Quick Turnaround European Mounts

[Strehb18]

With the new CWD rules almost everywhere, I was hoping that I could get a European mount done with a quick turnaround to head home legally if I were to be successful on my Montana elk bow hunt. Has anyone done something similar to this? Reading regs it seems that I wouldn't be able to take the full skull home without first having it professionally cleaned.

I will be sort of around the Dillon MT area and if anyone has recommendation for a taxidermist in the area that may be able to help, I'm all ears. I will make some phone calls on my own as well. I wouldn't rule out anything along I90 in Montana as well if they could accommodate.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

With the new CWD rules almost everywhere, I was hoping that I could get a European mount done with a quick turnaround to head home legally if I were to be successful on my Montana elk bow hunt. Has anyone done something similar to this? Reading regs it seems that I wouldn't be able to take the full skull home without first having it professionally cleaned.

I will be sort of around the Dillon MT area and if anyone has recommendation for a taxidermist in the area that may be able to help, I'm all ears. I will make some phone calls on my own as well. I wouldn't rule out anything along I90 in Montana as well if they could accommodate.

What's your hunt plan? Camping/hotel/backpack, what's your "layover" time look like.

You don't need a finished product to be legal, i.e. it just needs to be cleaned the full euro process...
1. Clean
2. Degreased
3. Whitened
4. Sealed

Obviously, a quick turn around is going to make maceration and beetles impossible. I would either see if you can have a taxiermist do a quick simmer for you, or if you are into DIY and staying in a hotel/have a generator go Sous Vide with your head in a cooler.

 

[teej89]

we took our bulls to a taxi, fortunately we had 3 guys and two trucks so 2 kept hunting while the third transported. He had a 3 day turn around on our euros and they looked great!

Unfortunately this was in NE MT the opposite side of the state from ya ha!

If I was in your situation, I'd just try and clean it all out myself. Get a drill and a hole saw and drill the bottom of the skull then start boiling and scraping. Armor all detergent seems to help real well to break it all down if you can soak/boil. Then take it home and finish it or give it to a taxi.

 

[Gellar]

Turkey fryer with a large pot or pan of water, dawn dish soap, and a lot of pickin might be your quickest turnaround.

 

[rlmmatt]

What's your hunt plan? Camping/hotel/backpack, what's your "layover" time look like.

You don't need a finished product to be legal, i.e. it just needs to be cleaned the full euro process...
1. Clean
2. Degreased
3. Whitened
4. Sealed

Obviously, a quick turn around is going to make maceration and beetles impossible. I would either see if you can have a taxiermist do a quick simmer for you, or if you are into DIY and staying in a hotel/have a generator go Sous Vide with your head in a cooler.

View attachment 112113

How well does this work compared to the turkey fryer

 

[Deleted member 28227]

How well does this work compared to the turkey fryer

Way better to be honest. No more picking.

Crossing State Lines Dealing with CWD (Possible Solution)

I have seen a bunch of threads about CWD, and how to legally transport the head of your animal home. In particular, how do you get your head home if you want to do a euro mount and keep the skull. The obvious answer is boil it in the field, but that could require bringing a bunch of extra...

www.hunttalk.com

 

[thusby]

I've gotten lucky so far and had some game processors that would euro a skull on 2 days notice. I like the Sous Vide method though, I should try that out.

 

[jquigley]

What's your hunt plan? Camping/hotel/backpack, what's your "layover" time look like.

You don't need a finished product to be legal, i.e. it just needs to be cleaned the full euro process...
1. Clean
2. Degreased
3. Whitened
4. Sealed

Obviously, a quick turn around is going to make maceration and beetles impossible. I would either see if you can have a taxiermist do a quick simmer for you, or if you are into DIY and staying in a hotel/have a generator go Sous Vide with your head in a cooler.

View attachment 112113

Find this seriously tempting. May have to get a moose skull back from Alaska and this might be the way to go.

I assume you've got the bag around the skull to keep the grossness out of the circulator on the Annova?

What temp and how long did you end up running it?

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Find this seriously tempting. May have to get a moose skull back from Alaska and this might be the way to go.

I assume you've got the bag around the skull to keep the grossness out of the circulator on the Annova?

What temp and how long did you end up running it?

Yep. Although since this post I have been doing it without a bag. Honestly the circulator doesn't have that much pull and most of the grossness just sinks to the bottom. I haven't been having any issue with it clogging.

