Video on a European Elk Mount

Big Fin

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Showing how to do Euro mounts was one of the most requested video topics, so we finally got around to doing it. We also did one with mule deer that is on media cards, but not yet edited.

I know there are a hundred, maybe more, different ways to do a Euro mount. I've done a lot of them, but now I most often end up having to pay to get them done due to my crazy travel schedule and Mrs. Fin not wanting a rotting elk/deer head on her garage floor for three months while I am out filming.

For those of you who do them, feel free to chime in on what you do differently. I think people here would all benefit from hearing as many different ideas/tactics as possible.

[video=youtube_share;6wDIO1EORkc]https://youtu.be/6wDIO1EORkc[/video]

Thanks for watching. Thanks to Marcus for giving his ideas, along with filming. He has also done a ton of Euro mounts, so this is a combination of both our methods.
 
I just did my first and learned a lot. My biggest piece of advice would be to simmer (not boil!) and use your air compressor to blow the various hidden stuff out of the cavities. You do that by moving the hot, wet skull to another pot of warm, soapy water and blowing underneath the surface. If you didn't boil, the bones should be strong enough to withstand the air/water pressure during this part, but the tissue wont.

Now to watch the video...
 
Nice video. I do a handful a year for myself and friends. I'm far from an expert but have found a few things that definitely help the process. My main bit of advice is to use 1/3 cup of soda ash (aka sal soda) during the initial cooking. If you're only doing a small skill, you can usually find it included in the dye kits at most craft shops rather than buy a big bag from a taxidermy supplier. The stuff melts the meat right off the bone. I also like to dig out as much of the brains with a long screwdriver as possible and cut the eyes out before cooking. As much as my wife dislikes the process (I think she's actually starting to appreciate [or at least more than tolerate] my growing collection), it's definitely worth doing it yourself in the end as it's nice being able to look up on the wall and know that your responsible for everything that came from that hunt.
 
You can boil for less than an hour if you use a pressure washer to clean off after the boil. Blast the brain right out of the stem hole and the sinus comes right out, messy but fast. Just make sure not to hit the antlers with the full blast of the pressure washer or it will remove the darkness from the pine pitch. Boiling less time has the benefit of when you are doing younger heads they wont come apart at the nose bridge as easy.
 
Boiled my elk skull about a month ago but haven't got around to whitening. I've read of either folks painting on the whitener like you did or doing another short boil with a 30 volume peroxide solution. Any opinions on one vs the other? Also, any cheapo tips for hanging the skull on the wall? Thanks for the video.
 
Nice video. I do a handful a year for myself and friends. I'm far from an expert but have found a few things that definitely help the process. My main bit of advice is to use 1/3 cup of soda ash (aka sal soda) during the initial cooking. If you're only doing a small skill, you can usually find it included in the dye kits at most craft shops rather than buy a big bag from a taxidermy supplier. The stuff melts the meat right off the bone. I also like to dig out as much of the brains with a long screwdriver as possible and cut the eyes out before cooking. As much as my wife dislikes the process (I think she's actually starting to appreciate [or at least more than tolerate] my growing collection), it's definitely worth doing it yourself in the end as it's nice being able to look up on the wall and know that your responsible for everything that came from that hunt.

I did a little research and found sal soda is the same thing as "washing soda" (sodium carbonate) made by Arm & Hammer and sold at Walmart. About 1/2 cup per gallon of water works well when used as described in Buzz's post. The soda makes a huge difference over just boiling. I've never tried baking soda but it looks like it works as well.

Fin didn't show how to get the cooked brain out of the skull... I just spray high pressure water in the hole at the back of the skull and, voila, the brain pieces fly out of the skull and onto your face and body, where they can easily be scraped off.

I'd sure like to know how to get that center cartilage out of the nose, and also how to get the brain membrane out of the skull. Maybe I need to let them soak longer. Cleaning around the ear bones is tedious too.
 
With regards to hanging, I just run a carriage bolt out from a plaque of wood and hang the skull on the bare thread end. Never had an issue, no special hangers needed.

For cleaning small skulls, I've also done the rot and wait method. Put the skull in a bucket of water, put the lid on, come back 2 months later. It's quite the smell when you open the bucket. All the meat will have rotted off and the teeth likely fell out. Just glue them back in with some elmers. This method works great for yoties, bobcats, etc. To whiten them, I throw them in another bucket with regular old 3% hydrogen peroxide and just let them sit in it until they are white. Usually takes a few days.
 
As much as my wife dislikes the process (I think she's actually starting to appreciate [or at least more than tolerate] my growing collection), it's definitely worth doing it yourself in the end as it's nice being able to look up on the wall and know that your responsible for everything that came from that hunt.
My wife isn't quite as far down that road as yours, after speaking to your wife on this subject she has a lot in common with mine!

Thanks Randy, its pretty much how we do ours over here, but i do use the power washer to clean off, it does a great job if placed in the hole as already mentioned and blast out the white brain...just wear something that be cleaned easily!

If you accidentally boil the antler see this thread for the solution to that problem.
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?264684-Staining-antler&highlight=permanganate

As for the post on maceration, yuk, not for me or my neighbours, i had a knock on my door the one and only time i tried it, they were convinced i had a dead rotting badger in my yard!

Cheers

Richard
 
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My son has started doing his own, he'll get a boost out this video, thanks Fin.
 
I've done a couple. Easiest way is to throw them in a pond for a few days. Just keep them out of the mud and be aware that they can have a "swamp water" smell for a while. I bleach with 40% peroxide and the basic white shown in the video.

A much easier way is to take it to the taxidermist. That costs money you say? I've found a couple of taxidermists who will do it in trade for the cape.
 
Boiled my elk skull about a month ago but haven't got around to whitening. I've read of either folks painting on the whitener like you did or doing another short boil with a 30 volume peroxide solution. Any opinions on one vs the other? Also, any cheapo tips for hanging the skull on the wall? Thanks for the video.

I have been painting on the peroxide solution and basic white and then wrapping the skull in plastic wrap and tossing it in the oven on warm for a hour. This seems to work really well as the solution is catalyzed by heat.

As far as hanging I have had to get creative since I have been renting small apts with my wifeelkhead.jpg and I found that you can push some wire through the large holes in skull near where it connects to the spine and then just attach it to the wall with cheap picture hangers. The three nail kind are plenty strong enough for a euro (I would even do a full shoulder with them) and are easy to paint over when you move out... no patch job needed.
 
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