The need to hunt is deeply and firmly rooted in masculine nature. Although the modern heads of families no longer have an urgent need to drag the carcass of a killed animal to a hungry family, they are still attracted by the wild nature. For some it is a way to change the environment and relax, for some it is an excellent workout, for others it is a profitable form of earnings. And every hunter appreciates the trophies. This is a memory of a heroic deed, a clear proof of one's own heroism.

Hunting trophies and collecting them

They even invented the term "trophy hunting". People who hunt bear consider the skin, skull and claws of the killed animal as trophies. Killed birds are stuffed or retain their claws and the most beautiful feathers. Wild boar and elk heads are also highly prized. But the most valuable exhibit in the collection of any hunter is the horns of ungulates - elk, deer, red deer or bison. Even if the animal for some reason only had one horn, you can make a beautiful wall decoration from it. Horns of ungulates are not always the same size or shape. But this does not stop avid collectors at all.

A collection of horns from one animal is considered a success indicator for any hunter. They are collected after the elk or deer have shed their antlers. It is necessary to keep an eye on the ungulate, to know all its habitats, the main routes of movement. The main exhibit is a skull with horns, which the hunter gets after the death of the animal.

The horns of ungulates are most often bulky and heavy. A special shield or medallion is made for them. Medallions for hunting trophies can be purchased in the store or made with your own hands. Even a person without special knowledge and skills can cope with this matter.

Horn medallion

The main function of the medallion is to hold the large weight of the trophy. Therefore, they are made of wooden planks at least 4 cm thick. In order to hang the exhibit on the wall, two metal brackets are attached to the medallion.

But you shouldn't forget about the aesthetic role of the horn medallion either. After all, too large and bright designs will distract attention from the trophy itself. The size should also be appropriate.

The shape can be chosen to your liking. The main thing is that the resulting product fits perfectly into the interior of the room where it will be located.

Often a tag is attached to the medallion under the horns with data on the date of shooting and the type of animal.

How to make a horn locket with your own hands

There are many types of medallions: round, square, shield-like, with carved elements. It is not difficult to create a medallion for horns with your own hands.

Stages of creating a medallion:

1. We draw on paper a figure with the size and shape of the future medallion, fold the paper in half, cut it out with scissors.
2. We attach a drawing to a wooden blank, circle it.
3. Cut out the figure with a jigsaw.
4. We grind the product with sandpaper.
5. We cover the surface with varnish or paint.

The horn locket is ready!

How to prepare the horns and skull

There are several main stages in the processing of the horns and skull:

1. The head of the killed animal is separated from the carcass immediately after shooting. For this, an incision is made between the second and third vertebra. The largest muscles are cut off with a sharp knife, the eyeballs and tongue are removed. In order to clear the head from the inside, a wire is inserted into the back of the head, the brain is shaken and pulled out through this hole. The remains are washed out under a strong jet of cold water.
2. If the separated head is sprinkled with plenty of salt, it will retain its "freshness" for several days. After that, the head must be boiled in spring or rain water. It is important that there are no chemical impurities in it. After all, their presence can affect the color change of the skull and even contribute to its destruction.
3. The head is placed in water completely. The horns must remain dry. For convenience, a special stand is often used that prevents the skull from dropping below. It is necessary to boil the skull until the meat is completely detached from the bones. The "finished" head is left in water until it cools completely. After that, the skull is taken out and allowed to dry.
4. Often the skull does not have an aesthetic appearance, and hunters prefer to hang only horns on the wall. In this case, with a surgical saw with fine teeth, they saw off all unnecessary, leaving only a small section of the skull to which the horns are attached.
5. If necessary, the skull can be whitened. To do this, mix ammonia and hydrogen peroxide in a 5: 1 ratio. Cotton wool is soaked in this solution and wrapped around the skull. Leave to bleach for 15-20 hours. The horns must remain intact.
6. The horns must also be carefully processed. If the size allows, then the future trophy is soaked for 48 hours in a saline solution. Then it is washed with running water. To give the surface a homogeneous structure, they are cleaned with fine emery paper. With a milling machine, you can also remove all irregularities and grind them. The final stage is the treatment of the horns with stain. This will help to disinfect them and protect them from the influence of external factors. If you wish, you can apply another layer of varnish on top. This will make the horns shine.

How to attach the horns to the medallion

The final stage remains - securing the trophy on the medallion. If the horns are small, then they are attached to the base with a wire. Massive - attached with self-tapping screws. Medallions for elk antlers should be as reliable as possible, since they are under heavy load.

