A few skulls from the shop. If you guys have any skull questions come fall let me know and I will be glad to answer what I can. I dont know it all by any means but have dealt with enough skulls to be dangerous! LOL
Nice. I like the idea for the elk, as the one I got done in a full shoulder mount last year is taking up pretty much the only spot in the house I've got available... any more, and I may have to go that route.
My Father in Law killed that bull on a DIY hunt in Colorado with a BloodRunner. Shot him head on in the brisket and exited at the last rib and he never ran out of sight. He took it to the taxi and was going to get an open mouth bugle shoulder mount. When we got home the taxi called and said the guy that helped cape him out while my FIL was packing meat up the mountain cut the cape too short. He was furious! He likes the skull mount now and says it takes up a whole lot less room
That's why I took the time to cape mine out myself... went halfway back from the last rib to his pelvic bone and STILL didn't think I'd got enough when it came time to wrap that sucker around the form... Whew! It truly is decieving how much you need to leave on...
JT, question for you.. Me and my dad both killed russian hogs this spring and are planning on boiling the skulls. I know were looking at a fairly daunting task as far as degreasing goes. Any tips? Thanks!
Boy, I hate a hog! LOL We have 'em running rampant on our place and they annoy me running off deer to tearing up food plots to try to degrease one of those suckers. I rot (macerate) every skull that I clean because of time restraints with the amount of skulls I do and maceration actually aids in the degreasing process. Try not to boil but try to "simmer". It will take a bit longer but you lessen the risk of getting the bone too hot and breaking it apart at the sutures and pushing that grease deeper into the bone. Degreasing hogs and bears are a chore. I use a mixture of Dawn and clear ammonia mixed with water. There really is no ratio..........1/4 bottle of Dawn mixed with half a gallon of ammonia is normally what I use. The key to shortening the process and getting all the grease out is HEAT! I use a bucket heater plugged into a timer that keeps my water around 110-115 degrees. You will see the fat/grease begin floating at the top of the water and you can change the solution every couple of days. It generally takes me about 2 months to completely degrease a hog. Dont forget about pulling those tusks out. They are hollow on the inside and have a pretty good chunk of meat in there. If you dont remove it you will never get the smell out. Shoot me a PM once you start and I will try and answer any questions.
Very nice work you got there, I like them all. The elk is very cool too, I bet your FIL was happy when he saw the finished product. I would be for sure!!!
