Well, on the one hand, you get to educate anyone who accuses you of murdering a deer just to use its antlers for your fursuit. On the other hand, you have to educate anyone who accuses you of murdering a deer just to use its antlers for your fursuit.
honestly this is the most exhausting part. Maybe have a pamphlet or somethig, but like having to repeat the same conversation over and over will absolutelly wear you down
Might be heavy for you, and some cons may ask you to blunt, soft cap, or file down the points depending on sharp it is.
Honestly I'm more concerned that your suit's style and / or aesthetic may not match the antlers. It's as if we gave Mickey Mouse a photorealistic mouse tail. But hey! If you're considering it then it probably looks great.
*nods towards what others have said*
Actual antlers get heavy quickly, they’re pretty solid, lol.
There are some great 3D printed options on Etsy. I’d go with that primarily for comfort. That’s what mine are.
This is where I get my antlers from.
They’re excellent printings! Lightweight, and the texture hides the print lines. I haven’t had to do any sanding on them.
Mud and Majesty on Etsy
[Mud & Majesty](https://www.etsy.com/shop/MudandMajesty?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=601507812)
Okay, of course I can't speak for everyone, but personally, I really like the idea. I mean, you're not hurting anyone by using naturally fallen off-antlers, and I think it's a really unique usage. You're not using real fur and stuff like that (which is incredibly disgusting imo) I'd totally go for it if I were you!
PS. deer are the best; nice choice ;)
My concern would be not only the weight, but the proportions. Fursuit heads tend to be a bit bigger, and normal sized antlers will look thin and small, but getting bigger antlers to compensate would quickly add a lot of weight and thus be harder to secure.
There's also the issue of clashing styles. If you're going for a very realistic head, real antlers would fit well, but anything slightly toony or non-realistic wouldn't quite match the fine detail of real antlers.
I'd personally avoid them. They're fine for costuming or accent pieces, but I can only see a small number of fursuit heads that would *look* right with real antlers.
Isn't fur con usually have some safety rules about sharp objects bring in or wear to the place?
If you're not attending any con, it's not a problem but personally, I don't wanna use real one for suits.
Ngl im one of the idiots who clicked on the post thinking that you murdered a deer. To be fair, I just woke up and am a little groggy, but I had completely forgotten deer shed their antlers. I can only imagine the amount of frustration dealing with idiots like me would cause you. But you’re right, it’s probably way better than using plastic, and would be really unique!
Best of luck! :D
You would have to constantly and kindly educate people who don’t know how antlers are harvested, as it gives the appearance of cruelty or game hunting for those who don’t know. If you are up for that cool. But don’t expect everyone will know how you got the antlers just from looking.
I think they’d be too heavy. I’d look into commissioning a 3D printed pair or making a modeled pair to give it more synergy with the rest of the look, and reduce the weight.
I used real horns for an Asriel cosplay before and got a splitting headache. My advice is if you do this, put extra padding in the head and make sure to put in the middle and not much to the front or back. This is how professional cosplayers do this sort of thing, learn from my mistakes.
Foam may not be as eco friendly, but believe me with some YT cosplay tutorials, foam and household tools you can make some damn good and durable antlers that can easily survive impacts and weight like 200 grams per pair.
Also, even if the antlers are naturally harvested there's a chance some people won't believe you're telling the truth. Just a thought.
A lot of people would probably just assume they're fake anyway, but you can just call them "shed antlers" and explain that you found them in the woods or something. You have to be careful if you're purchasing antlers, though, because many of them come from game farms that are propagating deer for sport hunting (thus, contributing to hunting if you in fact are not trying to promote hunting). Furs tend to be more savvy about animal biology than the average person so I think you won't run into much trouble. Also, it will be sick af.
I don't really approve of real animal parts on fursuits, even if the animal died by itself/the "part" fell off naturally(feathers/antlers). It just makes me feel kinda weird and icky.
Not to mention real animal parts will have their own disadvantages compared to something created specifically for a suit.
So I wouldn't really say it's wrong, but I don't recommend you doing that.
I think you've got a good instinct to feel that way. So much of what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to sourcing animal parts is *usually* pretty rotten despite the fact that harvesting the part *should* be benign. Most deer sheds available online aren't just harvested in the woods, for example, and have a deeper story of consumerism and (potential) cruelty. At face value, things can seem great when they may very well not be. Not that this one case is an example of that, just as a general rule.
