24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 762
Campfire Regular
OP Online Content
Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 762
So here's the deal - I took my 2014 bull elk to a guy that does European mounts out of his garage (can't really call him a taxidermist). I picked it up last Sunday, and when I get it in the house I realize that it still stinks. I call the guy and ask what I need to do in order to get rid of the odor... He says that it's normal and it will subside after a while. Now, I'm no taxidermy expert, but I don't think completed mounts should smell at all. Anyway, I'm looking for any advise from y'all about what measures I can take to rid this thing of the stank. The mount is "done", so I don't know how that plays into it... Please help; the wife is starting to hound me.

BP-B2

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,202
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,202
Spray it with some Clorox. or brush it on if it's mounted on a plaque and can't easily be removed

Don't get it on the antlers


One shot, one kill........ It saves a lot of ammo!
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 43,726
Campfire 'Bwana
Online Content
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 43,726
Tie it to the roof of your garage for a couple days, maybe a week. Or soak it in some chemical.



I have boiled a few heads and never really noticed any smell.
(yeah right)


Always soaked the cleaned skulls in a peroxide(bleaching) solution. That will remove any odor, just don't get that chit on the actual antler/horn, or anything you don't want to turn white.

Last edited by SamOlson; 09/24/14.
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 763
M
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
M
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 763
Originally Posted by Snyper
Spray it with some Clorox. or brush it on if it's mounted on a plaque and can't easily be removed

Don't get it on the antlers



Dont use chlorox on a skull. It will make it turn yellow.
Use peroxide if you use anything. I would put in garage if you have one for a week or so to let it air out.



Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,787
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,787
Congrats on your elk. Let it air out.

Let the truth be known - you were nagging the guy about your skulll and he let it out early.

His reward is you talking him down on the web - as no good deed goes unpunished.


Member of the Merry Band of turdlike People.



IC B2

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 12,895
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 12,895
A lot depends how the guy cleaned it.

If he let the skull soak in water until the flesh basically rotted off, they smell the worst but even skulls cleaned by simmering or beetles will initially have a smell about them, but it tends to clear after a week or so..

Thats assuming he has cleaned it properly. If he has only left trace amounts say in the nasal cavities, they will dry out, but if he has left more than that, the smell will linger much longer..

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 762
Campfire Regular
OP Online Content
Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 762
Originally Posted by Ready
Let the truth be known - you were nagging the guy about your skulll and he let it out early.

His reward is you talking him down on the web - as no good deed goes unpunished.


You want the truth to be be known? The truth is that you're making assumptions. I didn't nag the guy at all... in fact he finished well ahead of when he said he would. As for his reward; I haven't called him out by name, nor will I. I'm simply looking for a remedy in order to stay in the good graces of my wife... in hopes that she'll not take opposition to having my mounts hanging in the house.

Thanks to everyone for your advise.

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 762
Campfire Regular
OP Online Content
Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 762
Pete - He soaks the head, but that is all I know of the process. I don't know if he also simmers after it soaks.

Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,377
R
Campfire Kahuna
Online Content
Campfire Kahuna
R
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,377
Most garage guys get it done and out. They don't let it air out.

Do NOT use clorox, besides yellow it will eat the bone away.

Hydro peroxide if anything.

I'm with the otehrs, assuming it wasn't done sloppily, it really needs to air out a month IMHO after its out of water. Even if boiled. Simmered is better than boiled, but I've seen boiled skulls never loose their smell because the fat melted and got into open bone pores while in the water pot....t hats why museums usually only accept non boiled, IE rot off or beetle jobs.

One other thing, You could put the skull in a box with wadded up newspaper, be careful ink does not transfer.... but newspapper helps soak odors. wonder about putting it in a garbage bag with baking soda too possibly for a week?


We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,847
Campfire Ranger
Online Content
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,847
Why go thru all that crap? Just hang it up outside in the sun and wind for a week or so.......No reason to complicate this.

IC B3

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 45,732
S
Campfire 'Bwana
Online Content
Campfire 'Bwana
S
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 45,732
Don't do it!! All the horns that used to be on my barn are now on Huntsman's!!



A wise man is frequently humbled.

Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 10,626
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 10,626
He probably left the brain in it on accident. Whisky does that to garage taxidermists...


Originally Posted by Bristoe
The people wringing their hands over Trump's rhetoric don't know what time it is in America.
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 52,680
Campfire Kahuna
Offline
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 52,680
Originally Posted by rcamuglia
He probably left the brain in it on accident. Whisky does that to garage taxidermists...

laugh


Liberalism is a mental disorder that leads to social disease.
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 12,895
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 12,895
Originally Posted by ELKiller
Pete - He soaks the head, but that is all I know of the process. I don't know if he also simmers after it soaks.


The ones I've done like that really did need to be aired for a few weeks even after being treated with peroxide..

I've found that even the antlers themselves smelled after being immersed in the funky "soup" for a few weeks..As you don't want peroxide on those, I cleaned them several times during the airing period with Detox, just to kill the bacteria off...



Last edited by Pete E; 09/25/14.
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 17,527
D
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
D
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 17,527
There are three ways to do euros. You can rot it off in a bucket of water (maceration), simmer it off, or use beetles. Beetles and rotting smell bad. Simmering off the meat smells the best, but is the least effective. Too hard to get all the meat out of the sinuses using that method.

Rotting and beetles should be followed by brief simmer in a soapy solution regardless. It helps to remove odors and degreases the skull.

All should be left in the sun for at least a day after whitening with peroxide. It airs them out and really turns them white.

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 12,895
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 12,895
Originally Posted by dogcatcher223
Simmering off the meat smells the best, but is the least effective. Too hard to get all the meat out of the sinuses using that method.


A few years ago I spent some time on a couple of Taxi forums trying to pick up a few tips. With regards cleaning skulls, one phrase that seemed to be bandied about was "museum quality"

This denoted a good quality job where apart from being clean/white, the skull was undamaged with all the various small bones being intact.

I have a somewhat different approach in that I am preparing a "trophy", not an anatomical display specimen.

I therefore cut the skull for what is termed a "long nose cut".

I have standardised on this cut now as a) I prefer the looks of the finished item and b) it gives good access to the brain and nasal cavities.

With the interior of the skull somewhat exposed, I then dive in and remove all fine bones and other gunk in the nasal passages.

In fact, I remove as many of these bones as possible, just being careful not to remove anything that is visible externally..

Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 5,213
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 5,213
I have a bunch done with Borax soap. None of them have much of a smell. Except one with horns that never pulled off, this one got sealed with RTV but took a long time to loose all the funk.


The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. Albert Einstein
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 43,726
Campfire 'Bwana
Online Content
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 43,726
The last one I did went like this.

Skin head immediately after kill.

Soak in water for a day or two(until I had time to simmer/clean).

Simmer for an hour or so and then pressure wash. Repeat a couple of times. The pressure washer works great(just be careful), I will never do another one without it.

Lastly, soak for a few days in the 40 proof hydrogen peroxide.

Rinse.

Air dry few a day or two.

Hang on the wall.


Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,847
Campfire Ranger
Online Content
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,847
didja use the pressure washer on the old buffler skull?.....grin

Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 46,745
T
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
T
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 46,745
Plug his nose.


Camp is where you make it.

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
616 members (160user, 10gaugeman, 12344mag, 10Glocks, 12308300, 1badf350, 54 invisible), 2,849 guests, and 1,188 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,740
Posts18,401,130
Members73,822
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.139s Queries: 14 (0.003s) Memory: 0.8837 MB (Peak: 1.0238 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-29 13:23:33 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS