First European Mount

[BG775]

This is my first go at a European mount. My 5 year old son wanted to keep it since he spotted it and it was his first deer camp. Pretty happy with how it turned out. Boiled with soap, then baking soda. Bleached with skin peroxide.

 

[EastMT]

Nice Job, I like them that way with a little color to them, not paper white.


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[rooster440]

Looks great, killer job. I love the Nevada plaque too, I may have to steal that idea!


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[adamm88]

Looks great


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[LaHunter]

Nice job. What type of wood is your plaque made of?

 

[Shrek]

Very nice !

 

[wind gypsy]

I also really like the Nevada plaque idea.

 

[BG775]

Just some tongue and groove I found at Home Depot. Same aisle where they have the hardwood boards. I was going to get some pine and try to “weather” it myself, but this was too easy and probably better

 

[Loebs]

Great job on the mount. You gave me an idea with the state shaped plaque. I just did 3 antelope for the guys I took out to Wyoming this year for their first hunt. Proud of your son and for you making a mount that will have him remember a great time with his dad.

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[LostArra]

Great looking mount. I've been thinking about going the boil method for some color. I live relatively close to the best skull cleaning place maybe in the world, Skull Unlimited (featured on Dirty Jobs). They do museum quality work but they almost look TOO perfect.

The state board is genius.

 

[ndbwhunter]

How is everyone else doing their European mounts? I used to boil all of mine, but my free time seems to be nonexistent with little kids running around now. Has anyone tried the boil and pressure wash method, or will just pressure washing do the trick? I've got 5 or 6 heads that need to be done, so boiling individually really isn't an option. They don't all have to be done at the same time, but I don't have time to spend 4-6 hours on each skull.

 

[OFFHNTN]

Looks great!

 

[30338]

How is everyone else doing their European mounts? I used to boil all of mine, but my free time seems to be nonexistent with little kids running around now. Has anyone tried the boil and pressure wash method, or will just pressure washing do the trick? I've got 5 or 6 heads that need to be done, so boiling individually really isn't an option. They don't all have to be done at the same time, but I don't have time to spend 4-6 hours on each skull.

Do you have a detached barn or garage? If so, I would macerate them. That is how I do mine. Total time around 1 hour per skull.

 

[Dukslayer26]

How is everyone else doing their European mounts? I used to boil all of mine, but my free time seems to be nonexistent with little kids running around now. Has anyone tried the boil and pressure wash method, or will just pressure washing do the trick? I've got 5 or 6 heads that need to be done, so boiling individually really isn't an option. They don't all have to be done at the same time, but I don't have time to spend 4-6 hours on each skull.

I always boil mine then pressure wash them. Soak them in bleach for just a few hrs to help kill the bacteria that’s up inside the skull then take hair bleach and mix with peroxide to make a paste. Brush each coat on and let sit for an hour and hose off and repeat!! After 2 sometimes 3 coats, they look magical

 

[dog812]

I do similar to above.
Boil for 4 hours, pressure wash, I use simple green degreaser. And simmer it on the element I boiled the head on for thirty.
Then brush on formula 40, plastic wrap it, And put it in front of a heater for a hour to whiten the skull.

 

[ndbwhunter]

Does pressure washing help get all the stuff out of the sinus cavity? I always had trouble getting that clean when just boiling.

 

[realunlucky]

Looks like most just blow all the bone out of the cavity with the pressure washer leaving a giant hole. To each their own I guess

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[ndbwhunter]

Looks like most just blow all the bone out of the cavity with the pressure washer leaving a giant hole. To each their own I guess

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This is exactly what I'm trying to avoid. Has anyone found a way to keep them intact and still manage to get all the stuff out of the cavity?

 

[dieNqvrs]

Maceration is the best DIY method. No babysitting for hours. You have to deal with a nice smelly funk though! Smell can be abated a few ways. It is basically warm water rotting. For $60 you can probably do 15 deer sized skulls. Supply list: A titanium aquarium heater, tote, soap and peroxide if desired.

Here is the start:

Simply drop prepped raw - (no eyes or brain) skulls in a tote that can be kept warm with an aquarium heater with the ability to keep temp 90-100. Make sure evaporation is kept in check with a layer of plastic on top, I use bubble wrap to act as an insulating layer as well. I do mine inside cheap tote inside an insulated tote.

After 10 days of doing nothing but making sure the temp is in the 90's every few days, this is what they look like.

Dump water and make sure there are no loose teeth in bottom. Predators lose most of their front teeth, but prey can lose a few molars once in a while. Water and dump area will attract dogs wanting to roll! Can dump in a hole and cover.

Rinse skulls with hose quickly, pick any chunks clinging off and then put back in tote with big squirt of dawn dish soap and heat back up for a few days and then change water again. Fill with water and another squirt of soap. Let sit one more week. For a super oil/grease free skull might take 3-4 water changes.

Then when satisfied or antsy-dry skull for a week in a warmish area. If you like the natural color hang up as is. If you like more white- then whiten with peroxide.

Total handling time less than one hour for a few deer at once.

Tip- wear disposable nitrile exam gloves every time you touch the process.

 

[william schmaltz]

Maceration will take care of everything from nasal cavity to the tough cartilage on the posterior side of the skull. I finally picked up an electric roaster a couple years ago. Set it and forget in the garage at about 150 degrees for about a week. No reason to add anything to the water initially. I will usually change out the water every couple of days. After about day 3 most of the large chunks will fall off. After a week the skull will be clean including the inside of the nasal cavity. Just run it under the faucet and everything will wash out.

You can be done at that step or degrease it next. Degreasing is the same way. I do add some dawn to the water in the roaster and let it sit in warm water for several weeks. Change water weekly. I’ve also just set them in dawn water in 5 gallon buckets if the temperature is warm. All the grease is removed from the skull when no more oil is visible on top of the water after a week of soaking.

I just started this way a couple year ago and have had no problem with grizz, black bears, mtn. goat, and caribou. The caribou was tricky. Need to tie the antlers up to the ceiling but it worked. Obviously would need something different for elk and moose. Moose are such a pain that I just took my most recent to a guy in town to do it for a few hundred bucks.

I no longer boil skulls. It worked OK for when I used to do whitetails and mulies that I just hung in the shop. I still have shoe boxes with mt. lion, fisher, and bobcat skulls that I need to put together after ruining in boiling water. I’ve also boiled a moose to the point of somehow calcifying the nasal cartilage. All very disappointing lessons.

None of this is gospel and try at your own risk, its just what works for me. There are numerous better ways. One day I will have a large enough shop to start a beetle colony. I still think that this the ideal method.