Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Conditioning Sheep Horns

Anyone have any rec's for maintaining sheep horns, have a dall that needs some TLC. would appreciate it.

Clean them regularly and apply linseed oil often.

On my aoudad I use Old English oil and haven't had any problems.

The only thing I've rubbed on these Dall Sheep horns for the past 22 years are my hands. Kind of a nice thing about a set of horns.....you can grab them whenever and fondle them, unlike a mount up on the wall.

I think as long as the horns aren't exposed to direct sunlight in your trophy room, you don't have to put anything on them. Wipe the dust off with a damp rag every so often.

Many of the nations top taxidermist recommend Neatsfoot Oil for horns. I use it on antelope every few years and it keeps them looking really nice. Just don't over do it. It also is a good idea to "lightly" use Neatsfoot oil around the eyes and nose (provided the real nose was used) on mounts. Neatsfoot oil was designed to help preserve leather so it only makes sense that it would be good to use on mount to help prevent cracking around eyes and nose.

Yep. I have a hard time mounting heads, knowing that they'll be off limits. I like being able to stack them up and compare them too, and take different measurements whenever. Taxidermy makes that tough.

I'm about 90% sure if I ever get another Rocky tag or draw Desert Sheep those horns will be a Euro to match my Dall. Just to much fun getting to hold them all the time.

Did you guys attach the horns? Silicone?

Pictures like this make you nearly unlikable.

We didn't clean that one up but the guy that did does Bondo the horns back on.

Not my bone pile in the background!

Yeah Pat, those horns do look a little "grimey".

The sun is hard on horns wither they are in your trophy room or on the animal in the wild. In the wild, the animals rub their horns (and antlers) on trees and bushes, and the sap from those trees puts moisture in the horns, and gives them a darker color.

The Montana rams that I have shot all had fresh pitch or sap from conifer trees on their horns. I remember their horns smelling like a fir tree.

The surface of horns dry out over time and become lighter. I've found that an occasional light application of furniture oil on the horns and antlers restores the moisture in the horns and brings back their original color. If you put too much on, just wait a few months, they will dry and become lighter. Just don't use any kind of varnish. Over time, layers of varnish build up, turn yellow, flake off, and all kinds of un-natural looking things.

So you're trolling us with other peoples hard earned sheds now

I'm so ready for spring to start putting some boot miles on.

I already picked them all up, sorry.

Not funny! I don't plan to do any looking in MT.