Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Drying a Skull Cap

I shot a smaller 8 point whitetail two weekends ago and am going to do a mount with the antlers attached to the skull cap. About a week ago, I cut off the skull cap, cleaned away the flesh, and liberally applied table salt around the entire skull (inside and outside). How long should I leave it in my shed before bringing it inside to mount?

Thanks.

I just cut them off and skin the hide off and clean whatever flesh I can. They dry on there own in a few days.

I scrape 'em pretty clean and after a couple days do again, then sand any nicks.
Stuff kind of a bear to get off, you don't want to fight it though.
Sharp knife, close in work.........some danger if sloppy.
I've done a couple dozen so have the knack.

I sawed the skull plate off, scraped all the brain material out and left to dry in my garage for a few weeks. Drilled a couple of holes and mounted it to a board, it has been hanging in my gun room for 15 or so years now. Pretty simple and though I did nothing to the hide it has been fine.

Try boiling it just enough to soften up the remaining tissues and then scrape it.

After cleaning it, bury the bone in borax, as in 20 Mule Team from any store that sells laundry soap. Leave it buried for a couple weeks. Borax will pull out every bit of moisture. Just rinse it off when it's dry.

I just hang them out under my deck for a couple of weeks and let them dry. If They're not mount worthy, I drill a hole in them and run a drywall screw through them and screw them to the wall in the Man Cave.

I think the taxidermists do use borax as a final treatment when they are doing a Euro mount.

Thanks all. Attached is the finished product.