There is a hole in the skull of elk and other ungulates, which is best closed with a block of wood. To do this, you need to cut out a wooden "blank", which will correspond in size to the hole in the skull, insert it into the hole and seal everything with putty. The surface can be sanded if necessary.

The hunter's trophy, decorated with his own hands, will become an ideal interior decoration, it can be sold at a high price or made a striking exhibit of exhibitions. Hunting horns are highly prized abroad.

Video

In our video you will find a master class on how to make a medallion with your own hands.

DIY hunting signal horn

To do it yourself signal horn, you need a long ox or cow horn. For cleaning it is boiled in water for two hours and carefully scraped from the outside with a sharp knife, after which the base of the horn is filed with a sharp (preferably new) file so that an even bell is obtained.

The cut of the horn should be perpendicular to its axis. Then the walls are finished with a file hornsmaking sure they are as thick as possible. After that, they begin to finish the mouthpiece. Cut off the top with a hacksaw or fine carpentry saw horns in such a place that the cut has a diameter slightly larger than a two-ruble coin. In the center of the cut, a longitudinal channel with a diameter of 8 mm is drilled, which should be directed along the longitudinal axis of the horn; after which the funnel of the mouthpiece with an outer diameter of 17-18 mm is shaken with a sharp knife to a depth of 12-14 mm; the corners of the funnel should be rounded. Outside, the mouthpiece is sawn off slightly into a cone, and the pipe walls should also go into the mouthpiece in a smooth cone. This creates a timeless, never-lost mouthpiece. The total length of such a horn is 30 cm.

For finishing outside horn scrape, leveling irregularities with a file, grind with fine glass or sandpaper, and finally polish with a piece of hard wood and cloth rags. The mouthpiece is also trimmed. A narrow belt or braid with belt ends is used to wear the horn. One end of the strap wraps around the neck of the horn under the mouthpiece. To prevent it from crawling onto the mouthpiece, it must be tightly clamped. The other end clasps the horn closer to the bell. The wetted loop of the belt is pressed tightly over the horn, which has been greased in this place with good wood glue.

Such signal horn it turns out to be very sonorous, durable, does not stick to lips in the cold, does not rattle when carried, and is very cheap. This is the oldest specimen hunting horn, it was used by foresters, lumberjacks, gamekeepers, riders and many hunters. In addition to its direct purpose, the horn, sealed in the mouthpiece with a wooden plug, served as a vessel for water during hunting, and as a traditional glass for grape wine at hunting feasts in the Caucasus.

Trophy horns are the pride of the hunter

As we mentioned in the first part about making hunting trophies, among the numerous trophy collections, the most valuable are the exhibits of ungulates, in particular skulls with horns. Such a trophy, and even an animal obtained with his own hand, is the pride of any hunter. Most often, the head is given to a specialist to make a trophy. But if desired, everyone can independently make a high-quality skull-trophy. This will be a huge additional reason to be proud of yourself, and for the family budget - a big savings.

As we mentioned in the first part, among the numerous trophy collections, the most valuable are the exhibits of ungulates, in particular skulls with horns. Such a trophy, and even an animal obtained with his own hand, is the pride of any hunter. Most often, the head is given to a specialist to make a trophy. But if desired, everyone can independently make a high-quality skull-trophy. This will be a huge additional reason to be proud of yourself, and for the family budget - a big savings.

A trophy exhibition is a way to show yourself as a hunter and see what others are worth

A bit of zoology

All ungulates are classified as bovids - bulls, yaks, bison, rams, goats, chamois, saigas, gazelles, antelopes, and bovine (deer). Deer include fallow deer, reindeer, elk, muntzhak, white-tailed deer, musk deer, red deer.

A distinctive feature of full-horned ungulates is the presence of bony horns. Females of deer, elk, roe deer (except for females of reindeer) have no horns.

Full-horned ungulates are the most coveted trophies

The second stage is brain removal. To do this, you need to take the wire, twist it into a spiral and insert it into the hole in the back of the head. The brain is shaken with a wire and taken out through this hole. The remains are removed with long tweezers. Then it is necessary to rinse through it several times under a strong stream of water.

Water must be taken from rain, spring, stream, thawed water - without the slightest chemical impurities and chlorine. Otherwise, the skull and horns can change color, lose attractiveness and even collapse with prolonged boiling.

For cooking, you need to take such a vessel so that the skull fits there completely. It must be poured with cold water and put on fire. At the same time, the horns of roe deer, deer, elk themselves should not come into contact with water. To do this, a transverse board is tied to them, and the lower part must be wrapped with dry cloth.

