Skull cleaning /Beetles or Boiling?

[Muledeer4me]

http://www.treasurevalleybeetlesnbones.com/

Check out this site for your Skull Cleaning and European Mounts.
We won't be having any skulls boiled again after seeing the difference between boiling and using beetles.
Have any of you used beetles yet ?
If not check it out.

 

[wilecoyote76]

I haven't had anything cleaned by beetles but I might try it the next go around.

The TVBNB site is very nice and put together well. Prices seem fair as well. We stumbled upon a guy here at work that does it in Boise and has great results too. Very nice.......

 

[TheTone]

Beetles are far and away the best way to do a skull. Unfortunately I'm cheap and don't have a beetle colony, thus I boil. I actually use kind of a combination of macreation and boiling, as it has given me my best results.

 

[Thumper]

Asked a taxidermist friend about this and he said that the beetles are not only expensive, but do not breed in the warmer southern climates? al;so as he advised, the meat can not get rancid or it will kill them. (don't know if that is the case, but the guy has been doing it for 37 years and knows his stuff. From what I see and I spend alot of time at their shop, it is pure maggotts at work, cleans out and bleaches.
For the three water buffs I killed in Thailand / Malaysia, the maggots and other unknown bugs did a grand job then I soaked in bleach, the borax and water with good results. The hardest part was getting the hirns free to clean them out. NASTY stuff there!

 

[Calif. Hunter]

Post some pictures of the dead water buffs, so we can compare them to Tom's!

 

[Thumper]

I am over in Kazakhstan now and will ask the wife to scan a few from the old photo album when she gets back from the beach house. (Finally going to sell it) Amazing how the quality of cameras and scanners have advanced. Most of the stuff I scanned in Thailand was crap. due to that was the latest technology then,. But as you reminded me it is 2008
Sorry, but all I have is this one that was a double team kill. I can also take some pictures of the skulls that I cleaned, Only have 2 left as i gave the thirs to an outfitter to put in his lodge.

 

[Moosie]

Who's the Ol guy with the beard ?!?!?

Or the happy lady with the white shirt ?!?!?

Looks like good times. good to hear from you guys again !!

 

[Ridge Runner]

I had a blacktail skull done with the beetles and was talking to the taxidermist about them. He was telling me a story about when he first started using them that he had them in the same room that he was doing his mounts in. Well he said one day he walked by a mount and the beetles had gotten into it and a whole pile of stuff that he had in there. I think it was the hides. Needless to say he now keeps them way away from where he does his work. They do work great though.

 

[Buckmania]

when boiling a bear skull, is it normal for the teeth to fall out? How should one get them back in to stay, glue? If so, what kind?

 

[Larry Landgren]

when boiling a bear skull, is it normal for the teeth to fall out? How should one get them back in to stay, glue? If so, what kind?

super glue is what my taxi uses and yes its normal for teeth to fall out

 

[Muley Crazy]

www.bareboneseuropean.com are a little cheaper on some critters and also in Boise FYI

 

[BRWNBR]

elmers works for putting teeth back in as well.
I've simmered, try not to boil cause that cooks the bone and drys them out alot, and then i use Hydrogen Peroxide, 40-60% and that will clean parts that no beetle can get to, gets into all the pores of the bone and eats flesh like nothing i've ever seen. Dangerous stuff, but soooo effective. Two days and your skull is done.

 

[ltbatchelor]

i have always used borax in my water when boiling then used peroxide/water instead of bleach. somewhere i heard bleach will damage the bone too much

 

[Buckmania]

Thanks guys!