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Doggett at Large by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor
If It’s Broke, Fix It HE WHITE RUMP OF THICK-BODIED MULE deer was small but distinct amid the brown tangles in the valley below. Colorado guide Dean Billington nudged with an elbow and raised his binoculars. We were sitting on a ridge, waiting and watching for game movement under the afternoon sun. “That’s a pretty good buck that just stepped out down there—about 1000 yards, to the right of that lone green tree,” he said. I steadied my 10x50s. “I got him. What do you figure, maybe 160 or 165 B&C gross?” Billington, of Bull Basin Outfitters, shook his head. “Oh, no—much better than that. The distance is deceiving. We need to take a better look at this one.” He focused a compact spotting scope. “He should gross 180, easy, and—oh, no— his front right fork is broken off several inches above the beam. Take a peek through here and tell me what you think.” I steadied behind the powerful magnification. I had one day remaining in the five-day trip. The mature buck was a clean 5x5 with deep forks and a wide, dark, “boxy” main frame. “I think we need to get closer. Right now.” We eased down the ridge, utilizing a screening hill, and closed the distance to 125 yards. The buck stood in the open. Broken tine or no broken tine, the rack now looked awfully impressive to whitetail-tuned eyes. “I’m gonna take him,” I whispered, raising the .300 Weatherby Magnum and pressing the trigger. Besides, I thought, I’ll bet Rocky can replace that missing fork. A week later, I strutted with the antlers and cape into Rocky Cooper’s Houstonbased Brush Country Studios. Naturally, the first thing I saw was a dark, heavy mule-
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deer rack that easily grossed in the 190s; such is the deflating risk of toting a proud trophy into the storage vault of a major taxidermist. But, record-class competition aside, I was proud of my buck. It was a career deer and a fine example of a solid Rocky Mountain mulie. The shoulder mount would look great on my wall—and I wanted every inch the buck grew to show. If you carry deer tags in your pocket, you probably know what I’m talking about. A few extra inches of hard-won antlers can be a big deal. “Not a problem,” Cooper said. “We replace tines all the time. Broken antlers are more common with whitetails than mule deer, but either way, it’s usually a simple job to create an honest reproduction. And that’s the key: We’re not adding something that wasn’t there to begin with; we’re just giving back what the buck started the season with. “Of course, a reproduced antler does not count for record-book or contest scoring, but most hunters just want a quality mount to hang on the wall.” Hard antlers during the fall/winter often are broken during violent clashes between dominant bucks during the rut. This risk has increased across Texas during the past 10 or 15 years with the proliferation of high-fenced and game-managed ranches. The emphasis on low doe-to-buck ratios only increases the competition for breeding rights and juices the combative nature of mature bucks. “South Texas is really a problem area because so many intensely managed ranches are down there,” Cooper said. “The South Texas rut starts in early- or mid-December and, frankly, it’s unusual for us to get a big Brush Country buck during December and January without something broken. “Primary tines are most common, but even main beams can be broken. Non-typical forks and kickers and drops are easy to snap and they can be harder to accurately replace; trail camera photos taken earlier in the season can be a big help there.” I assumed that the normal fix for a broken antler would be to cut a similar piece from an available surplus rack. Cooper dismissed that notion.
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“Now and then you can do that, but a good match is not always available. For example, you don’t want to use an antler from a Canadian or Midwestern buck to match a South Texas buck; the northern antlers usually have a smoother, glossier surface. “The best method is to take a silicone rubber mold of a similar tine from the existing rack. Silicone is great because it reproduces all the surface details such as bumps, grooves, or blading. You get an extremely lifelike copy.” He added that the skilled taxidermist seldom uses the opposite left/right antler because of the differences in angle and curvature. A better fix can result from using a tine from the same side. For example, the G2s and G-3s on whitetails often are similar in length and circumference. Once the molded piece is fitted, the color is matched with acrylic paint. The fast-drying paint forms a strong seal that won’t discolor with age. The typical charge for replacing a broken tine is $50 to $100. “Repairing broken antlers is easy, but I stress again that the job of a reputable taxidermist is to accurately reproduce the original rack,” Cooper said. “We are not trying to embellish the deer, and you can tell if you fake it too much. “For example, you’ve got a nice typical mule deer here, but there’s no way you’re getting 190 inches from a 180-class buck. At least, not from me.” Cooper did a great job; the reproduced tine faithfully matches the others. Nothing about the rack suggests tampering. Replacing a broken antler might not be for everyone. Some hunters prefer an “as-is” mount, and a broken tine might help define the character of a rough-and-tumble warlord of the brush. And, to reiterate, a repair job cannot be used as a “ringer” in a contest. But, if you prefer wall credit for every inch, a professional replacement can bring a prized mount back to true life at modest cost.
E-mail Joe Doggett at doggett@fishgame.com