Haven't taken any pics but have been working on my first maceration job. Put son's bear skull into a home depot bucket full of water and put it out back about 200 yards from house. Wrapped bucket in black plastic to help build up heat and left it for 3 weeks.

Popped lid off the bucket and the stench was quite amazing. Next time, note made to remove all the brains before doing this. Thinking they were a big part of the odor. But after 3 weeks almost all the flesh was liquified. Power hosed it with hot water and skull was ready for degreasing. Now it is resting in dawn dish soap and fresh water every few days. All the nasal cavity bones are intact and it is looking really nice.

One other note. I'll put skull in mesh bag with small holes next time. Had a few teeth disappear in the liquid flesh pile and wasn't digging for them. Other than that, I am really liking this more than boiling. Total time spent on it is around 15 minutes so far. Way better in my mind than boiling. I'll put up a pic or two once I am done.

Needing to figure out a method for antlered game and if anyone has done it, let me know. Wondering about antler bases.

I simmer, not boil, with borax and dawn. Remove as much meat as possible along with the brains and it's much less stinky. Done in a few hours then bleach, done.

I've boiled quite a few too. Boiling is fine but some of the small bones will be lost. It is also better I think if you don't have some acreage to deal with the odor. Like I said though, this was my first time macerating one. A few minutes trimming, toss it in water, let it rot 3-4 weeks, power hose it off, and then degrease. Its actually less time total I think. But the odor is really something and without acreage, I couldn't recommend it.

Anyone else done it and have more tips, I would love to hear them. Only things I can think of is better trimming and brain removal, mesh sack to put skull in and don't leave the leftovers where your dog can eat them and smell like death. Trust me on that last one.

Don't leave any part of it where dogs (or wild animals) can get at it if you haven't had it sealed or whatever meets your state's legality requirements. (How are you supposed to make your trophy legal if both hide and skull must be presented simultaneously for sealing if dogs have run off with the skull? )

I have done a few bears the same way with good results. Use commercial hydrogen peroxide and the whitening paste to finish it. I use plastic wrap after I use the paste and peroxide and leave it outside in the heat. Before whitening, I soak my skulls in acetone. I think it's better than dawn. I did a write up not too long ago. Of course all the photo bucket pictures are gone.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/12065481/bear-skulls#Post12065481

I've used the water rot off method on several deer.

Every time I do it I swear it will be the last

BTW.....don't bleach.....peroxide soak

I had decent luck with the last one by burying it up to the antlers in the garden and then covering with a box. The underground bugs cleaned it up pretty good without damaging the small bones. I put in in a wooden box in the ground to catch any teeth that might fall out. Make sure you put a box over the top to keep mice and squirrels from chewing on the antlers.

Be sure and take mesures to prevent dogs from digging it up too

I don't use a household bleach, it's a hair salon product that forms a paste. I'll dig it out and get the name.

The peroxide soak desolves bits and pieces of yuk and grunge plus it knocks down the bacteria count to help with the smell.

Drill holes in jawbones to get the rotten marrow out.

I've done about 10 deer with maceration, no problem. Place a board accross the top of the bucket to rest the horns.

Use a fish tank heater to speed up the process, both the maceration and the degreasing in dawn. I consider warm water a necessity in the degreasing process. Ambient temp just doesn't get the job done.

THE KEY: Complete degreasing is an excercise in patience. I've had a deer skull soaking since February. Grease will float on the top. As long as there's grease being removed I keep soaking. Its really no big deal. Set it up somewhere that is very convenient to maintain. Mine sits in a corner of the garage. I change the water every two weeks. It also requires topping off about every 5 days due to evaporation of the warm water. I've literally got less than 30 minutes total hands on time in the seven months that its been soaking so its no big deal, you just have to wait it out. A completely degreased skull is TOTALLY worth it. You will be amazed. Proper degreasing makes all the difference. Hang in there.

When totally degreased whitening is an option. You may not see the need to do it, but if whitened, it will be so clean you'll be occused of painting it. 40 Volume Developer with Simple White mixed in.

Regarding odor, all of mine are completely oderless. The key is in the degreasing soak time.

Here's a pic from this morning before topping off, after seven months of soaking. Notice the fish tank heater at 2 oclock.