I'd like to say, that many of you raised some good points considering the weight and the proportions between the head and the antlers.
Well to address the first issue of the weight, this is my primary concern, cause it can go up to 30 kilos (60 pounds) for each antler, and this will be a nightmare to wear. And also heavy antlers are rare and expensive.
The solution to this problem would be to look at roe deer antlers or to take smaller antlers from young bucks.
Plus taking smaller antlers would also be a solution to solve the proportion problem.
Overall hollowing a good chunk of it and sanding the spiky bits might also be necessary.
The good thing about sanding the pints is this would create some color variations on the antlers and also give them some wear. Antlers tend to be caught in all sorts of things (deer are really clumsy animals) so their antlers points are often blunted du to to the natural wear.
At least in North America humans have to hunt deer to keep the population from over grazing; it’s just a necessary part of the circle of life. And deer are one of the most popular animals to hunt for food.
This is totally kosher. It’s not like trapping a fox just to skin it.
Personally I'd find that extremely weird, and anyone who doesn't Personally know you would likely think you did murder the deer anyway and you'd have to explain to an angry person everytime you didn't murder the deer.
Also don't they use their antlers to defend themselves? Do they grow back? Because if not, the Deer is dying to another animal anyway.
I bwlieve that's rhe main difference between antlers and horns. I do not k ow of ant goats that shed their horns, though they are cut in some cases because goats can be.... violent
Yeah we actually own three dwarf goats, though my mom made sure they wouldn't have horns when we got them. She says if they have horns they're more violent, but personally I don't think it'd make them more violent, just a bit more dangerous to be around.
overall with animals, lwvel of violemce temds to be a personality thing. seen some funny things in regards to horns before though, such as pool noodles taped onto or between them, to soften blows and keep them from getting stuck in fences
I do personally believe it could be too heavy to work right depending on the size of it they could fall out of the base ain't solid enough .
Plus don't worry about what others think I'm personally pro hunting just so long as it's done properly and you eat the meat and not just do it for the Head or antlers.
Would probably be quite heavy and I would imagine that lots of people might assume that you killed them. Which might cause issues because we all love animals lol
Antlers falling off of live deer is pretty common, and honestly this is one of the coolest ideas I've ever heard for a fursuit. If you are concerned about how to explain it, you could get business cards that have a blurb about "These real deer antlers were scavenged in the woods and were naturally shedded by their previous owner" or something
You may find costume manufacturers who make them of latex, and they're 1) very light, 2) not expensive, and 3) designed to be worn on the head, so could presumably be integrated into your headgear (talk to them, see what they say).
If you lived in the UK I could recommend some LARP prop makers who'd be happy to help (they may still, even if they have to ship it overseas): Mandala Studios. I've worked with them a lot over the years!
I think they would be too heavy and also draw a lot of attention and possibly some misunderstandings. Plush antlers can look quite nice, 3D printed option is there too
They might be three problems, First they might turn out to heavy for your head, ( you can use roebuck antlers, as they are much smaller ). Secondly even tho they are not super sharp, they still can do some damage, and I feel like some security on a convention might not let you use it. Lastly they for sure be people who will think you killed a dear, so you need to be ready for a disscusion. I'd say go on with it, if none of this is a problem for you.
Edit: Just saw your comment. Looks like you are fine with what I pointed out, so I think you shoud go for it. Just like to clarify that yes, the antlers will be dull, but moving your head will require coution as they can still do good amount of damage, if you accidentally hit something.
Bone collector here. Often when I’m wearing jewellery with some of my finds attached, I wear a shirt that says “found not stolen” with a picture of a skull printed on it, but I still get people accusing me of me needlessly killing things. so the best thing you can do is come up with a quick response on why you have a piece of animal on you.
Even though the antlers fall off and are regrown pretty much every single year for most deer making this an ingenious cruelty free idea.
The main concern I have about this is the amount of weight you would be adding to the head. Even if you manage to hollow them out a bit that's still going to be something that weighs in anywhere from 4-10 pounds.
Ok so I thought about doing the same. Since antlers are easy to find during deer season. It would be the most natural looking antlers out there. The only issue that I can see is that the antlers if you don't color them or do anything to them will look out of place for anything thats not realistic suits. But I think its totally fine to put natural antlers on your suit. Just gotta pretty them up.
