09/13/2023
Big Congrats to all of you tag holders heading out this weekend to chase rutting elk! Before you all hit the hills I wanted to offer a couple of tips for you who plan to personally or professionally Euro mount your animal. There are a few “best practices” that if followed will make a BIG difference in the final result of your skull.
1. DO NOT LET YOUR HEAD DRY OUT! The pics below are borrowed from Ryan Olsen of White Bone Creations out of California. I share them because they provide a great visual of the difference between a skull that was allowed to dry and “stain” versus a well maintained moist skull. The best way to keep your head from drying out is to leave the hide on and keep it cool (in the shade, in a tote with bags of ice with blankets on top, etc.) If you must remove the hide, a good practice is to wrap the head in towels, t-shirts, etc. and keep them wet. While some of that staining will lighten with whitening, it will never fully come out and the final product will result in a combination of yellow, orange, and even purples in your skull. Even a skull that has gone south (meat started to rot) is far better than a dried out skull.
2. If you are taking a saw or axe with you to remove the head from the spine, go slow and deliberate. We have received SO MANY heartbreaking damaged heads where someone has used a saw or axe and cut too far up into the skull itself and made the future hanging of it very difficult. The head and neck bones are held together by soft tissue. A few cuts with a knife and a twist of the head will pop the head right off the neck quickly and cleanly.
3. If you plan to have your skull professionally cleaned. Please keep it “fresh” some taxidermists, like us, cannot accept rotten skulls due to past neighbor complaints. Many taxidermists charge an extra fee for foul smelling meat or any sign of maggots. So whether you are a DIY person or plan to have it professionally done, do everyone a favor and keep it fresh. One of the best methods I have seen and used for field preservation is to get one of those large black and yellow totes (from Costco, Home Depot, etc.) put the head in with a couple of bags of ice, cover with tarps, sleeping bags, blankets, etc., get it in the shade, and replace the ice when necessary/. We have successfully kept skulls fresh for a week or more this way.
Please feel free to reach out for any tips or help with preservation or DIY cleaning. Looking forward to this upcoming season.