Digestion of the skulls of small animals is done in one step until the muscles and tendons are removed from the bones. This can take several hours. Boiling water must be constantly replenished to the original level - carefully add boiling water along the walls of the container so that splashes do not fall on the horns. After digestion, the skull is left to cool in water for 8 hours. At the same time, the water temperature is not higher than 20 and not lower than 10 degrees. Then take out the skull and let it dry in the shade, without hitting the sun.

Trophy elk antlers - high-class exhibition samples

Skull filing

This is a very crucial stage, because it will be a shame to spoil the trophy after the most unpleasant operations have been completed.

Rule 1. Skulls of deer, rams and goats are not subject to sawing.

The fact is that a trophy with teeth is very valuable, because the age of the animal can be determined by the wear of the teeth. For these ungulates, the lower jaw is attached to the upper part by wire or string.

Rule 2. If the antlers are very massive - in an elk or red deer, then the base of the skull and teeth are removed - the nasal, intermaxillary bones and orbits are left.

Sawing off the base of the skull should be performed using a carpentry or better - a surgical saw with fine teeth. In this case, the saw line is set as follows: the skull must be immersed in water so that the necessary parts remain above the surface. Then carefully remove the skull and mark the water level with a pencil, along this line sawdust will be made.

It is imperative to do it while the skull is wet so that it does not crumble.

If the skull remains dirty after cooking, then it must be washed with water with the addition of table salt or soda. Then clean from greasy stains - with the help of ammonia, you can wipe it with chloroform, in extreme cases - with gasoline or pharmacy ether.

Skull whitening

This is the stage of preparing the trophy for exhibition condition. In order to whiten the bone qualitatively, the entire skull is wrapped with cotton wool and tied with a cord. The horns remain open. If the bone is small, you can not wrap it up. Next, in a closed container, dilute a 25% solution of ammonia with hydrogen peroxide (15%). The ratio of the components is 5 to 1. All this should be done with gloves, glasses and a breathing mask. The wrapped skull must be carefully filled with this solution (2 cm higher, but without touching the horns). The exposure time is 15 hours for small skulls and 20 for large ungulates.

Skull polishing

This is the last procedure in the making. For polishing use the following mixture: 2 parts Viennese lime and 1 part powdered chalk. It should be applied with a clean, dry cloth and easily rub the entire surface and all the grooves. Second recipe: 1 part crayon to 2 parts denatured alcohol. If you like the matte shine of the bone, treat the skull with paraffin, gently rubbing it into the thinnest layer.

By the way, when participating in exhibitions of hunting trophies, the use of light cosmetics is allowed.

If the horns are very light, then they can be darkened - rubbed with a solution of potassium permanganate or an alcoholic infusion of walnut shells. This should be done, adhering to a sense of proportion - too much potassium permanganate will simply ruin the horns. So that the skull itself does not suffer, it is wrapped in a plastic bag. The horns should be polished with soft fine sandpaper.

If the skull was supposed to be made with teeth, sometimes they fall out during digestion. They must be inserted into place and fastened with quick-setting glue or eco-oxide.

Even at exhibitions it is allowed to show exhibits with imitation of a skull - made of wood, clay, plastic, plaster or metal. There are no special rules here, the main thing is that the stand is visually similar in shape to the skull or head of an animal.

Processing of skulls without horns

It also allows the option when the horns are exposed with the skull of another animal. For example, a deer's antlers are on. For this purpose and many collectors there are a couple of prepared skulls with hemp. Such skulls are prepared according to all the rules from the animals that have already been thrown off. Before the last stage of processing, special fasteners are inserted into the hemp, on which the horns will be attached.

Patterned decoration on the skull is a rare but very valuable way to present a trophy

Skulls without horns can be bleached in an easier way than those with horns.

After boiling and cleaning, the bone is treated with a 15% hydrogen peroxide solution. Or another way - to wrap the skull with a natural cloth - you can use gauze in several layers and place it in the oven, where it slowly heats up to 70-80 degrees for several minutes. Further, after cooling, the fabric is alternately moistened with a solution of soda and denatured alcohol - so 2-3 times. Then the skull is dried, clamped in a vice and the lower part of the skull is cut out. 6 mm holes are drilled in place of the stumps - horns will be attached there in the future. Hollow tubes in the form of hemp, 3-4 cm long, are inserted into these holes.

