Skull Cap vs Euro

[thomas89]

Seeing quite a few critters what I call “capped” (hung out at a meat locker for a few minutes to submit a CWD sample) vs the whole head taken for a euro mount.

Hurts my heart a bit as I love a clean euro. Admittedly I’ve capped a couple deer, early on in my euro making days I thought a couple were hopeless and ended up capping them.

What’s the reasoning? Weight savings? Ease of mounting? Space savings? I don’t particularly care what people enjoy doing, just curiosity sake.

 

[Scott85]

Skull caps for shoulder mounts.

 

[brymoore]

I wouldn’t have room in the house to hang, nor the time to complete, euros for every antlered animal I’ve killed. I skull cap most and they join different locations of animals.

I have a medium sized buck in my garage I killed last week still in the skull. I’m going back and forth on euro/skull cap. It has a nice chocolate horns. Skull cap is winning because I’m too busy right now to complete a euro.

 

[TheTone]

I’m probably done with euros for elk unless they’re big. They just take up too much room and I already don’t have a place for the ones I have. Plus a skull cap is lighter to pack out

 

[Caseknife]

If you hunt out of state, or in a CWD area and can't transport CNS tissue, either have to euro in the field or cap.

 

[thomas89]

Skull caps for shoulder mounts.

Would you leave the cape and pick one up later? The deer and elk I saw were what I’d say was “hair-on capped. Never been in the position to do a shoulder mount, didn’t think of that option though.

 

[rtraverdavis]

I skull capped my elk this year for interstate transport and cwd law compliance. I absolutely prefer a euro mount to a skull cap, but this was just faster and easier to stay legal as opposed to dealing with boiling the skull in camp and digging the brain out.

 

[cgasner1]

Time and money. If I kill a bull antelope and mule deer every year it’s probably around 800 bucks to have my guy do a euro and I don’t have the time.

 

[Caseknife]

I skull capped my elk this year for interstate transport and cwd law compliance. I absolutely prefer a euro mount to a skull cap, but this was just faster and easier to stay legal as opposed to dealing with boiling the skull in camp and digging the brain out.

Did the exact same with my Utah muley last week even though I don't have a muley euro yet, just a bunch of WT.

 

[Malta899]

Euro looks better, cap is quicker....

 

[Foxtrot1]

Split the difference if you have to do a quick clean of the skull in the field.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Time and money. If I kill a bull antelope and mule deer every year it’s probably around 800 bucks to have my guy do a euro and I don’t have the time.

That's pretty expensive pretty animal. My guy is up to $120 for all but elk. I think elk are $150 now

 

[cgasner1]

That's pretty expensive pretty animal. My guy is up to $120 for all but elk. I think elk are $150 now

That’s all 3 think the guy I use may cost a little more but the Beatles do amazing work so if I’m gonna do it do it right

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

That’s all 3 think the guy I use may cost a little more but the Beatles do amazing work so if I’m gonna do it do it right

Oh, didn't think about beetles. Figured just straight boiled.


Ya for beetles that sounds about right and probably results in better skulls than I get too!

 

[SaskHunter]

I usually euro the big/nice ones. Over the years, I've been caping old smaller euros to make space in the garage.

I'm only in my mid thirties and the shop is covered in antlers, gotta make room for the bigger ones.

 

[brymoore]

That's pretty expensive pretty animal. My guy is up to $120 for all but elk. I think elk are $150 now

Taxidermist in my area are $350. I found a guy who does it as a side gig for $150.

 

[noharleyyet]

I euro everything...our home is about out of wall so they're spilling in to my office. If I ever take a Greenhorn bull it'll live in the best spot of our home as a shoulder.

 

[Khunter]

Too many euros. No place to hang them anyway. Need to start turning them into dog chews…

 

[Steiny77]

For many years I skull capped them and mounted on a wood plaque to hang on the wall.
Most recently have been doing Euros.

Skull caps are certainly a whole lot easier and quicker to do, just depends on what you want.
They both look nice. I like to put a framed "hero shot" photo beside them.

 

[TOGIE]

i don't like skull caps, at all, for several reasons. but the perception that always lingers in my mind is that you can mount two shed antlers and make it look like a skull cap.

a euro, to me, more explicitly says i successfully hunted this thing.

just a thing in my head though.

now, a shoulder mount, to me, says i'd rather spend money on mounting this thing than getting more tags and going hunting