Archery Talk Forum banner

Romeving hair/skin from skull?

990 views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  whitedogone 
#1 ·
Got my first buck on the weekend! :) He ain't that big, but I'm pretty proud so I'm doing a horn mount. I need to know the proper way to get the hair and stuff off the skull. Let me know guys! Thanks!
 
#3 ·
If you plan to do a full skull european mount then contact a local bug company in your area...Cleaning a skull with beetles they have is by far the only way to go...You've never seen a whiter skull and you don't have to deal with the smell and mess of trying to boil it yourself...

If all you are doing is the skull plate for an antler plaque, then just soak the rack in cold water for 12 hours and then carefully remove all meat and membrane with a knife...Bury the skull plate in salt for 2-3 weeks and mount as desired...
 
#4 ·
Removing the hide from the skull

1) First cut from one antler pedical to the other.
2) Then use a standard screw driver (flat head) like a chisel and work the hide free from around the antler pedicals. You might have to wack the back of the screw driver with your hand or lightly with a mallet. Just angle the blade of the screw driver into the bone and it will peel the hide away.
3) Once the hide is free from around the antler bases just keep skinning with a knife until all the hide is off the skull.
4) Next, cut out the eyes and as much meat as you can from the skull.
5) Use a bent wire like a hook to pull the brain out through the atlas /spinal cord hole in the back of the skull ( messy but if you don't get it out it will take a lot longer to clean).
6)In a pot big enough to fit the whole skull, fill it with water and bring it to a boil. Then, take it off the stove and put the skull in until the water is cool. Repeat this as many times as it takes to remove all flesh from the skull. Adding some dish soap or Tide to the water will help remove the flesh.
7) There you have it, a nice clean skull. Now you can bleach it or not.
* The reason for taking the pot off the stove and then putting the skull in is so you avoid over boiling the skull and weakening the bone. It also lets you use the kitchen stove without your wife complaining about the smell of the soup.
 
#6 ·
Skull cleaning

I have cleaned 100's and it's not that tough. I use my camp stove in the driveway and a big pot of water.Have a beer while the water comes to a boil. Put the head in the boiling water, have a beer. Poke at the hide a little and have 3 beers. Then poke it some more and work a screwdriver in to the brain cavity and work on getting that out. Have another couple beers. Work on the hide somemore, pliers helps. One more beer. Start scimming the hair off the water. Poke at the brain some more, and chunks should start falling out.
Be careful, makeing sure all the pieces fall in the pot. Have a couple more beers and it should be close to done. All my heads are in great shape and some are 30 years old. They look nice and white.
Once all the hair is off and the brain is out, ad either rice or macaroni to the broth and you have buck soup sip and enjoy! Good luck,
Mike (Twin Arrows)
 
#7 ·
Most farmers have one of these.....



Tie head (hide and all) to something stout with sometinng stout.....Turn her on and let her rip! That baby will peel the hide right off and blow the brains and eyes right out (along with everything else). Let her dry for a few weeks and do the bleach thing. I have done this with a few and it works great and its FUN.

GIT-R-DONE

WDO
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top