CTsmith, those are beautiful and nice bucks too. Have to order a fish tank heater now. That is what I am looking for in the end and thinking this is the right process for me.

The bear skull, hide and meat were presented to the DOW here and they sealed the hide. After that process is complete, you can do as you wish with the parts. The leftover scraps I mentioned were rotten brains and flesh that were hosed off in the yard. Nothing was wasted on this bear.

Appreciate the insights and going back to look at the older thread link now. Here's to more punched tags and more skulls to work on.

No need to wait that long using acetone. A few days will dissolve ALL grease, oil and fat. The skull will remain white and never yellow. It is a little tricky to seal off the acetone when dealing with antlers and prevent evaporation. Just be creative since the acetone will not harm the antlers. For a bear skull, just cover the skull with acetone and put a bucket lid on. You can keep reusing the acetone. It is pretty cheap at big box stores in gallon cans.

Send me an acetone skull, I'll soak it a week, and I guarantee the water will look like the above pic. Been there done that. My acetone skulls look no where close to the extended dawn soaked. I've found there's no replacement for time.

Top pic; acetone and beetles. Bottom pic; maceration, Dawn and time.

Beetles for me. Then soak in borax and washing soda. I need to try the acetone as a final step. The peroxide might be better for preserving the small bones I will try that too.

It is also one of the few good things about fire ants those guys work fast and usually a wash tub with big rocks on it will keep the coyotes away.

Beetles are great too, but I don't have a spot to house them. My buddy does great work with beetles but logistically he is far from my place and his beetle colony has been having issues. Freezer has emptied out nicely so deer and antelope skulls will fit till spring warm up. If I get a large bull then I guess it's time to see how the fish tank heater I just bought works.

Good reminder. My garden is fenced.

Where do you come up with commercial quantities of peroxide? No big box stores within 3 hours of here.

Looked on amazon and tons of options for peroxide there. If UPS can get to you, that might work.

amazon is anti gun

Thanks, brown trucks bring lots of stuff here.

My dad knew a guy who caught a very large snapping turtle and wanted to save the shell, he buried it in his garden and figured in a few months it would be nothing but bones. He didnt bury very deep and his dog dug it up and drug it to the house. Told my dad the stench would knock you flat.

Here's a pick of the above skull, after about 7 months of soaking in warm Dawn water, and then 24 hours in 40 volume peroxide. There is no coating what so ever on this skull. What you see is raw bone.

I will put maceration, warm dawn water, and time (time soaking in Dawn water is the key) against any other method. There can be no better results.

Beautiful job.

What do the turbinate processes look like? If they are gone there are better ways of accomplishing the cleaning...

The bottom pic is a hint. Perfectly intact, same as the skull posted earlier in this thread. There is no more delicate cleaning process.

Does the 40 volume have any side affects other than whitening after submerging for 24 hrs?
I have always just sprayed the skull and set out in the sun!

I've not had any issues with 40 volume.

Very nicely done!

I'll give it a try I have an antelope skull that will be ready for peroxide in a month or so!

I like the results I get from simply soaking the head in water a few months. I didn't like the time involved so started thinking of ways to speed up the process. What I came up with was to add Rid-x septic tank treatment. The bacteria really go after the meat and fat while having no effect on the bone. Skulls come out white require very little clean up and soak time is at least twice as quick maybe more depending on temperature. No need for heat or boiling which is never good on the bone. I shared this with a friend who cleans about 30 skulls a year for extra play money and he was shocked at how well it worked.

Thinking about doing a deer next. So no issues with the antlers discoloring while in the water?

Thanks for all the info. I bought a 50W aquarium heater tonight. Dropped a small whitetail that I hadn't finished in it. We'll see how it goes.

One question, do you worry about the antlers being submerged? Your pedicules looks really clean and crisp, I don't know how I'd get that without submitting part of the antler.

Looks.like 30338 had same question.

Antlers were partially submerged. Never been a problem for me.

Great. Thanks.

There will be a lot of stuff floating in the surface but it will wipe off with no discoloration.

Started a whitetail in what I thought was a well sealed container in the garage. After 36 hours, it reeked so bad it had to go out to the barn. Hoping the tank heater can keep up with the colder temps out there. Wrapped the 5 gallon bucket in an old blanket. The stench is not to be underestimated lol.

