Author Topic: Skull Mounts (Read 7042 times)

.308sniper · « **on:** May 06, 2006, 03:27:41 PM »

Can I see some examples of skull mounts IF I shoot a buck this year I think I will try one.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 15, 2006, 11:36:22 AM »

http://www.mucc.org/SkullMounts.htm

35Rem · « **Reply #2 on:** May 30, 2006, 04:47:01 PM »

I did one a couple years ago. I didn't boil mine as long, nor did I do it all in one day. I did it a little at a time, to keep the bones from getting soft. You really have to be careful with the nasal bones, they are very delicate. It's not too hard, just take some time and nasty work. Ask a Taxidermist what it will cost, it may be worth dropping it off for a couple weeks and a few dollars. Just depends on your situation.

Will try to add picture later...[/img]

dukkillr · « **Reply #3 on:** July 16, 2006, 11:22:12 AM »

I've now done 3 deer skulls in the last 2 years with the cold water method. After caping and removing as much flesh as you can the hard work is done. I use a 35 gallon rubbermaid trash can about half full of tap water. Then all you do is dump the water out once in a while when it starts to smell and refill. It doesn't shrink the skulls like boiling does, but it does take quite a while. I've since put the larger skull on a board but I don't have pic. The board is simply a walnut platform with a long screw on the base. You rest the skull on the board by putting the foramen magnum over the skrew. You can see that the quality of the bone is not harmed although you do have to be careful. I broke the end of the nose off of the smaller one after it was done.

[img]http://static.flickr.com/67/191072214_da54e17044.jpg?v=0[/im

huntmdown · « **Reply #4 on:** September 29, 2006, 07:32:03 AM »

dukkillr,
Those are really nice and white!

caprocker · « **Reply #5 on:** January 07, 2007, 11:03:21 AM »

what did you include in your water mixture?? if anything..I have gone the boiling route and it is kind of a pain...I am game for a new approach..thanks, cap

dukkillr · « **Reply #6 on:** January 07, 2007, 12:09:13 PM »

nothing. just water... the time required varies greatly depending on the weather... when it's warm it goes quickly, when it's cold it's kinda like having meat in the frige... it'll rot, but it takes a while...

i've got 3 nice bucks in the water right now, been in about 1 month, probably 6 weeks to go, depending on the weather... i dump out the water when it gets real cold, to avoid the ice breaking the skulls...

caprocker · « **Reply #7 on:** January 09, 2007, 06:12:34 AM »

I have got 3 top skull plates hanging in the tree right now with the hide stripped off..do you think that after having dehydrated a while they will be hard to release the flesh??...or does the extended time in the water make that big of a diff??..I guess you just put them in and let them go until they are ready...also , do you have to worry about discoloring the burr of the horns if you get them in the water also??thanks for the info , cap

dukkillr · « **Reply #8 on:** January 09, 2007, 06:48:15 AM »

a few years ago I did one that I found in late january that i figured had been dead for a couple of months. It was dry and some of the flesh had been chewed on. It actually took less time in the water, I suspect because the weather had already started to break down the flesh.

You can see the coloring for yourself. It seems to be as good as the ones the taxidermist has done for me. I've used a guy who does roughly the same thing I do, and I've used a guy who uses flesh eating beatles. They all look identical.

You have to dump the water out periodically just to keep it from stinking up the place... If you didn't do that maybe it would discolor them, I'm not sure.

I've also done it on smaller animal skulls with great results. I have an awesome looking snapping turtle skull I did this way. In fact I discovered this method on a taxidermy website when I was trying to figure out what to do with that turtle.

caprocker · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2007, 06:03:41 AM »

I am going to put them in the water this afternoon..thanks for the help bud

.308sniper · « **Reply #10 on:** January 16, 2007, 02:51:17 PM »

Thanks I shot my first deer a spike this year so I might try that. Could you use a smalle trashcan?

dukkillr · « **Reply #11 on:** January 16, 2007, 05:19:08 PM »

i use a 35 gallon rubbermaid... i have used a 5 gallon bucket for smaller animals. i don't think it matters much.

.308sniper · « **Reply #12 on:** January 17, 2007, 01:33:20 PM »

Ok thanks.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 17, 2007, 03:21:14 PM »

I had my deer from the 2006 season European mounted. The taxidermist I use will trade the scull mount for the cape on a larger buck plus the cost of the stand.This last one cost $28. I've strarted going with Europeam mounts due to the size of my house.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 30, 2007, 03:03:50 AM »

Quote from: dukkillr on July 16, 2006, 11:22:12 AM

I've now done 3 deer skulls in the last 2 years with the cold water method. After caping and removing as much flesh as you can the hard work is done. I use a 35 gallon rubbermaid trash can about half full of tap water. Then all you do is dump the water out once in a while when it starts to smell and refill. It doesn't shrink the skulls like boiling does, but it does take quite a while. I've since put the larger skull on a board but I don't have pic. The board is simply a walnut platform with a long screw on the base. You rest the skull on the board by putting the foramen magnum over the skrew. You can see that the quality of the bone is not harmed although you do have to be careful. I broke the end of the nose off of the smaller one after it was done.

