, as mentioned above. I also live in a very dry climate.

30 Hart is correct in that it is somewhat more difficult to establish an accurate base line on a taxidermied pronghorn, but I don't think it quite takes an 'official' measurer to figure it out ;)

**---edit
 
I've got a few mounts and euros, but my biggest goat shrunk the worst. He was 15 7/8 and 15, now he is 15 and 14 1/2. Too many variables, between shrinkage and where the taxi sets them.
Post up a pic of your goat!
 
to answer your question, maybe. If the 1st person that scored it took the correct measurement on the bottom most jutting out spur of the horn with a straightedge and the second scorer just hooked the base with the tape you are going to be off about 1/2 inch or so. Its hard to put in writting but when you measure the length sometime your tape is hanging in air touching the straightedge and not touching any horn. I'd say you lost a 1/2 in shrinkage and 1/2 in scorer error.
 
I see what your saying now, and that makes sence.
But Antelope sure are pretty animals!

As far as posting a picture, i wouldn't have a clue on how to do it.

thanks for the input everyone!
 
Ditto to antelope shrinkage, and none of us like "shrinkage"...in any form. I was told by an official B&C measurer, that if you immediately clean the horns and then "bondo" the sheaths back on the bone, you will have the best likelihood of minimal "shrinkage", for what that is worth.
As far as telling the truth about an animal, I killed a mule deer buck in Kansas over 30 years ago that measured 31 3/4" outside spread when I killed him. Now he measures about 29". I have always been able to say that I killed a Thirty inch+ buck, but that is no longer true. Does that make me a liar?
The point is, you know what you have and nobody is going to bring a tape to your house and question your numbers.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-22-12 AT 10:22AM (MST)[p]As an OM I've seen them shrink a lot, however you are comparing a measurement between pre & post taxidermy. You can't get to the true base of the horn after it's mounted therefore taking a length measurement with the hide on will result in a shorter length. This obstacle on top of Antelope horns shrinking easily accounts for the 1"+ you are short.

As a hunter, mine have all shrunk also.

One of mine was right at 89" and after the 60 day drying period it net scored 86-4/8". It may have got over boiled getting the horns off...?

Antelope horns are going to shrink. It is unavoidale. I've heard of people trying all kinds of silly "tricks" to keep them from shrinking. None of these so called tricks work, and sometimes I think they can make things worse.

In my opinion, the best thing you can do is on the day of the kill - get the skull cleaned, the horns off the sheaths and cleaned, then let them dry for 60 days at room temperature. Best place is in the house, out of the sun light. It is acceptable to use a filler between the bone and horn sheaths so long as it does not artificially inflate the circumference of the horn.
 
I was told recently by an outfitter that mostly guide antelope hunts than to have an antelope make Boone and Crockett after the drying period you will most likely need that goat to green score in the 84-85 range to allow for the shrinkage in length and mass. I haven't killed one that big to verify but my antelope this year went from 15 to just under 14 after drying.
 
I have six pronghorn trophies in my office. The one I shot this year was the second largest when I brought it home. Now it is tied for the smallest. It shrunk much more than any others I have previously killed.

I read something recently from a B&C scorer who advised having antelope measured as soon as possible after the 60-day drying period because they shrink more than any other animal.
 
I found the citation. This comes straight from the B&C site:

"The B&C minimums are 80- and 82-inches for the Awards and All-time record books. Of all species, pronghorn shrink the most, so it is always best to have them officially scored right after the 60-day drying period."
 
I can see them shrinking an 1" or 2" in total score but to lose a whole inch in length is odd.

I have a few antelope euros and 1 mount. One of my Euros the beetle guy drilled holes in the back of the horn into the core so they could be relocated in the correct relation to the skull.

The other was not marked and the sheaths were secured right tight down to the skull. The difference is pretty substantial, if the sheaths were dropped tight to the skull plate you could have lost that 1" you decscribe easily. Especially since you say you can no longer reach the bottom edge with your tape.
 
For kicks, I just put a tape on the sheaths of the above-mentioned Euro goat...long side is 13 5/8!

