Bury instead of bugs

[WapitiBob]

big difference in looks between beetle skulls and boiling a skull.

 

[buglum]

Is there a reason you use the paste mix instead of soaking in hydrogen peroxide Buzz? Cheaper? Whiter?

I've done literally thousands of euros at work in the last 8 years and I will say hydrogen peroxide is nice. But its damn near impossible to get it right up to the antler butts. So then you end up airbrushing them or some other means to get them white. Hair bleach/hydroporo mix is way better to get right up to the burs, I can guarantee the best thing for anyone who wants to do euro's is to get a pressure washer.... You'll wonder why you ever screwed with anything else.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I buried a whitetail skull, it worked ok, but I really don't see the point. I still had to degrease it and whiten it. The other concern you have is keeping the local rodent population from chewing on the antler. Squirrels, chipmunks, ect love them.

Bugs work really well, but I think the method Buzz mentioned works as easy as anything else.

 

[Hem]

This thread is a akin to women debating make-up.

 

[devon deer]

Man when was 19 I tried to do my mule deer in an ant hill. I was worried about my dark antlers turning white so i taped them with blue painter's tape bad idea. After about a month I pulled off all the tape and all of the brown off the antlers just being young and dumb.

Easily sorted, buy some potassium permanganate, mix with some water and paint on the antler, don't be alarmed as it starts off purple but soon changes to brown, but keep it off the white skull, you will never get it off.
Cheers
Richard

 

[mtlion]

This thread is a akin to women debating make-up.

Meeeowww!

 

[RobG]

I tried the boiling method a couple years ago:

I have a forgiving wife...

Not sure what I was doing wrong, but was a pain the butt. Scraping all the meat connected by cartilage off was a chore, as well as getting the fibrous skin that coats the bone off. The worst was getting the brains out through the spinal passage. It was like getting butter out of a coke bottle. I had quite a few more hours than I wanted invested in it.

I used regular drugstore hydrogen peroxide to bleach it, draping a rag over the top of the skull to wick up the h2o2 to the areas above the antlers since I didn't want to bleach them. The paste would have been nicer.

 

[jryoung]

I know the original post in this thread is old but I call BS on the 45 days in the ground. I did that with a pig skull and let it go 6 months and when I pulled it out it was the most vile thing I have ever smelled. Just thinking about it make me want to dry heave.

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

I buried a whitetail skull, it worked ok, but I really don't see the point. I still had to degrease it and whiten it. The other concern you have is keeping the local rodent population from chewing on the antler. Squirrels, chipmunks, ect love them.

Bugs work really well, but I think the method Buzz mentioned works as easy as anything else.

I was thinking the exact same thing. If I leave any antlers outside here in Indiana. . squirrels, chipmunks, will chew the heck out of them in no time. . .not to mention the coons, opposums, skunks, dogs, will tend to drag them off somewhere. To each their own, and whatever works for you.
tons of great ideas though!!

 

[Carrion Carrier]

I have always had dog problems when leaving heads outside. I do live in the wild dog capitol of the world though.

 

[Jwill]

I tried burying one once. To avoid the rodents chewing the antlers, I just buried the whole thing, antlers and all. Luckily it wasn't that big, for an elk you would need a backhoe... In the end it worked (head was skinned before burying), but the antlers were a little discolored. I usually just throw them in the pond for a couple months, tethered to a dock. The finished product isn't quite as nice as boiled or beetled, but it sure is simple and cheap.

 

[1_pointer]

If one wanted to buy a turkey fryer to boil skulls, how big of a pot do I need? 26qt? 29qt? etc?

 

[spook12]

The guy that does mine uses a turkey fryer setup with a 50 gal drum that's been cut down about 2/3.

 

[Summitthunting]

Google search Granite Ware Pots. They work well and can be found reasonably cheap.

 

[O C Hunter]

No need to boil, bury, or transport to a beetle ranch. All you have to do is make a cage out of hardware cloth, tie to a tree or post, and put your skull inside. The wire prevents squirrels and mice from chewing on the antlers, but allows ants, flies, natural beetles, and other critters to clean the skull naturally. This works best in the summer months with the cage on the ground. Placing the cage in the shade is best. Be sure to skin the skull to prevent beetles from building hair nests in the nasal cavities. Leave everything else to inspire a feeding frenzy!

 

[greatbasin]

I'll stick with my above ground methods.

 

[Gellar]

My neighbor has a 5x5 elk and a small mule deer buried, with the antlers sticking out in his back yard. I have lived in this house for five years and they have been in the ground for as long as I can remember. They will need to be painted when/if he decides to put them on the wall.

I use a Buck Boiler. But I mounted it on a bigger bucket to accommodate bigger skulls or more skulls at a time. They work good for getting the skull clean after you figure out how much powder dish detergent to put in, but you still have to peroxide or bleach to get the skull white. The teeth do come loose, but they are in the bottom of the bucket and can easily be glued back in.

A coworker and I have talked about getting beetles to use at work. I am in Environmental Education and I use animal skulls for programs a lot. If you buy skulls they can be very expensive depending on what kind of animals you get. Has anyone ever had their own set of beetles for skull cleaning?

 

[greatbasin]

Gellar, PM sent.

 

[sagebrush]

I've buried 3 heads with excellent results. I do have an enclosed garden so no critter can get in there and fuss with it.

 

[Nameless Range]

This was a very informative thread.

Here is my boiling apparatus.



It works perfectly for elk and deer.



It definitely is one of those things I have gotten better at over time - my first couple took longer and weren't as good.



Doing it yourself is fun and cheaper than paying someone.