I'm trying to put a european mount on a buck I shot in November and I'm using the burrying method of getting the flesh off. Its now been over two months and theres still allot of meat on the head. Shouldnt it have been clean by now and are there any tips or tricks that might help it rott a little quicker?

Thanks,
Jonathan

If you want to speed it up.Take it out of the ground boil it with Borax soap.Then scrape the skull clean.Just did mine a couple of months ago.As for as the ground method is concerned my buddy does them that way.He says he leaves his in th ground covered by half a 55gal barrel to keep the critters away for around 9 months to a year.

boil it with a little baking soda or borax it will be clean in an hour.

Yep, fire up the Coleman stove, add some Borax and have at it!

Thanks guys Im gonna have to try that.

I boil then scrape all I can.  In spring/summer I put the skull under a weighted down milk crate under my deck out of the sun.  All the flies can get to it to blow and in a couple weeks it is ready.

JDS III

try baking soda I know that it is not really common but it works very well you can also put in a little dawn to help degrees it.

I cook them too but it better to simmer than get it to a hard boil.

1.It is always best to skin the head and manually remove as much meat as possible.

2.It helps a ton if you then let the skull spoil for a few days to a week.Don't let it dry out as this increases cooking time.Either wrap it in plastic,shrink wrap or put it in a bucket of water.

3.Put it in to simmer,with a hanful or two of baking soda and check it at least every hour and pick off anything you can.After some time and all tissues are getting loose,a garden hose can be used to flush out the brains.You can flush out the nasal cavity but keep the water pressure real low so as not to damage the thin nasal bones.You can flush them from the rear,underneath and then from the front.Easy does it.

4.Continue this process untill you have everything off it.If the water gets real dirty,halfway through,change it for clean and more baking soda.A little dishwashing soda helps too.

5.If you have to stop before it is cleaned,don't let it dry out.Put it in a bucket of water where dogs can't get to it and resume when you can.

6.The more spoiled that meat is before you start,the faster it falls off.You don't want to start with large pieces of meat as the outer protects the underlyuing stuff and the baking soda water can't reach it.Take the time,beforehand, to trim off 90% of the meat.If your head is already dried out before you cook,put it in a bucket of water till it is rehydrated again.

7.After cleaning and letting it dry,you may see grease spots.Deer aren't bad for this but sometimes...The spots look like wet areas,when the skull is dry.Soaking in a strong water/Dawn detergent solution might work but degreasing can take a long time,weeks on a very greasy skull.I have had better luck with acetone but that can get expensive for just doing one skull.Deer may need no degreasing but yu can recognise it if you need to.

8.You may need to bleach after getting to this point.I use a strong paste bleach from beauty suppliers or taxidermy suppliers but some use hydrogen peroxide from the drug store and submerge for a period of time.

9.After they get to this stage,I seal them with Future floor finish.Future is a clear,non yellowing,water based finish and dries to a satin or semi gloss,depending on one or more coats.You can also seal with watered down Elmer's glue.You can spray them with clear spray but make sure it is a non-yellowing spray like acrylic.Polyurethanes are and will yellow.

10.It is important to get them CLEAN,if you intend to have them in your house.A skull with bits of meat will inevitably attract dermestids and or clothing moths that,after cleaning your skull,will migrate to your mounts and wool clothes.Take a little time and like any job,lay the foundation right and you will have a professional quality outcome.

Thanks allot for all the information guys. After I first killed it I pulled the skin off the head and cut as much meat off as possible and even started to boil it but was woried about burning the antlers on the side of the pot so i decided to burry it. I think im going to dig it up though and give it another shot.

Do not let the antlers touch the sides of the pot or you can burn them and they will crack and fall apart.  I know from experience.

Jim's got it, once you get it clean borax it to suck out moisture, then go to your barber shop and get some hair bleach and of the strong peroxide. It'll whiten it right up.

 

Alright I just dug em up and but him in a bucket of water and borax to soak overnigt. Do I need to worry about the borax staining the antlers?

I like to take a big pot add carrots ,potatoes ,celery &  onions. Boil that in some chicken stock for a few hours and then add the corn. cook for 10 more minutes and serve with crackers. Who said antlers don't make good soup?

The borax won't hurt anything.Minerals in the dirt can cause staining though.Often,after simmering,grease rises to the top and you will see a waxy,greasy looking film around your antler burrs.You can wash that off with dishwashing liqid and a rag and water.If anything happens to fade the base of the antlers,don't sweat that either.I can tell you how to blend that back in and it's easy.That Future floor finish is good to wipe on antlers also.It brings out the natural color that dulls with drying.Don't put it on heavy,just wipe it on and any excess off.If it gets too heavy and a little more sheen than you like,Windex will take it right off.

To protect the antlers while boiling I cover the bottom 1/3 with aluminium foil.  Also i use Arm & Hammer Washing Soda to boil in. I have found that dental piks work really well to scrape off everything.  I forget the technical term for it but there is a substance that lines any moving parts on the skull and in the seams of the bones that is a real PITA to remove.  I also use the cream peroxide from a hair dresser.  Get as strong as you can (40 volume or more). I spread the peroxide on and then wrap the skull in "cling wrap" so the peroxide doesn't dry out.  Make sure you cover the antlers with cling wrap before you put the peroxide on, one little drop and you will have a white spot on the antler.  I leave the peroxide on for a couple of days, rinse it off and re-coat it for a couple more days and I'm done. A very important point.  When using this strong peroxide wear heavy latex gloves or that stuff will burn you...bad! Good luck! TC

Private Message sent ,Please respond,thanks Steve.

QuoteOriginally posted by Steve Clandinin:
Private Message sent ,Please respond,thanks Steve.

I would like to Steve but for some reason when I check my profile it says there are no new private messages.  Maybe try again?

Google javelinahunter.com they have great instructions for Europeam mounts.

JimB's post is right on.  Make sure you get all the grease out, or it can come back even after whitening with peroxide.

I will add one thing I didn't see mentioned;

before simmering, I always take a wire from a hanger, bend a "U" at the end, just big enough to still fit in the brain-cavity hole, and scramble up the brain PRIOR to simmering...this will allow the brain to harden up in little balls, making it really easy to just shake out when it's done...otherwise, you end up trying to pull out big hard chunks...