If I remember correctly, he was killed in 06
 
Everything said so far seems to add up...I shot a buck this past fall that I green scored twice at 84 1/2. I took it to a taxi and had the skull boiled/cleaned and after 60 day drying period it netted 80 4/8. I was blown away that it would have shrunk that much but that seems to be the case. Having read some since there it seems the best thing you can do is "sweat" the horns off and then boil the skull by itself and clean the horns up...don't boil them...
 
Freezing them is very bad as it sucks all the moisture out of the horns. They have quite a bit of water in the horns so as they dry they naturally shrink. Some taxidermists can cheat up the length by placing then higher on the sheath but they need to rebuild the bottom a little to compensate. the best way to keep them from shrinking is to place them in a refrigerator with high humidity, this does not take any moisture out of the horns and they stay practically the same size. We did that with a book head and it lost nothing from the green score to the final 60 day score.
 
big6 said:
All horned game shrink more then antler game i dont know why but when i worked in the taxi shop we would always take a green score and final and most antelope if i remember right average about 1/2 shrinkage but i have seen almost 1 3/4

www.hightopoqutfitters.com
Click to expand...
Hi. Is there any way that I can take my Kudu horns off after three years. I got it as a gift and I'm strugling to take the sheath off from the bone. Kind regards. Louwtjie
 
That’s a long time ago, the only thing I think you could do is soak them… For how long? I bet it would be a couple of weeks of soaking….
 
Antelope horns are made of a modified hair.
When the Antelope was alive, I expect that it contained moisture and such. Dries out I would expect. Shrinks as it dries. Think of a piece of wet wood drying out.....shrinking as it dries.
Deer/elk antler is made out of bone. Still has some moisture I am sure, but a lot more structure to hold on to size.
 
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This posts needs pictures fellas!!

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Drill a small 1/8” hole in the back of the sheaths at the hair line… Then you can align the sheaths later with finish nails while using bondo for reattaching sheaths to the scull plate…
 
Louwtjie said:
Hi. Its unprocessed. Nothing was done with the horns. It was just on the roof for long. Now I am wanting to make Shofars from them as gifts for family.
Click to expand...
OK, at least that generally means there's no glue involved. I'd try soaking them for a while to see if that helps loosen them.
 
Louwtjie said:
Hi. Is there any way that I can take my Kudu horns off after three years. I got it as a gift and I'm strugling to take the sheath off from the bone. Kind regards. Louwtjie
Click to expand...
If you have a pot big enough simmer them for a while in straight water, then give them a few whacks with a rubber mallet, should cook the meat under the horn and they should come off
 
I don’t ever boil my skull/horns. I put them in a sealed garbage bag. When it’s warm I can usually pull the horns off the skull in around 3 days. If colder it takes longer. Make sure they don’t dry out or this won’t work.

Once I get the horns off I boil, clean, borax/peroxide the skull. If you don’t want your bucks bases to shrink use bondo and coat each horn inside and pedical with bondo. Press the horn on each skull and make sure not to get bondo on anything. Once dry it won’t shrink. Get this done as soon as possible after shot!
 
taximan said:
the best way to keep them from shrinking is to place them in a refrigerator with high humidity, this does not take any moisture out of the horns and they stay practically the same size. We did that with a book head and it lost nothing from the green score to the final 60 day score.
Click to expand...
THAT is in 100% violation of the rules of every record program. Trophies must be kept at habitable (room) temperature for the entire 60 days, not in a refrigerator or freezer.
 
I think the O.P. answered his own question. When the horns were officially (?) measured, they were likely without hair and you could accurately measure to the true base. Once mounted, the hair covers the bases, and there is no real accurate way to measure the length once they've been mounted. I would encourage anyone that wants to have a pronghorn measured for the record book to do so BEFORE it is mounted. The same is true of all horned animals, goats, bison, sheep, etc. for the same reason.
 
sheaths off the head will easily shrink 1/2" on H1 an H2 both sides.....that's 2"......I've never seen length change much....except for ability to get to the longest point on mounted heads
 
Those horns will shrink fast if left off of skull very long. The sooner the skull is cleaned and horns bondoed back on the better.
571B37FC-630A-409F-B533-7DA55FFE388E.jpeg
 

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