Euro Mount

[rayborbon]

#4627

I had my friend Al’s beetles clean the skull from last fall’s pronghorn. Then I was able to get it bleached and bought a plaque. I mounted the skull onto the plaque today. We drilled holes into the plaque with my friend’s drill press. Then the plaque was assembled using the dowels we stuffed into there. That way I can mount it on a wall or turn the dowel and set it on top of a desk or some other flat surface. Yes, dark brown horns. On purpose.

[Cottonwood]

#32540

Looks great, I just got my whitetail buck euro back myself.

[David Petersen]

#32945

Beautiful buck and mount, Ray. Did the horns stay on the skull for the whole process? I once tried a simple prongy mount with the skull cap. After a few months the horns started to stink. Unlike antler, which is solid dead bone, horns have a spongy matrix with a carotine outer sheath and I’ve never heard anyone describe how to deal with it. Just curious if you have it figured out … as I have a prongy tag this year and high hopes. Of course, in hunting I always have high hopes. For such boxy looking faces, prongies sure have thin skulls. Congrats. dp

[DAbersold]

#32957

Awesome looking mount Ray – I have a bear skull and pig skull soaking in hydrogen peroxide right now. I also have a euro elk hanging over the entrance to my home. The euro mount is a great alternative to full mounts, and your turned out looking great. Congrats on a great buck and memories.

[rayborbon]

#34193

David,

The horns fell off on the beetle festival process. They also got wet/moist and required some painting as I described. I used an oil based paint from the hobby shop. It works great and would also be good on deer or elk.

When the horns fell off I had to glue them onto the skull. I used the typical gel super glue. It worked quite well. There wasn’t too much of a problem with that.

Drilling through the thin skull wasn’t bad. I was just very careful about it.

Good luck on your pronghorn hunt. I just got back from Teton and Yellowstone. My mother in law walked right up to within 15 yards of a curious pronghorn. It certainly is possible to get one without sitting in a ditch or blind. Just need the right pronghorn. Best of luck on your hunt.

Thank you

[Larry O. Fischer]

#35826

Dave,
The horn sheaths need to be removed before cleaning either by beetles or boiling. The beetles will eat the sheaths right off the skull leaving nothing but the bony core.
The best way to remove the sheaths is to put the skinned out head, also remove the eyes and brain, in a pot of clean water slowly bring to boil, keep trying every few minutes to twist or pull off the sheaths. Sooner or later this will happen, boil too long and splitting will occur, so be vigilant. After removal keep the sheaths in a cool dry place until re-attaching them to the clean skull. The skull can be cleaned either with beetles or boiling slowly in washing soda. When boiling you must continually pull and clean the meat and tissue from the bone. Do not over boil.
After the skull has been cleaned by the beetles or boiling method, then you must whiten the skull using hydrogen peroxide. The extra strength stuff that the bar maids use. Pick it up at a beauty supply shop.
The contrasting black on white make an extremely beautiful mount!

[Patrick]

#35874

That is awesome looking Ray!

[rayborbon]

#35959

dabersold wrote: Awesome looking mount Ray – I have a bear skull and pig skull soaking in hydrogen peroxide right now. I also have a euro elk hanging over the entrance to my home. The euro mount is a great alternative to full mounts, and your turned out looking great. Congrats on a great buck and memories.

Yes, this is my favorite way to do things. Much more affordable. I want to get a big pig one day. We just don’t have any up here. Otherwise I’d be pig hunting all the time.

Thanks for the compliments and yours too Patrick.

[Rocks]

#36187

Nice buck, and great looking mount, I like it!

[Bone]

#36297

Awsome job!!! I pick mine an my wifes whitetail up in a couple of weeks don’t have the right setup to boil my own. So I had taxidermist do it this round. Plan on this season being prepared. Still searching hay meadows here in Texas for that big boar to connect on. Now that would make a great euro mount!

[tailfeather]

#36538

Very nice….looks great. I much prefer Euro mounts, as well.

[Procyon]

#38574

Another option for cleaning a skull: Clean as much meat off of the skull as you can, set the skull outside for a day or two, letting some flies find it. Once you get a number of flies and maggots feeding on the skull bag it up in a trash bag, be sure to make it air tight. Set the bagged skull in an area outside where it will not be bothered for several weeks. The maggots will clean the skull and when the meat is all gone they will starve from lack of food. To contain the smell you might double or triple bag it. If it is a horned animal the horn sheath will slide right off when the skull is finished, cut the horn cores down, clean the horn sheathes with dawn dish soap, then bondo/glue the sheathes back on after the skull is bleached. If the horn sheathes still have a smell to them I have found that several treatments with Feebreeze will get ride of the smell.

[wildschwein]

#44468

Man that mount looks good. My Wife just finished cleaning up her Whitetail from last year, might have to copy your idea.

Justin Black

[Author]

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