WANTED Antler Crown for Knife

appalichian hunter said:

Go to your local pet food store you should be able to find what you need in the dog chew section.

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andy52 said:

Just to make sure I understand your looking for a base antler with the bur included?

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stevew said:

Looking for antler section 5 inches long and around 1.5 inches in diameter.

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Notchy Bob said:

I've pulled together a little stash of antler for my personal projects over a number of years, including small quantities of whitetail and mule deer, Irish red deer, moose, elk, caribou, reindeer, and even a couple of small pieces of pre-embargo sambar. I don't want to sell any of what I have at this time, but do I have some suggestions.

First, 1-1/2" diameter is going to make an enormous handle for a knife. Are you sure that's what you want? If you look at knife handles and measure them (I have), most are around 3/4"-7/8" thick and maybe 1" to 1-1/8" wide. This fits the average size hand. 1-1/2" is about the diameter of a piece of 1-1/4" pipe. If you have a piece of that size pipe in your shop, hold it in your hand and imagine it is a knife. Unless you have grizzly-sized paws, I think you will find it is pretty bulky.

The crown section of whitetail or mule deer antler will most likely have a brow tine to contend with, as in @andy52 's post above. You might consider a shed elk spike. Study this page from Moscow Hide and Fur. You will probably want one from sheds rather than from sets. Sheds are naturally dropped or cast, and have a smooth base and intact crown. Sets are cut from an animal that has been killed, and have a flat saw cut at the base with the pith exposed. Elk antler will give you adequate size for a knife handle, but without the brow tine. Elk antler typically has a smoother surface, without all the bumps you find on the bases of deer antler.

Most dealers who handle a lot of antler sell by the pound, although they sometimes sell by the piece. These "pieces" might be whole sides (from sets or sheds), tines, bases, "rosettes" or "burrs," or beam pieces. They may select certain sections of antlers for specific purposes, such as long, straight elk tines for quirts, or long pieces of elk beam with most of the brow tine attached for wahinkas (plains Indian hide fleshers). A good-sized elk spike will be about 6-8 ounces, and good quality elk appears to be currently selling for $22-$25 per pound.

The antler is also priced and graded by condition. I would not pass up the "slightly damaged" antler, as the "damage' may be no more than a minor rodent chew or algae stain. Even the "B" grade antler may be good and solid, with minor surface damage or bleaching. You can save a few bucks this way, and still end up with a nice piece.

Respectfully, I have never seen a crown piece in the dog chew selection at any of the local supermarkets or pet supply places. Also, as brother @Two Feathers has pointed out, dog chews are expensive. I never buy "dog chews" (antler or rawhide) at the local markets, but I usually swing by and paw through what they have, gasp at the price, and walk away. I've seen some antler that would make a dandy knife handle, but at $20 - $30 per piece, I'm just not going to pay it. I did buy some "dog chew" pieces at the open-air market in Anchorage, but they were priced fairly. You are likely to pay 3-4 times the price of antler by the pound if you buy dog chews from the pet store or supermarket. I read an article recently about people who hunt shed antlers. It turns out this is a big business. These folks typically cut all but the finest antler up into dog chews, because that's how they get the most money. That tells us something about pricing for the end consumer.

I have bought some antler on eBay, from Centralia Fur & Hide, Moscow Hide and Fur, and from the farmer's market in Anchorage when I was up there a few years ago (good place for caribou antler, which is otherwise hard to get). I also bought some from a vendor at a bowhunter's rendezvous a few years ago. It pays to shop around. This is an elk "side" I bought from Centralia:

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I paid about fifty bucks for this antler, which is a shed. It weighs close to three pounds. There is enough antler there for a quirt, a wahinka, two or possibly three knife handles, plus three powder measures. The point being that if you like to make things, as most of us do, it pays to buy more than you need for your immediate project. Chances are pretty good your "leftovers" will be useful in the future.

If you buy a good sized shed elk spike, you should get a fine knife handle and a powder measure, at minimum, and maybe an awl handle, too. If you really want a deer antler with the crown intact, Moscow and Centralia both have them. Just browse around on their websites, and maybe call them to discuss what you want. There is also the possibility that a forum member may have what you want, if you-re willing to wait.

Anyway, I hope you find what you need, and show us what you make out of it!

Notchy Bob

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