European Skull Mount?

[Prodigal Son]

I'm too broke to get the 8 pointer I shot this weekend professionally mounted, but I'd like to do more than just hack off the antlers, so I was thinking of attempting a European skull mount myself. Anyone ever do one? I've got a deer head in a trash bag on my back porch right now, so I think I need to figure it out pretty quickly or the neighbors/roommates are going to get a little antsy...

Decent 8 pointer, 134ish on Boone and Crockett, taken with a Rem 700 in .308 from about 75 yards.

[Capt. Fred]

Ryan, I did one once. I skinned off as much of the tissue as I could and then I put the skull in a big pot of water for a day to soften the remaining tissue up. I kept the antlers out of the water. Then I put it in a wire quail recall pen I had. It was a wire box made out of 1/4 inch wire mesh. Small enough mesh that mice couldn't get in, but the insects could. I covered the antlers with tin foil and painters tape to keep them from getting bleached by the sun. I also tied the whole rig to a tree to keep a dog from running off with it. I left it outside for a week or two and checked it pretty often. The bugs ate just about everything.

Then I put it back into the big pot with water but this time I added some bleach to the water to sterilize the left overs. Again, I kept the antlers out of the water. This re-softened everything up and I picked the last pieces off.

I then let it dry for a month or so and when it seemed ready I stained the skull white and put a little brown stain on the antlers. It came out fine. Be careful around the nose as those bones are real fragile.

I'm sure there must be a more civilized method of doing this but this technique worked for me.

[TunaTeaser1]

I've never done one myself but I think there are lots of ways to do it. Biggest end result being the whiteness of the skull itself. Mark posted a pretty good process on one of these forums awhile back.

One of my buddies just buried it up to the horns, put a trash can over the horns with some weight on it and forgot about it for awhile. Then boiled it and all that good stuff came later.

[Prodigal Son]

My fiancee suggested I just leave it in a bucket of water for a little while (antlers out) and let bacteria do its thing. She's 2nd year MD student with a degree in Biochem, so I trust her, but she knows nothing of hunting or taxidermy...so I was looking for a firsthand opinion on it. Looks like she was actually pretty close.

I read online about the burying it thing, but I'm moving out in mid-December so I need to have this thing in a state suitable for long trips in the car by that time...Also saw a lot of various techniques involving chemicals and boiling and such.

I'm aiming for the best balance between least input from me (burying would be great) and quickest result (inside of 4 weeks).

[Prodigal Son]

Alright, I skinned most of it (didn't get too tight to the base of the antlers and didn't go digging in the back of the skull) and put it in a cooler of hot water up to the antlers...gonna give that a few days and then pull it out and hose it off and see where I'm at.

-Ryan

[offshore]

Ryan,
Easiest way is to Skin the head and boil the skull. I just put a large stainless pot on the grill side burner. Boil it for about a hour. After you boil the skull just take a pressure washer to the skull and the skull will come 100% clean in 15 minute!! I have done at least 25 this way and they come out fantastic. If you really want to whiten the skull after it drys brush on some straight bleach on the skull and let it set for about 24 hours then rinse really well. Repeat the bleach as needed. I don't do the bleach anymore but it does really whiten the skull...Mark

[Prodigal Son]

Just got back up to my house in Blacksburg (where the skull is, and its also 34deg). I brought a big pot we steam crabs in up here with me, and plan to boil it. I'll take a picture of my results when I get done.

When you say you don't do the bleach anymore, why not?

[offshore]

The bleach is a little harsh on the bone and if you get it on the antlers it removes the natural patina. Don't forget to pressure wash the skull as soon as you get finished boiling the skull. this is key you cant wait....Mark

[Prodigal Son]

Full on pressure wash or just hose it?

[Capt Rick Hiott]

You guys ever use Sal-Soda?

Read this,,,
Taxidermy.Net Forum - Maceration sal soda