bigcountry

I have done the dirty deed of scraping and boiling and hate it. Thinking of just scraping what I can, and let nature do its work in a wooden box in my back woods. Then bleaching the crap out of it. Some put it in water for several months. Whats the best way for an amateur.

SPLITTOEHUNTER

BC,
Easiest way that I have found without the scraping and boiling is to triple bag it with plastic grocery bags just around the skull (let the antlers out). Fill it with water and put it somewhere that critters cannot get to it, the sun doesn't bleach the antlers and you don't have to smell it. A wooden box in the woods is probably good. It will take several months but when it is done all you need to do is go to Sally's Beauty Supply and get some 40 vol. peroxide and soak the skull only and you will have a nice european mount. Works well for me. It takes longer than you want it to but it is better than paying $100. Or you could buy the dermistid beetles and let them do the work for you. If you buy the beetles, let me know because I would like to feed them my skulls too. Good luck.

ELKINMTCWB

Here is one that sounds bad but works good. CAR WASH use the car wash to cleen most of the meat off and brains out.Than do the bag,beatals,boil.

He has hit the nail on the head with the 40%peroxide.BUT do not soak it.Make a past it is way cleener and it will never bleach any horns.There is more peroxide you can buy to make a past you mix the 2 togeather.You can allso just mix water with powder or flower with liqued.

bigcountry

wow, I wonder if my old lady will hold it while I spray

I have looked into the beatles before, but they say they smell pretty bad. And you got to check the heat constantly. Figured I would leave it for the experts.

kshunter

I use the dermestid beetles. I have a heat rock in mine, and the aquirium has wood and wire-mesh on top, and it really doesn't stink unless you put your nose right up in it. The key is getting the skulls really dry before you put them in there, and it seems to help a lot. Plus it's pretty cool watching those beetles eat the flesh clean off the skull!

bigcountry

Ks, are they in your house? Or a shed?

How do you feed them in the off season? Also, do you buy more every year or upkeep the original colony? How long have you had them.

Sorry for so many questions. Just your the only one i Know with them. Appreciate the info.

Bullkllr

I went through boiling & scaping, then tried soaking (whew!) Easiest and faster than soaking was burying in the backyard up to the antler bases. Takes awhile, but completely painless. And very little stink.
Touch up with bleach or peroxide as above. If the color is not what you want you can touch it up farther with spray paint. I use an airbrush and bone colored paint. I'm sure aerosal would work if you do it very lightly.

bigcountry

Wow, when you bury it, don't mice and things eat on the horns?

kshunter

I've only had my beetles for about 3 months. I actuallly have them in the corner of my bedroom. They need to be in a temperature controlled area(around 70-75). The shed in the summer would get too hot. I got a small colony but they are reproducing really fast. I have a rack from last season which still had a lot of meat on there. I've had it in there for about 3-4 weeks, and it's about completely clean. Here shortly I'll put a coyote skull in there. I'm sure once the colony gets bigger in size, it won't take long for them to clean a skull. If they stunk I wouldn't have them, but since they have a top on them, you have to put your nose in the aquarium to smell some stink.

zrexpilot

skin the head, remove the lower jaw, boil the head, then pressure wash it clean,then re-boil the head for 30 minutes in water with 1 big bottle of peroxide, your done.