What can you put on beards to save them?
I noticed that my others from past seasons
are falling apart
borax will preserve it forever.
Borax will take care of it for you.
When you remove a beard from a turkey you don't have to cut any meat off with it. All you have to do it grab it at the base and twist. It will not hurt anything but it will come off easy without any meat attached.
As others have said, borax works well. I've also done many with salt and had had no problems.
i used salt one time on a beard 3 yrs later i notice a few stands of the beard on the floor from time to time. i use borax. almost the best stuff ever found. all beards treated with borax are doing great. also borax is one heck of a weed killer. if u got nosy neighbors sprinkle some in there yard. and wait for the results haha jk
I pull mine let me hem dry a couple months and dip the base in epoxy.
I have a couple in salt now. Would it help to put Borax on them after I dry them in salt? Also would it be worthwhile to put Borax on my older ones? The oldest one is 5 years.
I have never dipped mine in anything. I leave just a little bit of meat on them and let them dry. I have beards 17 years old and they still look in great shape.
Any that are not displayed I dip the meat end in borax and store in a cedar box.
I just restarted turkey hunting about 4 years ago and so far, I haven't killed enough for any to NOT be on display!
I Borax mine as well and then when dry I put a couple of drops of CA on the dried end.
Get Borax at the grocery store in the laundry detergent aisle. Get a box of 20 Mule Team Borax.
A box will last a lifetime. It won't go bad unless you use it to wash your camo.
Your grandmother probably used it all the time.
(http://i62.tinypic.com/28s6h6x.jpg)
Just started redoing my beards to better keep track of them. I put the meat end in borax for a week or so, then I have been taking a piece of 12 ga brass and hot gluing them into the brass. Then I write the number of the bird on the brass as it corresponds with my journal. Been a fun project but got a few to go! ;)
Three I worked on tonight:
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/16/bb65c56eb5256095580667db2c0a4a33.jpg)
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/16/69f88df25b045fb82913b99ce378dec9.jpg)
Sent from the Strut Zone
I grab below the beard and pull up toward the head. Just a quick yank and it will come off clean. Then hot glue in the brass of the shell it was killed with like davisd9. I punch the primer out first then add a loop of boot lace through the hole. Hang it on a beard board and it's done. Never had one fall apart and no need to treat with borax/salt because there's no meat to worry about.
Trouble is getting the beard in that 20ga shell...
I do not use the shell I kill with. I use shells that I have patterned or was given to me by others. The shell that I kill with is left with feathers as a memorial, my mentor taught me to do that. You can get a beard in a 20 ga brass but it takes a little trimming and patience on some. Some would just pop in no problem, depends on the thickness of the beard.
Sent from the Strut Zone
I put borax on the end. I then wrap the end with a small piece of black leather with a loop attached and hang in a display case. I also treat my tail fans with borax. They will last your lifetime if kept inside.
borax
Like most have said, I use borax. Once they are dry use an epoxy or hot glue. Should last forever or until you dog chews several of them up. Happened to me a few years ago, needless to say I was furious.
As a few others have said, don't cut a beard off...just hold it tight where it attaches and tear it off like a sheet of paper. I've never had one come apart doing this. You don't have to preserve it in any way, it's just like cartilage. Leave it alone and it will dry rock hard. I first discovered this many years ago when, just for the heck of it, I grabbed hold of a beard and just pulled. I was certainly surprised when it just popped off!
Quote from: BigAl on May 18, 2015, 09:26:40 PM
As a few others have said, don't cut a beard off...just hold it tight where it attaches and tear it off like a sheet of paper. I've never had one come apart doing this. You don't have to preserve it in any way, it's just like cartilage. Leave it alone and it will dry rock hard. I first discovered this many years ago when, just for the heck of it, I grabbed hold of a beard and just pulled. I was certainly surprised when it just popped off!
What he said!
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Quote from: BigAl on May 18, 2015, 09:26:40 PM
As a few others have said, don't cut a beard off...just hold it tight where it attaches and tear it off like a sheet of paper. I've never had one come apart doing this. You don't have to preserve it in any way, it's just like cartilage. Leave it alone and it will dry rock hard. I first discovered this many years ago when, just for the heck of it, I grabbed hold of a beard and just pulled. I was certainly surprised when it just popped off!
Yep. The ONLY way to do it. No meat! I couldn't believe it either when someone showed me. I thought, man I've been doing it wrong! lol
Quote from: Snoodsniper on May 17, 2015, 03:54:39 AMThen hot glue in the brass of the shell it was killed with like davisd9. I punch the primer out first then add a loop of boot lace through the hole. Hang it on a beard board and it's done. Never had one fall apart and no need to treat with borax/salt because there's no meat to worry about.
Same here, but I leave about a 1/2" of the casing attached to the brass.
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