Skull mount in process...

[Vana2]

I've been doing deer skull mounts for 50 years.

Recently been asked to do a bear skull... quite a set of choppers on this one!

This one measures 17 1/4" front to back.

Cheers!

 

[JimD]

How do you get all the stuff off the skull? I thought about cutting the head off the last raccoon I shot and throwing it on some fire ant mounds to see what they would do to it. But I did not want to mess with the dead coon or the ants. I guess I could have boiled it.

 

[Avator]

Here in lower Alabama some folks tie a rope around deer antlers and toss them in a pond. The turtles and crawdads clean them up in short order.

 

[Vana2]

How do you get all the stuff off the skull? I thought about cutting the head off the last raccoon I shot and throwing it on some fire ant mounds to see what they would do to it. But I did not want to mess with the dead coon or the ants. I guess I could have boiled it.

I usually boil until tender, pick off the meat then soak in Dawn dish soap and water to soften stubborn tissues. It takes a while and careful work with wood and plastic implements to clean the green skull without damaging the still "soft" bone.

I get a lot of raccoon skulls from a trapper friend. I put the skinned head in a protected place and let the insects (ants and beatles) and natural weathering do the work. This approach works well but takes a long time.

Cheers

 

[Avator]

Do you bleach them white or paint them?

 

[Vana2]

Do you bleach them white or paint them?

For "important" mounts I remove what oils I can with naphtha and bleach the skull in a peroxide/water bath. Drying/curing in direct sunlight helps to give a natural "bone" color... as expected.

For quick mounts (raccoon skulls and such) I'll mask protect the teeth - remove them, apply tape or a masking fluid (used in watercolor painting) - then spray with an automotive primer before finishing with a paint of choice. Some people like a smooth shiny "plastic" look, others prefer matt or semi-gloss finish.

Lots of ways to do the mounts.

Cheers!