I forgot to mention the process will release gases , so a sealed could be messy.

If you throw a horse turd in the water, and keep it warm enough, the bacteria will eat all the flesh right off, including the brain. I did my cougar skull this way, and once I had the temp of the water warm enough, it only took 3 or 4 days.

I'm doing both an elk and a whitetail skull in the same large container. My wife says she's gonna throw both away because of the stench. She's right, my garage has acquired a rotten flesh smell. I've replaced the water 3 times in a bout 2 weeks and it'll be better for a day or two, then go back to stinking. I'm going to have to boil and pressure wash this weekend and move this along.

I went with that Rid-X stuff. Curious to see how fast it rots meat off.

Hell, I'da give you all the horse turds you could haul....

Better yet, howsa about we leave that bucket out there on the back 1000? Really hope this goes well as it is way worse doing this inside vs outside in summer.

I like using an aquarium heater. It keep temperature fluctuations to a minimum and I think the constant water temperature speeds the process.

I just finished a buck in 3 weeks.

Aquarium heater and anything else?

I used one in my bucket as well. If you can insulate the bucket and keep the temp up a bit over 90, the horse turd will get it done in just a few days.

I cleaned a doe skull once by putting it in an eel pot and sticking it out in the harbor. Talk about stink, it smelled like harbor bottom muck for ages.

Seems like the tank heaters are key. Just did my whitetail skull in 15 days using a tank heater in the barn. Now it is resting in dawn and warm water for however long that will take. Couple of mule deer skulls out there rotting now.

Word of warning on Rid X. I had the whitetail skull in that at first and taped a bag around the top of the bucket and across the brow tines. Apparently the warm Rid X fumes carried a blue green mist on the exposed antlers. Was a bit worried but after going back to clean warm water, the stains disappeared. That said, won't use RidX on them again as they rot fine without it.

I have a skull I want to try this on. If I do, I hope my yard barn contains the smell well enough that the neighbors don't call for the cadaver dogs.

LOL, its a possibility. And you may have a few possums and coons wandering around with high hopes. Actually when I close the door to the barn, I don't hardly notice it outside, though barn time at present is kept to minimum....

Couple of pics of nasal detail that is saved with maceration. This is from my whitetail I am finishing up.




Mule deer buck degreasing now. Looking good though.

Tired of paying $225 a pop for euros so I figured I’d give er a try. Got a Muley soaking for 3 weeks, pulled it out today hasn’t changed much. Been in the 40’s so it’s probably too cold? Bought a fish tank heater today, holds steady at 78 so we’ll see if that expedites the process

If you can get it to the low 90's you'll be much better off. It will only take a few days at the higher temp.

Schitt, the heater I bought is fixed 78 degrees.... guess it’ll take a little longer.

On another question, how you guys getting the brain out? Thanks

Judman,

I have a muley soaking with Rid-X and an aquarium heater I am at the one week mark and ya my polebarn stinks.

I took mine to the car wash first and blasted the brains out with the pressure washer.

My barn is in the teens at night and low 30's during the day but the aquarium heater seems to be working, my guess is the water is in the 60-70 degree range?
That's just a guess, I don't want to stick my finger in the water to test it.

The last one I did was a bear skull, let it soak all summer and it turned out nice. Had to put it in the far corner of the property due to stink.

Right on I’ll have to pick up some rid x sounds like . Thanks

If you get the temp up, and throw a horse turd in there, the brain will be gone.

A *fresh* road apple.

green or brown?......

Wish I could get some of the progress that some of you all have.
Going on about 6 weeks now.
My heat source is a 2nd hand hotplate on the roof of my barn. Plenty of warm days have the water temp in the 80's pushing 90 but haven't had any of those days lately. Adding Dawn and septic treatment chemicals.
Stink is greatly reduced making me think the material that remains is inert but haven't been eager to get hands-on with removing it.

Yes, fresh...I prefer green.

