How To Create a European Skull Mount

cornshucker posted on December 14, 2008 12:45 :: 4901 Views

I'm blessed to have a decent income, and a workshop big enough to help my fellow hunters with a place to hang a deer, or work on a vehicle, or as of late get out the cooker and whip up a batch of 'antler soup', not a soup you would want to eat but rather a mix of salt, borax laundry booster and a little scented dish soap to cook a couple of skulls for European style mounts.

European Skull Mount I'm currently working on my tenth skull mount, out of those ten only one was for myself, guess everyone liked the one I did for myself enough they are coming to me to have one done (or they just don't want the mess).

Don't let that stop you from trying one for yourself, now to say they are easy would be a lie at least on my part, there are a lot of 'untold secrets' and mis-conceptions surrounding this style of tribute to that hard earned buck.

Let's face the biggest fact: money, while a mount from the taxidermist is a wonderful tribute to a mature animal, not everyone has the 400 plus dollars to have that done, a skull mount is decidedly more economical yet a 'professional' Euro mount is still $75 to $100 or more.....and yes they will look better than a home spun skull, but with a little hard work and time you can have a mount that you can be proud of.

The list of things you'll need is probably shorter than you might realize:

1. A large pot...big enough for the head to rest in a 16 to 20 quart stock pot works very well.

2. An outdoor cooker I use my 'fryer' stand......if you don't have an outdoor cooker it can be done in the house, but that takes a very understanding spouse and place to store the 'in-process' pot and skull outside somewhere.......(note) if you cook in the house.......put a little scented NON-BLEACH cleaner in the water, citrus Mr. Clean has worked the best for me......it will keep the smell of the soup tolerable.....but always remove from the house after every cooking...!!

3. A good small knife, small straight slot screwdriver, anything with a small sharp point (for picking out the crevices).

Really that should be about all the tools you will need trail and error will let you know what works best for you.

Of course you need the head of said animal skinned out (I won't try to explain that, cause I've never done it the same way twice, you just have to try to get as much meat off as possible and try not to nick any bone) once the skin is off and the eyes are out......I like to start with a good blast from the garden hose to knock any clots from the skull before doing anything else......if that's not possible I'll take a 5 gallon bucket and mix up 2 cups of salt and cold water that covers the whole skull and let it soak for a couple of days.

Now for the 'soup' said stock pot and head.....you'll want something in the bottom of the pot to keep the nasal bone off of the very bottom of the pot.....best thing I've found is a small rock about 4" X 4" and 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick......the bone can burn if it sits directly on the bottom of the pot.

Fill the pot til the water is just to the antler bases, and depending on how much water you use you'll need 1 cup of 'laundry booster' for every gallon and salt is just to taste....Ha.....just a cup or so 'helps loosen everything up', 2 to 3 tablespoons of dish soap (don't worry it won't suds up there is enough grease in the skull to prevent that.

If there is any tip that helps you more it is this 'mis-conception'.....you never want to 'boil' the skull, the heat will loosen up the nasal bones and ruin the mount, you are shooting for 170 to 180 degrees very hot but not to hot.

Now comes the cooking, and picking, and cooking some more it usually takes an hour to start to see results but the gristle, and meat will start to come off, and you just have to continue to cook and pick until there is no meat and gristle left.....every skull is different so you just have to keep at it and it will come clean....there is also the issue of the brain and if you don't get it all out while cooking you'll know it.......I take a long nail like a gutter spike and push it through the 'spinal cord' hole in the skull and try to for lack of a better term to 'scramble' the brain in between pickings to keep it liquid and try to flush some 'soup' through to get it out in bits and chunks you'll just have to try what works best for you.

If you have the luxury of being able to spend 5 to 6 hours cooking and picking and get the head for the most part clean......then change out your water (it will be nasty) and make up a fresh batch, here is when I take a small brass brush and gently scrub the entire skull to get the last of the gristle off.

If everything has gone well and the skull is clean, sit it somewhere it can get some sun for 2 to 3 days to get it completely dry, then take some vinegar and water and clean the whole thing antlers and all and let it dry again for a day or 2......if you are satisfied with it, I personally buy a can of clear coat and starting from the brain hole shoot a decent amount inside the skull just to seal the inside of the brain cavity, then lay the skull face up on a piece of clean card board and lightly coat the entire skull making several separate sprayings until the whole thing is the finish you desire.

I know I haven't covered everything and there are many versions of how to do this sort of mount, this is what has worked for me......please fell free to comment or send me a message of what has and hasn't worked for you and we can brainstorm it together......it is just a way to really appreciate that particular hunt and not wipe-out your wallet.

Tim Gebers