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Post by dmduck on Oct 20, 2005 19:40:22 GMT -5
Aside from the flesh eating bettles , how do y'all go about cleaning critter skulls ?
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Post by dabutcher on Oct 21, 2005 17:59:28 GMT -5
bleach!
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Post by Decatur on Nov 11, 2005 6:43:26 GMT -5
Boil them. We build a fire and boil them outside. It takes a while but it's an ok way to pass a winters day.
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Post by indianadan on Nov 11, 2005 7:26:15 GMT -5
I did an experiment with a spike that I found two years ago after season on a shed hunt. I wedged his skull in the crook of a tree. I came back the following spring and pulled it down. The bugs had taken care of everything for me. It just needed whitening, so I did what butcher mentioned and soaked the skull in some water and bleach taking care not to get any on the antlers. The bleach ate at the bone a little and made it brittle. I later learned that peroxide is better than bleach and won't eat the bone. Works well if you have the time, although I don't think I'd leave my trophy in the crook of a tree for 3-4 months.   |
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Post by Decatur on Nov 11, 2005 9:08:42 GMT -5
That skull looks nice Dan.
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Post by indianadan on Nov 11, 2005 15:22:43 GMT -5
Thanks, I dressed it up a little with some Turkey feathers. It hangs in my carport, along with some shed antlers and a few small racks.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Nov 30, 2005 10:12:17 GMT -5
A sharp knife & cool dry air.
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Post by dec on Dec 1, 2005 15:48:56 GMT -5
I've done it a couple different ways.
First, I would not recommend stuffing it in a tree to let the bugs eat it. Yea, they'll eat it, but so will squirrels and even coons.
I did the old boil and pick at it method for a couple deer. It takes a while, but they turn out good. You can not boil them too long, or the bone gets soft. I never boil longer than an hour. I boil, let it cool, pick/cut off meat, and repeat. It takes several boils to get it all done. When it is picked clean, then get a couple large jugs of peroxide from Walmart ($5 will get you more than enough). Let it soak for a couple days in the peroxide. Keep the antlers out of the peroxide unless you want them snow white too. When it is done, I spray mine with an anti-fungil spray made for skull mounts that I buy from Wasco. They turn out sweet, but it is a lot of work.
This year, I did a javelina scull a little different. I did the boil and pick method until I got the bulk of the meat off. Then I put the scull in a 5 gallon bucket and set it out in my barn in an area that my dog could not reach it. I let it set in the bucket for about 4 months. The flys and other bugs did a good job of finishing the clean up and it really never stunk. At the end of the 4 months, I let it soak in some plain water for a couple hours and what was left of the little bits of dried flesh just fell off. Some minor detail work and it was ready for bleaching and sealing. It turned out awesome. What I found real cool about this way is that all the teeth fell out and the bugs ate everything in there. I simply hot glued the teeth back in place. Nothing to rot down the road.
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