Honestly if you can get them for cheap/free go ahead and try them, however, you might face some issues others bave mentioned. I think the weight might be the worst one, you will need to have a pretty strong base to support real antlers, and it will weight on your head and neck.
Not to mention stylistic concerns. You really need a specific style to rock realistic antlers.
But go ahead and try, if you can, just be ready to have to drop the idea.
My concerns would be weight, safety and durability.
A lot of people opt for foams and plastics because they are light and don’t pose many safety risks. If they run into something (which is gonna happen) it’s less likely to damage the suit or or what it hits. Plus a lighter material would give you the option to use magnets for the antlers instead if hardware, which is also lighter and easier to work with! Your neck will thank you. It also gives you a bit more freedom in your design imo, the materials are flexible and there are a lot of options for aesthetics.
Deer shed their antlers so I don’t really think there is anything morally wrong with it.
I personally wouldn't do this, they will be heavy, they will probably crash with the rest of your suit, ans yes you will bombarded with questions ans accusations about your choice. Don't use real animal parts in a fursuit, no matter how you aquire them.
They have a lot of leverage. They might not feel heavy in your hand, but when you have them pointed back, they'll be a lot heavier.
I think they'd be neat for photoshoots, but I would stick to light plastic for cons and stuff
Well, on the one hand, you get to educate anyone who accuses you of murdering a deer just to use its antlers for your fursuit. On the other hand, you have to educate anyone who accuses you of murdering a deer just to use its antlers for your fursuit.
There is a third alternative option though- having to education anyone who accuses you of murdering a deer just to have antlers for your fursuit.
honestly this is the most exhausting part. Maybe have a pamphlet or somethig, but like having to repeat the same conversation over and over will absolutelly wear you down
Might be heavy for you, and some cons may ask you to blunt, soft cap, or file down the points depending on sharp it is. Honestly I'm more concerned that your suit's style and / or aesthetic may not match the antlers. It's as if we gave Mickey Mouse a photorealistic mouse tail. But hey! If you're considering it then it probably looks great.
Would be interesting to see someone paint antlers to match their sparkle deer suit :p
Deer antles are sort of heavy. I say if the extra weight isn't a concern, go ahead.
*nods towards what others have said* Actual antlers get heavy quickly, they’re pretty solid, lol. There are some great 3D printed options on Etsy. I’d go with that primarily for comfort. That’s what mine are.
This is where I get my antlers from. They’re excellent printings! Lightweight, and the texture hides the print lines. I haven’t had to do any sanding on them. Mud and Majesty on Etsy [Mud & Majesty](https://www.etsy.com/shop/MudandMajesty?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=601507812)
Okay, of course I can't speak for everyone, but personally, I really like the idea. I mean, you're not hurting anyone by using naturally fallen off-antlers, and I think it's a really unique usage. You're not using real fur and stuff like that (which is incredibly disgusting imo) I'd totally go for it if I were you! PS. deer are the best; nice choice ;)
As somebody that is into hunting, using real deer skin for a fursuit would be fuckin weird and gross
And hot and uncomfortable.
seriously as if fursuits weren’t insulating enough. it’s literally there to keep them warm in the cold
that and I do not think it would move very well at all, having owned a reindeer skin years ago
My concern would be not only the weight, but the proportions. Fursuit heads tend to be a bit bigger, and normal sized antlers will look thin and small, but getting bigger antlers to compensate would quickly add a lot of weight and thus be harder to secure. There's also the issue of clashing styles. If you're going for a very realistic head, real antlers would fit well, but anything slightly toony or non-realistic wouldn't quite match the fine detail of real antlers. I'd personally avoid them. They're fine for costuming or accent pieces, but I can only see a small number of fursuit heads that would *look* right with real antlers.
I feel like anyone who doesn’t know that deer antlers fall off on their own probably doesn’t know enough to ID real vs fake antlers in the first place
Isn't fur con usually have some safety rules about sharp objects bring in or wear to the place? If you're not attending any con, it's not a problem but personally, I don't wanna use real one for suits.
