European Mounts

[PikeTipper]

What is your opinion of European Mounts for deer? I am thinking about having my buck done this way but still not quite sure. Can anyone recommend a taxidermist in the NW Metro that does this? Any idea on the price?

Thanks for any tips.

[Dockter]

I read about this in Field and Stream, you can do it on your own. All you really need to do is strip the skin off head and boil it! If you want detailed info, I can find it for you!! It would save you money!

[mille lacs muskie bum]

Could somone please post a picture of one? I have never seen one before.

[Dockter]

Here, go to http://www.taxidermy.com/cat/12/NSKstepbystep.html and it shows you how to do it YOURSELF for free!! and it shows picutres so you see what it looks like!

Dictators of the site, please don't ban me for putting in a link!!!!! I am just helping a fellow hunter!!

[PikeTipper]

Thanks for the tips but I really don't have the time or interest in doing it myself. Can anyone recommend a taxidermist?

[Dockter]

When doing a european mount, you don't have to cut out hte scull and put on a plaster one. I have seen people do MARVELOUS ones by just taking the skin off the skull an boiling it for a while!!! I can give you the stuff if you want.........but if you are really looking to blow your wad on this mount then go ahead!! I am sure most taxi people do this!

[Bushwacker]

My dad and I did ours a couple of years ago and they turned out great. We just used an old metal 5 gallon bucket and boiled it for a few hours on a hot plate outside. The skin and hide just boil off. We used a little bleach and let it sit out in the sun for a few hours and it came out looking great. I would be real carefull on the bleach though, because it does weaken the skull somewhat. I have a buddy that leaves his out in his trees and waits for it to naturally decay and it comes out looking great to. That takes about 6 months and you run the chance of rodents eating the antlers.

CAUTION:THE BOILING STINKS BAD --- But as long as you do it outside it shouldn't be a problem, unless you have a neighbor that walks his little poodle past your house every fifteen minutes and says "that really stinks" ---

[HC Eye Hunter]

One thing that I have used in place of bleach that works real well is hydrogen pyroxide. I usually use 1 part pyroxide with 1 part water. It doesn't seem to have an adverse effect on the scull like bleach can and it really gets the skull looking nice.

Do any of you guys treat the skull with anything to preserve the skull after it has been cleaned?

HC

[Stratosman]

I have done about 6 or seven so far and they are cool and easy to do. Boil in a large kettle outside, I add a cup of laundry detergent and a half cup dishsoap, this cuts the grease and helps with the sanitization of the skull. Every so often you have to cut the meat away and pick away it in the hard to reach areas, but in a few hours it should be done, then soak for 24 hours in hydrogen peroxide, never bleach as it will eat away at the bone and leave a chalky residue. Rinse well and sun dry for a day and your good to go!

[Polar Bear]

Good tips offered here, I would only add that a good sealer for the finished skull is to paint it with a 50/50 solution of water and white Elmers glue. When dry, it will give a soft glisten to the white skull.

Polar Bear

[PikeTipper]

How much do you have to cut away from the skull before you boil it? Any tips on how not to get cut marks in the skull when skinning? What about the brains and all of that junk? I just called a couple of places and they charged around $100 for doing it and that is if you have the skull all skinned out before you get there! Might as well try it myself for that price.

[Stratosman]

Save yourself a hundo and do yourself. Skin carefully and you won't have any cut marks on the bone that you'll notice. The hide will come off relatively easy as you simply stroke the knife along the bone. At this point I don not worry too much about getting alot of meat of the skull, since most of that will come off during boiling anyhow, no need to waste time. I cut the head off @ 90 degrees to the skull about 2-1/2 inches from the base of the antlers. This leaves a hole to the brain box and after an hour or so in the boiling water, a wire coat hanger works well to "stir" the brain out, make sure you get it all too cause anything left on or in the skull could start to stink. I usually boil for an hour, then cut some flesh away, boil another hour, ect. until all meat is gone, if you boil more than a few hours you'll see the bridge of the nose starting to seperate and you might even lose the end peices of the nose, you can fish them out and glue them back on when you are complete or just leave them off, I have a couple done each way and like them all. Some people re-attach the lower jaw but I prefer to leave it off as it sits tighter to the wall, but whatever you prefer. I like the "found in the woods" look.

The hardest part to rid of all the meat is the underside of the skull near where you made the cut, there are alot of nooks and crannies, but be persistant and you'll get it all. After you have all the meat off, soak in hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours, peroxide is light sensitive so make sure the room is dark or keep the container covered somehow during this process. Rinse with water and dry completely and you're ready to hang it. I have never tried the glue/water deal but that sounds like a good idea too. On the underside near where the cut was made you'll see a small flaot portion of bone, this makes a good place to pre-drill a hole to hang it on.

I hope this helps and the best advice to give is to just dig in and give it a try. Let u sknow how it turns out.

[PikeTipper]

Stratosman,

THanks for the tips, do you have any pics of your finished work?

[wolfboy630]

it will work alot better if you use 40% hydrogen perioxide, the stuff at all drug stores is only 3%, you can get 40% at beauty supply stores like beauty mart thats where i get mine, also you can use basic white by clariol also at beauty stores, mix it into a thin paste and brush it on the skull , it produces the whitest skulls i have seen

[Neiko]

The guy who does my bear charges me $50 for a european mount. They look alot whiter then the bleach one because he uses a chemical instead of bleach. He does great work but he is in Holyoke which is 30 miles south of Duluth. If I get a nice buck I will have him do it.

[Stratosman]

P Tipper, no I do not, but let me see what I can do about that.

[PikeTipper]

I finally got started this morning and it isn't nearly as difficult as I thought. Got the hide off and cut away a lot of the meat. Just need to boil now so I'll let you know how it goes.

[Stratosman]

Here are a couple of pics of heads I have, the pictures didn't turn out real well however.

[PikeTipper]

Yours looks like it turned out good. Will the lower jaw fall off when boiling? Do you cut out the eyeballs before boiling?

[Stratosman]

It might, I usually just pry it backwards until it pulls out, this works after it has been boiling a while, same when it comes to the eyes, I think its less disgusting to cut out the eyes once the're cooked. But I'm sure you can cut out as much as you want right off the get go. How is the one you are doing now working?

[BLACKJACK]

I did the boil job to a buck I had from last year. What a gross mess! Never again! Then what to do with the boilings so my dogs don't get to them. On his years buck I just cut the skull plates and took the hide off, mounting it on a plaque will work for me!!