Next, the skull must be thoroughly wiped with acetone, from the outside, the base of the hemp must be sealed with clay, and from the inside with epoxy resin or any water-repellent glue. After 24 hours, the clay must be removed with a damp cloth, the skull must be thoroughly cleaned, dried and the joints covered with transparent glue. The transition from the forehead to the horns must be carefully processed - to make the transition as natural as possible. For this, a mixture of clay, chalk, nitro varnish and glue is prepared. The horns are fastened with screws that are inserted into the drilled base. Be sure to treat the hole with acetone for degreasing and fill the screw with glue. The skull is attached to the stand with a wire.

Video - deer antlers

Elk antlers - video from home collection

The first regional Kamchatka exhibition of hunting trophies - 2015

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The history of the signal horn has many, many centuries, and maybe even millennia (it is difficult to say more precisely) ...

From what they just did not make it ... From the horns of animals, from sea shells, from wood, from birch bark, then they began to make from metals: from silver, copper, brass, stainless steel, "in a hopeless state" they even made cardboard and plastic.

The most famous ancient surviving horns are made from elephant tusks and are elaborately carved. They were called Oliphants. Legends speak of the incredible power of the sound of Oliphant's horn. But the modern brass horn is far superior in timbre and volume to the bone horn.

They used horns to give sound signals during military operations and, of course, hunting. Later, they began to be used by sailors, postal workers, and railway workers - everyone who needed to give signals for warning. But in most areas of human activity, horn sound signals have gradually been supplanted by modern means of communication. There is only an image of horns on the coats of arms of postal and fire departments, horns are gathering dust in museums, where visitors cannot immediately understand what kind of exhibit it is. But in some areas of life they are still used.

As soon as the horns began to be made of metal, it became possible to compactly twist the pipe of a sufficiently long length, and, therefore, change its acoustic properties. The horn became louder, it was already possible to set its sound and extract not one, but several notes. Jean-Baptiste Lully introduced the hunting horn into the musical orchestra, which probably laid the foundation for European hunting music, and the hunting horn became the progenitor of many modern wind instruments.

What is a hunting horn, horn or bugle? It is, albeit a primitive, but musical instrument that can be made of different materials in the form of a cone-shaped or straight pipe, the sound of which is produced when the signalman's lips vibrate, when air is blown through compressed lips that are pressed against the mouthpiece. If, instead of a mouthpiece, a tongue is attached to the horn, which vibrates and emits only one tone, then my tongue does not turn to call this instrument a horn, but only the name "pipe", "beep" or "pipe" is asked.

Most often, a hunting horn is in the form of a twisted copper, brass or other metal tube with a bell on one side and a replaceable mouthpiece on the other. This is the so-called natural French horn. These horns of various sizes are most often used for hunting in Europe. With the skill, you can blow out several notes from such a horn and play a rather complex melody. The signals used by European hunters are mainly used for driven hunts. In Russia, for hunting with hounds, and sometimes during driven hunts, different horns and "beeps" have also been used from time immemorial, among which there are primordially Russian hunting horns, Russian horn signals. Let's talk about them.

The development of the Russian hunting horn, of course, is primarily associated with complex canine hunting, a phenomenon that has acquired many traditions in Russia, has given rise to new breeds of dogs, horses, new fashion... Hound hunting inspired writers, artists and musicians, changed the way of life of many generations and became a unique cultural layer of world importance ... an indispensable attribute of every participant. It was a means of communication and warning. The signals given by the participants in the hounds are colorfully described in the works of E.E. Driyansky, L.N. Tolstoy, A.S. Vysheslavtseva, N.N. Karazin and others. Here is an approximate set of them: "Let the hounds", "On the fox", "On the wolf", "Right", "Left", "Call the hounds", "Gathering", "Throw the hounds", "The beast is taken", "To the fight " other.

The signals weren't the same everywhere. “The old Russian signals are usually played more or less long, in full spirit, they begin with a low note and from it go to a high one. Polish signals, on the contrary, begin with a high note, while German ones are distinguished by greater virtuosity and shortness, dryness of notes and resemble military ones "," these signals, memorized by hunters by ear, trumpeting more according to legend, moving from hunting to hunting, from locality to locality, sometimes changed at the whim and arbitrariness of the owners of the hunt, recently they have reached such a variety that it is very tricky to navigate during the hunts of visitors, as well as for outsiders hunters. This confusion is further increased by the fact that over time signals from Poland, the Ostsee provinces and from the west were brought into our Russian hunt, and here, reworked in their own way by home-grown travelers, they became completely incomprehensible to anyone ... Wishing to achieve uniformity in this in fact and to restore the signals old, completely Russian, the editorial office ("Nature and Hunt") took advantage of the X regular dog show and the presence of experienced riders and hunters, checked the signals of various hunts, chose only completely Russian ones from them, and put them on the notes ", - wrote L.P. Sabaneev.

