Decor Ideas for Your Harvests and Culls

Most of you are hunters or spend ample time outdoors. But what do you do with the antlers, skulls, hides and other “rarities” you find? As any respectful hunter does, its best to use as much of a harvested animal as possible, right? And, by just spending time outside, whether you hunt or not, you’re sure to find some treasures! Most of the examples below are not from a hunt just simply treasures found in our time outside.

Don’t get me wrong, my home has its fair share of mounts, antlers and the rest of it, but my style surprisingly isn’t very rustic or “country.” Adding a few key pieces of flair here and there doesn’t have to turn your home into the local roadhouse. Promise.

You can buy almost all of these nowadays. It has become super trendy with stores like Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Wayfair, Houzz and major retailers. But why buy, when you can reuse what you already have?

Take a look inside my home and these ways to put it all to good use by sprucing up your casa.

Pile ‘em: Chunky baskets and bins are my favorites for everything from skulls to antlers and kid’s toys to blankets! Use wooden or metal baskets for whatever look fits in your style. Pile ‘em up and let them overflow. You can set it in a corner or under an entertainment center. The more the better.

Hang ‘em: You don’t have to have a full mount to hang a skull or antlers. We found this mule deer shed in the middle of a wheat field. An antler hanging from a stained piece of wood with a leather strap can be pretty elegant. My husband made this one just by playing around in his workshop and has now made it for two other people who loved his “design.”

Paint ‘em: You can find lots of ideas on Pinterest of painted antlers and skulls.

I’ve also “rusted” a deer skull. It’s a super fun twist to painting and looks great sitting on a bookshelf with some old books.

Another option is a vertebrate. Yes; it may sound a little creepy, but I painted this cow vertebrate gold and use it as a votive holder! Simple with a little flair.

Lay ‘em: Lay antlers across tables or around a picture frame. I love antlers in a dining room. These axis antlers are laid out in my dining room across my buffet.

Lay your hides under a chair or piano or throw them over a table with a book or piece of décor sitting over it.

Stack them up on a bookcase or nightstand. I have these wildebeest horns laying on my guestroom’s bedside table. Honestly, these looks like something you’d pay $2,000 for at Restoration!

Glitter ‘em: Probably a man’s worst nightmare, but a little glitter can spruce up the worst of skulls. You can get creative with design and add as much or as little flair as you want. We found this Nilgi skull at a ranch in South Texas. It was just way too cool to have piled in a basket, so, what’d I do? Glitter! Remember, leave a little sparkle wherever you go!

Display ‘em: Don’t be afraid to think outside (or inside) the box. We have a “cabinet of curiosities” where we display some of our more meaningful finds. We’ve found arrowheads and Native American scrapers and have them displayed in our cabinet.

Our friend gave us these African porcupine quills. These were just too amazing not to display.

Let us see your best pictures of how you use your harvests and finds for decor!