Boiling alternatives for euro mount

[The Hedgehog]

TSP for the degrease. Do it like npaden says. Warm water is best, a fish tank heater would be ideal. Whatever you do, don't spray a sealant on a skull, cause you'll never get the grease out later if you do that.
#foreveryellow

 

[375H&H]

TSP for the degrease. Do it like npaden says. Warm water is best, a fish tank heater would be ideal. Whatever you do, don't spray a sealant on a skull, cause you'll never get the grease out later if you do that.
#foreveryellow

Clear sealant is fine, it won't yellow, but be sure to get clear. Agreed, you won't be able to get the grease out later, but that is why you get it out the first time correctly. #doneright

 

[nwihunter]

This is only the second one I’ve ever done by boiling, cleaning and a final boil with peroxide. It wasn’t to much work. Do it when they are fresh and it’s just a big bowl of soup. Not to nasty. I have buried one before but it gets really stained and I couldn’t get it bright white again.

 

[O C Hunter]

Skin the head. Put the head in a hardware cloth cage on the ground in the shade tied to a tree. Beetles, flies, ants, etc. will clean it off nicely in a month or two. This works best in the hot summer months. Skinning prevents beetles from building hair nests in the nasal cavities. The hardware cloth prevents mice and squirrels from chewing on antlers. Reinforce with heavier steel if bears are a problem.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Simmering water and Boraxo. Javelina skulls done in 8hrs. Varnished my first and now after 40yrs of
Az. dust it's almost black.

 

[schmalts]

I tried the bury method a few years ago.... never again. After 2 months it still stunk like rotten brains, and yes, rotten brains were still oozing out. Just gross, messy, and the one tine that barely poked out of the ground got chewed by a rodent.

 

[bigdonniebrasco]

If you can suspend it in a pond or lake etc, water dwelling critters will make easy/short work of cleaning it for you!

 

[CampRipleyLF]

I'm sorry but I'm sure someone else said this above or its not the answer you want...... Their is really no better way then boiling in my opinion. From my experience you don't get as good of results with burying it or hanging it. If you absolutely can't do it, I'd rather pay a taxidermist to do it for me!

 

[bmt99]

I understand boiling boiling is the easiest. I did bury my last muley and just hung it after a year in the ground by an ant hill. It was a long time. After carefully digging it up, I used low pressure warm water from a garden hose to remove any organic matter and didn't want to damage any of the fine bones. I also wanted to create an antique-ish look. I used a clear enamel to preserve the look because I wanted the skull to stay that color. Then I hung it on a piece of old barnwood I found. It is different which is probably why I like it. I am doing a whitetail that way and that will probably be it for this way. Boiling is definitely easiest and will give you the traditional euro look. Couple pictures below.