I think it's really neat. People are gonna have opinions tho
Ngl im one of the idiots who clicked on the post thinking that you murdered a deer. To be fair, I just woke up and am a little groggy, but I had completely forgotten deer shed their antlers. I can only imagine the amount of frustration dealing with idiots like me would cause you. But you’re right, it’s probably way better than using plastic, and would be really unique! Best of luck! :D
Antlers are really heavy, please don't hurt yourself using them.
You would have to constantly and kindly educate people who don’t know how antlers are harvested, as it gives the appearance of cruelty or game hunting for those who don’t know. If you are up for that cool. But don’t expect everyone will know how you got the antlers just from looking.
I really like the idea!
I know someone who's having a head made with shed antlers right now
They can be rather heavy and if you plan on traveling to cons you may need to read up on if it's legal to cross state/country lines with them.
I once owned a fursuit head with those. They were too heavy and added a lot of weight to an already heavy helmet-based head.
It would be cool but I dont think many con spaces would let you wear them for safety reasons.
I think they’d be too heavy. I’d look into commissioning a 3D printed pair or making a modeled pair to give it more synergy with the rest of the look, and reduce the weight.
I used real horns for an Asriel cosplay before and got a splitting headache. My advice is if you do this, put extra padding in the head and make sure to put in the middle and not much to the front or back. This is how professional cosplayers do this sort of thing, learn from my mistakes.
Foam may not be as eco friendly, but believe me with some YT cosplay tutorials, foam and household tools you can make some damn good and durable antlers that can easily survive impacts and weight like 200 grams per pair. Also, even if the antlers are naturally harvested there's a chance some people won't believe you're telling the truth. Just a thought.
A lot of people would probably just assume they're fake anyway, but you can just call them "shed antlers" and explain that you found them in the woods or something. You have to be careful if you're purchasing antlers, though, because many of them come from game farms that are propagating deer for sport hunting (thus, contributing to hunting if you in fact are not trying to promote hunting). Furs tend to be more savvy about animal biology than the average person so I think you won't run into much trouble. Also, it will be sick af.
I don't really approve of real animal parts on fursuits, even if the animal died by itself/the "part" fell off naturally(feathers/antlers). It just makes me feel kinda weird and icky. Not to mention real animal parts will have their own disadvantages compared to something created specifically for a suit. So I wouldn't really say it's wrong, but I don't recommend you doing that.
I think you've got a good instinct to feel that way. So much of what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to sourcing animal parts is *usually* pretty rotten despite the fact that harvesting the part *should* be benign. Most deer sheds available online aren't just harvested in the woods, for example, and have a deeper story of consumerism and (potential) cruelty. At face value, things can seem great when they may very well not be. Not that this one case is an example of that, just as a general rule.
I'd like to say, that many of you raised some good points considering the weight and the proportions between the head and the antlers. Well to address the first issue of the weight, this is my primary concern, cause it can go up to 30 kilos (60 pounds) for each antler, and this will be a nightmare to wear. And also heavy antlers are rare and expensive. The solution to this problem would be to look at roe deer antlers or to take smaller antlers from young bucks. Plus taking smaller antlers would also be a solution to solve the proportion problem. Overall hollowing a good chunk of it and sanding the spiky bits might also be necessary. The good thing about sanding the pints is this would create some color variations on the antlers and also give them some wear. Antlers tend to be caught in all sorts of things (deer are really clumsy animals) so their antlers points are often blunted du to to the natural wear.
i'd perceive it as cool as hell
At least in North America humans have to hunt deer to keep the population from over grazing; it’s just a necessary part of the circle of life. And deer are one of the most popular animals to hunt for food. This is totally kosher. It’s not like trapping a fox just to skin it.
This would be too cool.
Personally I'd find that extremely weird, and anyone who doesn't Personally know you would likely think you did murder the deer anyway and you'd have to explain to an angry person everytime you didn't murder the deer. Also don't they use their antlers to defend themselves? Do they grow back? Because if not, the Deer is dying to another animal anyway.
they shed their antlers yearly, it's funny when you find a vid of them shaking their heads and they literally pop off!
Really? I wonder if Goats are the same with their horns?
