Skull mount question

[offshore]

On a side note, wear your Grundens and full fowl weather gear when you pressure wash the skull after its boiled and tie the skull down or wedge in a cinder block.

Come on now you are taking all the fun out of this!!!

[Wild Life Management]

bury the entire scull under ground, then let mother nature deal with it will take about a year, but the horns will not darken.

I almost tried this same method myself once, then I read an article about a guy that almost lost his hand when it became infected from the bacteria on the deer skull. If I recall, he was taking the skull out of the ground and a sharp piece of bone slightly cut his finger or hand. Within days his entire hand was purple and black and it spread into his arm. I think he is fine now, but he almost lost parts of his hand and it took forever to recover.

I have heard this method works great, just use caution.

[0014]

I have personally used offsure's method and was very happy with the out come.

[Bioboy]

Cowboy and I have done several european mounts for people. We have a population of dermestid beetles that will eat all of the flesh on the skull in a matter of days. We then place the skull in ammonia to degrease it. This is a very important step--if the skull is not completely degreased it will eventually yellow over time. After the degreasing period, we use a peroxide paste or solution to whiten the skull. Be careful not to dip the antlers in the solution as they will lose the natural color at the bases. If you decide to "boil" the skull do not over do it, just simmer the skull for about an hour. A hard boil will decalcify the skull making it flaky. Hope your mount turns out well!

[RWW]

I have done the boiling and pressure washer and it works great. I wrap the antlers with foil to prevent them from getting wet. I also use a little dish soap in the water as it will cut much of the grease off, seems to help.
Good luck

[Boneshaker25]

Brad,

why don't you post a picture of the buck and we can determine whether or not you should get it mounted.