135 for 36-48hrs has been my go to, I also did 120 for a week with dawn + amonia on a bear skull I'm working on and that worked well.

I think you could away with a higher temp if you did a shorter cook, but it would take some experimenting.

 

[Trial153]

Car wash pressure washer, 10 bucks in quarters and take it home

 

[jquigley]

Yep. Although since this post I have been doing it without a bag. Honestly the circulator doesn't have that much pull and most of the grossness just sinks to the bottom. I haven't been having any issue with it clogging.

135 for 36-48hrs has been my go to, I also did 120 for a week with dawn + amonia on a bear skull I'm working on and that worked well.

I think you could away with a higher temp if you did a shorter cook, but it would take some experimenting.

Thanks for the tips! Might throw the sous vide rig in my pack just in case we tag out with a few days to get the skull cleaned up. Being able to drive it home would save a bundle.

 

[jquigley]

Car wash pressure washer, 10 bucks in quarters and take it home

I've done this, but end up losing the delicate bones that look so cool when do it well. Definitely might be the route I go in a pinch!

 

[Strehb18]

Thanks for the responses. That sous vide option looks like it'd work slick, and I will look into seeing if I can rig up something.

I would be doing car camping, but springing for a hotel for a night wouldn't be the worst thing seeing as I could sort my gear, shower, and get a good nights sleep.

 

[mplane72]

Car wash pressure washer, 10 bucks in quarters and take it home

All you really need is the brain removed. Bent length of coat hanger and a little water pressure will get you legal.

 

[thusby]

A lot of the regs say only skull plates with all tissue removed or finished taxidermy are allowed. I wouldn’t take any chances. I have heard the fine in North Dakota is north of $600

 

[Deleted member 28227]

A lot of the regs say only skull plates with all tissue removed or finished taxidermy are allowed. I wouldn’t take any chances. I have heard the fine in North Dakota is north of $600

Agreed, I don't think "finished" denotes whitened but certainly completely clean.

WY Regs:
"Hunters must ensure the head and all portions of the spinal column are either left at the site of the kill or disposed of in an approved landfill. Evidence of sex and species are required in accordance with the provisions found in the current hunting regulations. Only the following portions of any deer, elk or moose taken from any other state, province or country within areas designated as positive for CWD may be imported into Wyoming: edible portions with no part of the spinal column or head attached; cleaned hides without the head; skull plate and/or antlers cleaned of all meat and brain tissue; upper canine teeth; finished taxidermy mounts."

@mplane72 you would absolutely be ticketed in WY for that.

I think this is basically the spot you need to be at to be considered legal.

 

[SaskHunter]

View attachment 112329

I've being wanting to try this since I've seen the original post. I've shot a mule deer before I got my sous-vide but I still have plenty of tags to fill this year to give it a try.

How much picking do you do after your sous-vide simmer? I've done dozens of skulls with a propane burner over the years with a good pressure wash but while its a quick process you can't just fire and forget while it's simmering. Also, pressure washing destroys the fragile nasal bones (which I personally don't like) and there's always some picking afterwards to get all of the brain membrane and some cartilage out.

What's your process after having the skull simmering for 36-48 hrs, simple rinse, picking with a knife/pliers, etc?

 

[LuckyGoose]

It's sad that we even have to mess with this. I carry a truck hoist/gambrel and my propane burner and pot with me now on hunts and do skulls all of my processing at the trailhead or in the parking lot. CWD regulations are a way of life for all of us now.

 

[madtom]

I've being wanting to try this since I've seen the original post. I've shot a mule deer before I got my sous-vide but I still have plenty of tags to fill this year to give it a try.

How much picking do you do after your sous-vide simmer? I've done dozens of skulls with a propane burner over the years with a good pressure wash but while its a quick process you can't just fire and forget while it's simmering. Also, pressure washing destroys the fragile nasal bones (which I personally don't like) and there's always some picking afterwards to get all of the brain membrane and some cartilage out.

What's your process after having the skull simmering for 36-48 hrs, simple rinse, picking with a knife/pliers, etc?

I’ve done a half dozen heads with the sous vide now, and am 100% convinced it’s the only way after doing several dozen over a propane burner. There is literally zero picking with the sous vide. When the cook is done, I set the head in a 5 gallon bucket and spray with a garden nozzle and literally everything comes off. Seems too good to be true, but it really is that easy.

One thing I like is changing the water about 3/4 through the cook. I think the clean water and second dose of oxy clean really helps pull all the grease out.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Whats a good sous vide for cleaning skulls?