[img]http://static.flickr.com/67/191072214_da54e17044.jpg?v=0[/im

Do you use Elmer's glue to make them white? My taxidermist uses it. It makes the skull white and protects it from becoming brittle. I have a deer a bear and a boar skull I did and used the Elmer's glue and they look great.

.308sniper · « **Reply #15 on:** January 31, 2007, 10:11:26 AM »

hey redhawk! Wut do you do with glue?

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 31, 2007, 01:19:53 PM »

308sniper, I brush it on the whole skull. It dries almost clear and keeps the skull looking shiny and white.

dukkillr · « **Reply #17 on:** January 31, 2007, 01:27:08 PM »

I do not use glue, but I might try it on one of this years deer. If they are well cleaned they are pretty white anyway.

steve66 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 14, 2007, 05:49:55 AM »

posts have bin deleted as things got way off topic and personal attacks where made.

please keep it clean in the future.

Ianj254 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 12, 2007, 04:57:36 PM »

i am doing a skull mount now and was wondering if anyone has ever used a clear polyeuothane or something to keep the skull white or do you just have to wipe it down every so often

dukkillr · « **Reply #20 on:** June 04, 2007, 07:20:58 PM »

Here's the 2006 skulls I did:

A different angle:

here's a close up of one:

30-06man · « **Reply #21 on:** August 30, 2007, 03:22:13 PM »

place them in a fire ant hill then bleach it and follow it up by washing it off in water and letting it dry then treat it with glue or anything else you want to

Mickthetaxidermist · « **Reply #22 on:** November 28, 2007, 06:42:09 PM »

The process of soaking the skull in water is called Maceration. It's actually the action of bacteria, primary e-colli which eats away at the meat. It can stink to high heaven, and it's a good idea to change the water when it gets putrid smelling. The bacteria, being live organisms will excrete waste, eventually turning the water so toxic, that not even themselves survive. After all of the flesh "disolves" away, you may safely dump it into your sewage system. Run a garden hose into your container and let it overflow until your water is running clean, obviously best done outside. Now you can go ahead and make a soaking solution of water and a little nice smelling liquid dish detergent, Dawn is very good as it has extra grease cutting capabilities. After a couple of days, your skull can be pulled out and set in the sun to dry and whiten. If you want an extra bright white skull, wrap your skull with an old towel, cotton batting from wally world works well too. Soak down the cloth with hydrogen peroxide, taking care not to put the peroxide on the antler burrs. A little masking tape, combined with the toweling will usually keep the peroxide on the skull where it belongs. Cover the soaked cloth with plastic wrap, or put it into a plastic bag, and set it aside for a couple days. After that, remove the plastic and soaked cloth, and set your skull in the sun. Peroxide is much more gentle on the bone than clorine bleach, and will result in a noticeably brighter finished skull, than when it's not used. After drying for a week or so, you can use elmers glue to glue in any loose teeth. The best material I've found for coating and protecting whitened skulls is Krylon Triple Thick Acrylic close. Best applied in a couple light flash coats, then one thicker wet coat. Of course if you prefer a matte finish, Krylon has some great matte sprays as well. Many professional skull cleaning will use a wax based finish, but the krylon is much more user friendly. Try and use plastic gloves when handling the skull during the maceration process, as a very high concentration of e-colli bacteria can be dangerous. At very least, be sure and wash your hands in an anti-bacterial soap immediately after handling.

Inrut24/7 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 26, 2008, 04:12:40 PM »

My neibor did this one for me with beetles and peroxide.

ONE HOLE 4570 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 26, 2008, 06:09:50 PM »

would tying a rope to an antler & letting the skull soak in a pond do the same thing?
Help feed the fish

I guess if the water was muddy it might stain the skull.

I have a couple of little ones I would like to try for fun

corbanzo · « **Reply #25 on:** March 07, 2008, 07:27:30 AM »

I was thinking the same thing. I have a caribou that I need to clean up a little more, and don't have anything that it'll fit all the way into, which is why the pond thing came up. I have heard of guys doing it, and it working pretty well though.

30-06man · « **Reply #26 on:** March 07, 2008, 04:27:46 PM »

An old tin tub or a old bath tub would work great.

corbanzo · « **Reply #27 on:** March 29, 2008, 12:24:57 PM »

I guess since I live by the ocean I could try that... but I would have to find somebody with a slip that the antlers wouldn't get jostled around too much underwater. With all the stuff that lives in the water, I couldn't imagine a better way to clean them. Especially since it's salt water.

jwm · « **Reply #28 on:** April 25, 2008, 05:13:01 PM »

I've done a few skull mounts this way, and I find that the method is faster and more effective (and even smellier!) if you use an aquarium heater in the water to keep it up around 80 degrees or so.

I've tried the ant hill idea, but I've lost or had damage done to a few skulls by other critters (coons, skunks, etc.) so I hesitate to use it with an important trophy.

John