A friend of mine waits until the heat of summer.... He then puts them in a rubber maid tub, with water high enough to just get up to the antler bases. Seals if off, and places in direct sun. After 3-4 days, he changes the water, and repeats. I have not done this, but he says after about 3 weeks, all you have to do is power wash it, and treat the bone with a polishing agent... I'm going to try on my next buck that I don't mount. I intended to do it with my buck from this year, but my same friend talked me into mounting it because it is so unique. I'm sending it back to Florida with him when he comes up for turkey season.
I found a dead buck that I'm trying something a bit different with. I hauled the head over to a creek and submerged it and tied it to a root on the bank so I don't lose it. I made sure it was in the shade so it won't get bleached. I'm hoping the critters in the creek will have a feast as well as the current blowing the flesh of it. not sure I would try this with a trophy though. not sure what the result will be when I go back. have to wait and see.
I have done a bear that way, and yes it works great. Down side is the stench... you need a solid heart because it really stinks. You also need a remote enough place far from neighbors... There is no damage to the bones, but the skull and teeth comes out with a purple tint to it. That's easy fix with peroxide. Also, most of the teeth will come loose, so make sure you don't throw them in the sewer when you empty the bucket. ...
My guy used to charge $75 I think... he did it as a hobby, but has since stopped. Too bad. He did several bears and deer for me. He even did a couple of turkey skulls for me once too!
We do our own. If you don't mind the smell or can hang it away from everyone this works great! We hang them in a tree with a trash bag taped off at the base of the antlers. Poke a few holes in the trash bag so the bugs can get in there and the rest is history. In the heat of summer it takes a little over a month to clean it off. Those bugs don't miss anything. After this just rinse it off and decorate it however you want. I know this pic is pretty small but the outside two are the color they are when they come out of the bag. The middle one was soaked in a chlorine/water mix for a few days. My Dad cuts out the wooden mounting boards.
That's exactly what I do. No mess, zero cost, and let the bugs do the work. I like to spray mine with a little flat white paint, and I include the lower jaw. I have 2 hanging right now, just waiting for the summer heat!
For me, nothing. Otherwise my dad charges $75 for beetle cleaned, degreased, and whitened. $25 for just beetle cleaned.
I found a nice little 3.5 year old 10 I had on camera this summer while shed hunting today. I don't know if he was poached or hit by a car, but either way a good find for me. His head was still pretty meaty and stank to high heaven. I lopped it off and brought it home and put it in the garden so the worms and bettles can do what they do. As others have said it will come out a little yellow, but some peroxide and a little sun will whiten it up. My wife's a New York city girl and she about had a stroke when she saw me walking across the back yard with a shovel and a rotten deer head with dogs in tow. Got a little fence around the garden so it shouldn't get dug up. I assured her this was perfectly normal behavior In Kentucky.
My taxidermist said he charges $150 for a euro. I have done 2 of them myself. I don't really enjoy the process but I think if I have another one done, I'll just do it again.
Paid $75 when in Arkansas, I've got 3 being down now for $100 each in bama. I'd say $60-$140 is average