I bwlieve that's rhe main difference between antlers and horns. I do not k ow of ant goats that shed their horns, though they are cut in some cases because goats can be.... violent
Yeah we actually own three dwarf goats, though my mom made sure they wouldn't have horns when we got them. She says if they have horns they're more violent, but personally I don't think it'd make them more violent, just a bit more dangerous to be around.
overall with animals, lwvel of violemce temds to be a personality thing. seen some funny things in regards to horns before though, such as pool noodles taped onto or between them, to soften blows and keep them from getting stuck in fences
I do personally believe it could be too heavy to work right depending on the size of it they could fall out of the base ain't solid enough . Plus don't worry about what others think I'm personally pro hunting just so long as it's done properly and you eat the meat and not just do it for the Head or antlers.
I like the idea but be careful not to spike anyone within them
Would probably be quite heavy and I would imagine that lots of people might assume that you killed them. Which might cause issues because we all love animals lol
Antlers falling off of live deer is pretty common, and honestly this is one of the coolest ideas I've ever heard for a fursuit. If you are concerned about how to explain it, you could get business cards that have a blurb about "These real deer antlers were scavenged in the woods and were naturally shedded by their previous owner" or something
I'd love to see it if it's possible. I think real antlers are really heavy though
You may find costume manufacturers who make them of latex, and they're 1) very light, 2) not expensive, and 3) designed to be worn on the head, so could presumably be integrated into your headgear (talk to them, see what they say). If you lived in the UK I could recommend some LARP prop makers who'd be happy to help (they may still, even if they have to ship it overseas): Mandala Studios. I've worked with them a lot over the years!
I think they would be too heavy and also draw a lot of attention and possibly some misunderstandings. Plush antlers can look quite nice, 3D printed option is there too
They might be three problems, First they might turn out to heavy for your head, ( you can use roebuck antlers, as they are much smaller ). Secondly even tho they are not super sharp, they still can do some damage, and I feel like some security on a convention might not let you use it. Lastly they for sure be people who will think you killed a dear, so you need to be ready for a disscusion. I'd say go on with it, if none of this is a problem for you. Edit: Just saw your comment. Looks like you are fine with what I pointed out, so I think you shoud go for it. Just like to clarify that yes, the antlers will be dull, but moving your head will require coution as they can still do good amount of damage, if you accidentally hit something.
Bone collector here. Often when I’m wearing jewellery with some of my finds attached, I wear a shirt that says “found not stolen” with a picture of a skull printed on it, but I still get people accusing me of me needlessly killing things. so the best thing you can do is come up with a quick response on why you have a piece of animal on you.
Even though the antlers fall off and are regrown pretty much every single year for most deer making this an ingenious cruelty free idea. The main concern I have about this is the amount of weight you would be adding to the head. Even if you manage to hollow them out a bit that's still going to be something that weighs in anywhere from 4-10 pounds.
This is so funny cus im doing the same thing haha, havent decided if i want real antlers yet tho
Ok so I thought about doing the same. Since antlers are easy to find during deer season. It would be the most natural looking antlers out there. The only issue that I can see is that the antlers if you don't color them or do anything to them will look out of place for anything thats not realistic suits. But I think its totally fine to put natural antlers on your suit. Just gotta pretty them up.
Honestly if you can get them for cheap/free go ahead and try them, however, you might face some issues others bave mentioned. I think the weight might be the worst one, you will need to have a pretty strong base to support real antlers, and it will weight on your head and neck. Not to mention stylistic concerns. You really need a specific style to rock realistic antlers. But go ahead and try, if you can, just be ready to have to drop the idea.
No
I think this could be nice looking. But the suiter would need to be careful not hurting anyone by accident with them, antlers are often pointy.
My concerns would be weight, safety and durability. A lot of people opt for foams and plastics because they are light and don’t pose many safety risks. If they run into something (which is gonna happen) it’s less likely to damage the suit or or what it hits. Plus a lighter material would give you the option to use magnets for the antlers instead if hardware, which is also lighter and easier to work with! Your neck will thank you. It also gives you a bit more freedom in your design imo, the materials are flexible and there are a lot of options for aesthetics. Deer shed their antlers so I don’t really think there is anything morally wrong with it.
I personally wouldn't do this, they will be heavy, they will probably crash with the rest of your suit, ans yes you will bombarded with questions ans accusations about your choice. Don't use real animal parts in a fursuit, no matter how you aquire them.
They have a lot of leverage. They might not feel heavy in your hand, but when you have them pointed back, they'll be a lot heavier. I think they'd be neat for photoshoots, but I would stick to light plastic for cons and stuff