I don’t get it why folks wait seven months for something to happen that can easily be accomplished in three or four hours in my backyard. I boil the skull in a pot with borax and laundry detergent. Periodically I scrape off and all remove the meat that has been cooked off the bone. About the time “most” of the meat is removed, I’ll pour out the water and re-boil with a new borax/detergent solution to really clean and deodorize. I have a somewhat large set of forceps I got from a surgeon buddy that really help with the little bitty meat scraps that want to hang on. Plus, it’ll yank the brain out, piece by piece, very effectively. After that I wipe it down with a 40 volume peroxide paste solution from my beauty shop overnight and all is well. The end result is as professional looking as any ther skull mount you’ll see.

For years I used a 40 volume liquid solution for the skulls. It would require three or more gallons to cover the skull. I could reuse it maybe two more times before the peroxide lost its strength. I used a paste solution this time, painting it on with a small brush and the results were outstanding. I may have used a third of a gallon. So in the end, it works better and is less expensive.

Haha I’ll try the rid x....

That may work, but I KNOW the horse turd does.

Tis time of year here, brown.
It's seasonal as you know.

It does indeed. When I lived in Fairbanks, i had friends that worked for the Inst of Arctic Biology. When they had any animal that they wanted to clean not just the skull, but the entire skeleton, they made a stop at Casa Ironbender for a trash bag o'sshit.

IIRC, more than a few ended up on display.

I knew Squarebanks is different, but displaying bags o' Ironbender schit is going much farther than even I imagined!

It was a BIG bagful! very impressive!

My sshit is also awesome on rhubarb.

Well, I just got a new horse and his is green. They was feeding alfalfa......

The seasonal change here is very evident. Color and consistency!

Also, we need a thread with pics and stuff.

Took some horse shoes to work and had a inmate make me some skull hangers.....

Goofball.

Them are tack hooks.

Haha seen em on the web so I figured I’d have some made up

Heat seems to make a big difference. Have two tank heaters in insulated 5 gallon bucket. Figure in these cooler temps I'll need 3-4 weeks. After that will blast with hot water and put in heated dawn soap soak. Then the peroxide and done. Hope to see some pics from folks in a few weeks.

Any thoughts on an antelope skull with this process? Remove horn sheaths before soaking?

I would...

Yes remove them. The ones I've plaque mounted I mixed up Bondo, poured some in the sheath, placed the sheath back on the bone, works good.

so does silicone caulk....

Well hell, that's cheaper and easier than mixing up Bondo!!! Thanks for the tip Don.

The maceration process is all about water temp. Get the temp close to 90 degrees and its clean as a whistle in less than two weeks. The brains will pour out. 200 watt 90 degree heater will do the trick. Amazon has them for $20. The process is a breeze with the right equipment.

+1. You can let it sit for months at low temps with no results but a bad smell. Get the bacteria rolling and it takes days. If you get the temp to mid 90s it will take a few days.

Water temp is making a huge difference, she’s starting to get stinky...

She’s steaming and stinkin....

Well 3 weeks in cold water, 1 week in water water....

So I changed the water and went down to the neighbors place and grabbed a bag of horse Schitt... maybe this will speed it up???

After a week with heat and horse schitt.... changed water gonna try rid x now I guess...

There's a lot of meat and gristle you could have taken off that skull first which would have helped significantly.

I guess so. Changed water, hoses off the skull, trying rid x now

Put some rubber gloves on and started strripping, unbelievable.....

Not warm enough. 1 week in the horse turds at 94ish degrees and there wouldn't be a thing left.

And my rhubarb thanks you...

I’m just not getting it....boil it, strip it, peroxide it and be done. Mine boil most of the day, entire process done by afternoon. Peroxide for a few hours and by the next day, when dried out, it’s ready for display. Why make it more difficult than it has to be?

If you live in a neighborhood, or don't have a place that something can macerate without the odor driving you nuts, boiling is your best bet. I just completed my 5th macerated head and it takes way less time than boiling. I have less than 1 hour of time per head in labor. Every bone detail is intact and the skulls look fantastic. I've boiled dozens over the years and this maceration process provides way better quality with less work. But I have a great place to macerate them now and did not before.

as long as you don't have to work in the shop building......

Exactly.

You hit the nail on the head. Boiling can't compete with maceration in terms of quality of the final product. Hands on time with maceration is less, assuming your water is hot enough.

The results are clearly better with maceration and I have done scads of skulls, all kinds of ways... but there is no way I can do an ordinary size skull with just an hour worth of work, even if I am doing big bunches at a time.

