Originally Posted by
Alsatian
What a truly bizarre question! If it were me, I wouldn't have collected something that stinks or if it didn't stink until I got it home, I would then throw it out when I was at home and it started stinking.
But . . . answering the question you posted. If the brain is trapped inside the skull, you could drill a hole or even a couple of holes into the brain case, for example from an underside of the skull where it would be out of sight, and then flush out the rotted brain. Be careful doing all of this -- drilling and flushing -- as you otherwise are likely to come into contact with some biologically hazardous material. You don't want to breath it. You don't want it getting in your mouth and swallowing any of it. You don't want to get it in your eyes. You don't want it getting in your ear canal. You don't want to suffer a minor cut during the process and let some of that putrid stuff infiltrate your body. You don't want that crap inside your house. Great caution ought to be observed. Finally, if you can't do this with this level of caution . . . it might be the wisest course to throw the darn thing away.
Thank you, I'll definitely keep that in mind! The elk was out there for almost a year so whatever brain matter is still inside, it's not a lot thankfully but just enough to smell and still have a few bugs in it. I've got a bag tied down on the bucket it's in to contain the smell for now but I think I'll probably drag it up to the farm and clean it out through the spinal cord hole with a power washer. It smells awful sometimes but too pretty of a find to make me want to throw it out just yet!