In the 18th century, an orchestra was created in Russia, consisting of hunting horns:

“By order of Naryshkin, the court conductor and French horn player Jan Mareš modified these instruments: some became smaller, others larger, and still others remained the same. Horns, which were made of copper for hunting, began to be made of sheet brass, and their length varied from ten centimeters to three meters. Now each of them already had its own specific tone. Mareche coordinated them in semitone sound and created a single horn orchestra. The main difficulty of playing in such an orchestra was to count the pauses well and play your note in time. A special system of notes was used to record the works of the horn orchestra. The repertoire of the orchestras turned out to be surprisingly rich - they played Haydn, Mozart, and Gluck.

Empress Elizabeth, hearing Naryshkin's invention, was delighted and ordered to immediately organize a horn orchestra at the court. Horn bands quickly gained popularity among the Russian aristocracy. The Naryshkins and Golitsyns, the Saltykovs and the Razumovskys were racing to create their own orchestras. In a short period of time, several dozen of them were created in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The Jaeger and Horse Guards regiments also had their own horn bands. Not a single significant event took place without their participation. They were also used as an instrument of foreign policy - in the truest sense of the word. The effect of the sound of the horn band was considered the key to success when negotiating with foreign delegations.

The fashion for unique, characteristic exclusively for Russia horn orchestras existed for about a hundred years, but then faded away.

The principles of playing Russian horns have their own specifics and are unknown to world musical practice. Each musician on one instrument at a certain time produces only one note - a natural tone. The orchestra creates a slightly fluctuating soundscape that is supported by the acoustics of the hall. Repeated attempts to revive Russian horn music over the past 150 years have not been successful. "

And in our time in St. Petersburg, enthusiasts organized the "Workshop of hunting horns" and not only recreated the hunting horn of the 19th century, but were able to organize the production of all types of horns and horns that were used in Russian hunting with dogs. These instruments not only copy the shape, but also have the same original mouthpiece as in the old days. In the assortment of the workshop there are several semicircular horns that differ in size, which were used by greyhounds, horns in the form of a "goat's leg", which were used by squeegees, also of several sizes, as well as straight ones. For hunting in our cold conditions, you can use, in addition to metal, both plastic mouthpieces and mouthpieces cut from a moose horn.

The "goat's leg" or the semicircular horn of the greyhound does not collect moisture as much as the "French horn", so it does not need to be blown out before signaling in the cold season. Such a horn has a special sound. Even the most discerning and conservative racers will be satisfied with the juicy sound. And even having a real Russian hunting horn, it's easy to make out the notes, listen to the recordings and learn the signals that were used by Russian hunting 200 years ago

No matter how technological progress develops, the hunting horn still remains an important tool when hunting with hounds. It is to the sound of the horn that racers teach their dogs to return from the rut. (You can't tell a dog where to go with a walkie-talkie.) To do this, they give a signal every time they feed. Living in apartments in any weather have to go out to feed on the street in order to consolidate the skill and "feed with a horn." Therefore, if early in the morning in the dark or in the evening you heard the powerful rolling call of the hunting horn in the city, then, most likely, this racer feeds his dog.

In addition to the classic hunting with hounds, you can, following the example of European colleagues, use horn signals on driven hunts. Give signals before and at the end of the corral, designate with a special signal which animal is in the corral (for example, "wolf"), blow "collection", "the animal is taken" and so on. In some farms, even in the presence of radios (which are not always enough for all participants in the hunt), they use horn signals. In addition to the traditional color, clearly presented horn signals are informative and more practical, because they eliminate the noise on the room, unlike a walkie-talkie.

Let's hope that both our ancestors in the 19th century, and ours in the 21st century, the horn will continue to sound on the hunt.

“Having done the job, the hunters gave three signals to the hunter one after the other that“ the beast was accepted ”. About ten minutes after that, the greyhounds from various points announced the same thing ... On our side, eight were received. On the right side, a she-wolf with three young and two peyarks was hunted down. Finally, the call was given to "Hunters to the Congress!" The hunter's horn was already humming near the edge. When we had already approached the snares, Theopen had just emerged from the slum and, standing in the meadow, was humming a horn incessantly; a small group of dogs had already gathered beside him; the rest fell one after another from different sides ... "E. Driyansky," Notes of a small-grave one. "

Text: Vladimir Kostenko

Photo: Valentina Feofilaktova and from the archive of the "Workshop of hunting horns V. Goloveshko and P. Chukavin"