How to: Make a Cruelty-Free Wooden Deer Head

ManMade reader William an I have a lot in common: a love for crafting with power tools, a desire to reuse and repurpose scrap, and the goal of enjoying the trappings of classic “masculine” things like the mounted deer head, without…. you know, having to kill anything.   William says, 

I am not a hunter, in the literal sense; more of an alley walker, stalking dumpsters and backyard scrap heaps for promising prey, old wood, discarded appliances, mint-condition cardboard.  My trophies are oft-unappreciated, fading into the background of my apartment.  No longer.  Here is a way for us rifle-less sportsmen to decorate our bars, dens, and studies. 

With some weathered, old-growth wood, a bandsaw, and a free afternoon, I made my own deer mount with angular antlers and a smooth, modern appeal.  Without fur, it won’t hold smells and moths; without eyes, it won’t creep out little children; and without killing anything, it will appease the militant vegan faction.  So, grab some tools and go deer yourself.  

Bandsaw Taxidermy by William Holman

For the ManMade take on a similar project, check out our video how-to: Make a Faux-Wood Deer Head Silhouette