ok so i shot a descent 8 pointer on dec 27. It wasnt big enough in my opinion for a full head and neck mount. I skinned every piece of meat i could off the skull and then boiled it for 2 or 3 hours. I neglected to skin what was left and i let it sit for a few days. I then dug up a fireant hill and put that in a rubbermaid with the skull. I checked it after 3 or 4 days and it was fuzzy and nasty. I just want a clean skull mount! What should i do now??????????
Use a high-pressure washer if available. If not, go to the nearest car-wash that has decent water pressure and it will literally blow the brains right out of that skull.
High pressure washers do a great job, but be careful with it, you don't want to damage the skull or have some pieces come off or break.
The back of the skull has hole where you can access the brains. A flathead screwdriver will get most of it.
Take a piece of heavy wire or welding rod and bend the end. Chuck it up in a drill, stick it in the hole in the back of the skull, and let'er bump. This will mush the brains where they will come out the hole. :thumb: Probably gonna smell pretty good too. :uhoh:
We usually just boil em for a few hours then hit em with a pressure washer- be careful if you use bleach cause it will bleach the horns as well!
Put that skull in a bucket of water and just let it sit for a couple of weeks. The bacteria will eat the meat away. take out wash with soap and water and soak in peroxide for a day and then set out in the sun. DO NOT use bleach it will break down the bone.
Post #8 http://www.arkansashunting.net/showthread.php?t=9873&highlight=european To make the brain removal easier I saw the tip of the skull (where the hole opening is located) , to enlarge the hole to about twice the original size.
fill the bucket with water just to the horn bases. I use 55 gallon plastic barrells. I can put three or four in them at once depending on how big the racks are. You want enough water to cover the skull.
This is easy and quick. Boil the head in a pot with the antlers out of the water. Put in about two cups of Borax (you can get it at the grocery store). The borax keeps the water from boiling to hot which breaks down the bone. Let it boil for two or three hours, remove it every little while and scrape off excess meat. As soon you've let it boil go to the car wash and tie the antlers to the bumper of your truck and spray of everything else that is left on the skull, be sure to insert into the brain cavity and spray till it water comes out clear. Take the skull and pack every nook and cranny with paper towels. Then complety wrap the skull with towels till its all covered, not the antlers. Set it in a shalllow pan and pour a bottle of peroxide over the top. Peroxide will not need to cover the entire skull because the towels will soak it up. The towels will soak up all of the peroxide and get it inside the small places too. Let it set for 24 hours then take out and remove all the towels. Once dry the skull will be clean and white ready to mount on a plaque. We have done a ton of these this way and it only takes about 4 hours of messing with it with the boiling, really only about 30 minutes of work on the skull. Hope that helps!
