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If you have a shoulder mount on the wall, you already own the best Christmas decoration in the house. You just have not dressed it up yet. Learning how to decorate a deer mount for Christmas is mostly about picking a few festive pieces that sit well on antlers and fur, then attaching them in a way that comes off clean in January. The buck did not survive the season to get glue in its coat. This guide walks through the ideas that look good, from the glowing red nose down to the small stuff, and it keeps the taxidermy safe the whole way.
A deer head Christmas decoration reads as playful or classy depending on how far you take it. One red nose and a small wreath is tasteful. A full Santa hat with light-up antlers is a party. Both are fine. Pick the vibe that fits your living room and your family, and treat the mount gently while you do it.
Give it a glowing red nose
This is the crowd favorite, and it is a quick DIY. A small strand of battery-powered red LED lights bunched into a ball and rested against the deer's real nose turns the trophy on your wall into Rudolph in about a minute. Kids lose their minds over it, and it photographs great next to the tree.
Grab a set of red mini LED string lights, coil the lit end into a tight little cluster about the size of the nose, and tuck the battery pack up behind an ear or into the shoulder where it hides. If you want it simpler, a single red LED tea light held in place works too. Nothing bonds to the fur, so it lifts away clean when the season ends.
Keep it gentle on the face. A good shoulder mount runs a few hundred dollars and up, and the nose and muzzle are the most delicate, most expensive area to repair. Do not tape, pin, or glue anything to that surface. Rest the light cluster in place and, if it needs to stay put, anchor the wire to an antler beam rather than the hide.
The red nose looks best on its own or paired with just one other piece. Add the wreath below and stop there if you want the classy version.
Hang a small wreath on the antlers
A mini wreath nestled into the base of the antlers is the second-most popular look, and it frames the face nicely. Keep it small. A 6 to 9 inch wreath sits right on most whitetail racks without swallowing the mount or tipping forward.
Look for a lightweight wreath so the antler tips are not bearing much load. A mini artificial pine wreath works well, and you can loop it over one antler beam and let it rest, no fastener needed. If you want it centered and steady, tie it in place with a length of soft ribbon rather than wire that can scratch.
Run mini lights along the rack
String lights on the antlers give you that warm glow without touching the face at all. Antlers are the sturdiest part of the mount and the easiest to decorate, since you can weave lights through the tines and they hold themselves.
Go with a battery-operated set so you are not running a cord across the wall. A strand of battery-operated warm white fairy string lights is thin enough to disappear into the rack during the day and glow at night. Warm white reads more elegant than multicolor on a natural mount, though colored strands are fun if you are going full holiday. Loosely wrap, do not cinch. You want to be able to unwind it later without snagging.
Add a festive scarf or a bow tie
Dressing the neck of the mount is where the personality comes in. A plaid scarf draped once around the base of the shoulder gives the buck a cozy, outdoorsy look that fits a cabin or a den. A red plaid winter scarf is the classic pick, and buffalo check photographs beautifully against brown fur.
If you want something cleaner, a scarf lays better than anything stiff. For a comic touch, an oversized red velvet bow tie clipped at the throat turns the whole thing into a character. Drape, do not knot tight. You are resting fabric on the mount, not strapping it down.
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Top it off with a Santa hat
A Santa hat is the fastest way to push the mount from tasteful to full-on festive. It rests over the antler base and flops to one side, and the fur grips the felt enough that it usually stays put on its own.
A standard adult classic plush Santa hat fits most shoulder mounts. If yours wants to slide, tuck the inner band gently around one antler beam to anchor it, or add a tiny loop of ribbon. Skip pins entirely. There is no reason to put a pin through a hat when the antlers will hold it for you.
Light up the antler tips
For a look that leans more North Pole than deer camp, clip small LED tips onto the ends of the tines. They glow like little candle points and pair well with the red nose for a coordinated set.
Battery-powered clip-on LED antler lights slide over the tips and stay by friction, so nothing bonds to the antler. Keep the count low. A handful of lit tips reads better than every single point glowing, which starts to look like a runway. This one is optional, and it is best saved for when you already have the nose and lights going and want to complete the theme.
Attach everything without damaging the mount
This is the rule that protects your investment, so it gets its own section. Everything above attaches by resting, draping, looping, or clipping. Nothing above requires you to alter the mount.
A few safe methods, in order of preference:
- Rest and drape. Wreaths, scarves, and hats sit on the antlers and shoulder under their own weight. This is the safest option and usually all you need. - Soft ribbon ties. For anything that needs to stay centered, loop a length of ribbon around an antler beam. Ribbon will not scratch the finish the way floral wire can. A spool of red satin craft ribbon handles most tie-downs. - Removable putty for tiny items. For a small ornament, a pea-sized dab of removable museum putty on the antler (never on fur or the face) holds light pieces and peels off clean. Test it on a hidden spot first. - Clip-on and friction hardware. The antler tip lights hold by friction and the nose light cluster simply rests in place, which is why they leave nothing behind.
What to avoid: no screws, no nails, no pins, and no adhesive tape or hot glue anywhere on the fur, hide, or face. Those either pull hair, stain the finish, or crack the pose when you remove them. If a decoration cannot rest, tie, clip, or putty into place, it does not belong on the mount.
Care and storage after the holidays
Taking the decorations down carefully is as important as putting them up. Unwind string lights slowly so they do not snag a tine. Lift the red nose straight off rather than dragging it across the fur. Peel putty gently and check that none stayed behind.
While the mount is bare, give it a light dusting. A soft, dry paintbrush or a microfiber cloth pulls dust off the fur in the direction the hair lays. Never use water or cleaning spray on taxidermy, since moisture can damage the hide and the finish. Wipe the eyes clear with the dry cloth too, since they collect dust and lose their shine over a year.
Store the seasonal pieces together so next December is a two-minute job. A single lidded holiday storage bin keeps the wreath, scarf, hat, lights, and the red nose cluster in one place, and it keeps the LED battery packs from getting lost in a drawer. Pull the batteries out of anything before it goes in the bin so they do not corrode over the off-season.
The short version
Knowing how to decorate a deer mount for Christmas comes down to two things: pick festive pieces that sit naturally on antlers and fur, and attach them so they come off clean. Start with the glowing red nose, add a small wreath and some warm string lights, and layer on a scarf, hat, or lit antler tips if you want more. The best hunting Christmas decorations are the ones that make people smile and leave your trophy exactly as you found it.
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