Far better than boiling is just a plain old pressure washer.

Getting somewhere now. God damn I’ve never smelt anything like it... grin

Little more meat on er but gettin close....

A $25 20 qt pot and a $15 1000 watt single burner hotplate from Amazon. Take 15 minutes to skin game head, 3-4 hours on hotplate in 20 qt. pot, tie skull to sawhorse and blast what is left of flesh off with power washer. Really nothing to it. Do a couple of deer skull mounts every year. Bleach skull with Peroxide Cream ordered from woman hair care site off internet, won't degrade bone like bleach does. Coat with Mop and Glo to seal skull and antlers. You can watch your favorite TV show or browse the Campfire while "cooking" is taking place. The qt. of Peroxide Cream and bottle of Mop and Glo will do about 5 to 6 skulls or more.

My skull guy uses Mop and Glow on his commercial customers heads, too.

Just changed the water again, dumped a bunch of dawn in er. Still got some weird hangers outta the nasal passages. Fish tank heater is still working, weather has been in the 30’s -40’s outside since the project has begun....

A buddy put one on a fire ant mound for a few weeks. Worked.

I finish soak mine in Oxy Clean

Good thread! Though for now, a 1/4 tank of gas and 75 bucks I get a beetle cleaned skull without the hassle or stink. They turn out great!

Yep, if you don't have a place that can handle the stench, writing a check solves a lot of problems lol. That said, I do actually like doing these myself now. Learned a lot this year and next year's work should be even better.

Are you doing them in the summer?? Ever do one in the winter time? Mine is taking a long damn time! Thanks

I use a 5 gallon home depot bucket. Wrap it in towels that are bungee corded tight around the bucket. Fill to brim with clean water, submerge head, 1-2 electric fish tank heaters set on 90 degrees, put a black plastic trash bag over the top, and then put 2 more thick towels on top of the bag to insulate the top. Doing it that way took me 15-18 days of rotting in weather down to low 20s at night and 50s during the day.

If the water isn't warm enough, doesn't work well. I used some of that septic tank stuff in this same manner and it actually removed the brown stain from the antler bases. I would not use that stuff in this manner. I fixed with hot coffee grounds rubbed in till the bases were browned up again, so no big deal.

Gotcha. Stopped at Home Depot and grabbed a water heater insulation blanket, I’ll wrap my bucket up and throw a bag over it.

Month 3, membrane in the nasal cavity seem to be hangin me up

Fish heater got my bucket insulated, lots of dish soap.

It should be nothing but water. The dish soap is killing off your rot. Don't degrease till after the skull is totally clean. Hot water for about 17-18 days had my skulls totally clean. Then I degreased and hit them with peroxide.

Oh gotcha.... think I should put some more rid x in there?

Been running dish soap for about the past month. Guess I probably need another tank heater or 2 to keep the temp up too?

Patients is what it takes

I put mine in a bucket of water then cover it with a black trash bag in late November and don't bother with it until May.

Rinse in off and clear the extra stuff out of the tiny spots then finish soak in Oxyclean

Judman, If you can keep that water at 80 degrees, totally clean water with nothing added, that project will be done fast. I was running two tank heaters and had my tank wrapped up. I did not like the Rid x as it discolored one set of bases I had. So I got away from that. Just add water, and let it rot with the heaters. It'll go fast.

Copy I just rinsed everything off/out and put straight water in er.

Keep the water warm and it'll be clean soon enough. These were 2 of the 5 I did this fall. They turned out pretty good for me and my patience level. I've got 3 tank heaters now and a lot of buckets. Ready for more work this fall.

Those look damn nice. My taxi says done right shouldn’t take more than 2 weeks . I need another tank heater, it’s been pretty chilly here, water is only Luke warm. The heater I have is fixed temp at 78..

Add another tank heater, drape a black trash bag over the top of that bucket and put an old blanket or a couple of shop towels over the top of that. Will really help hold heat in if you do. Your close, just need to get the heat up and let er rot minus the soap and rid x.

Yep you're right, shop stinks like a bastard again.... grin

The odor is kind of rough. I hate to say it but after about 5 skulls this fall, I almost got used to it. Let it go for 10-12 more days and you should be done. It'll be worth it.

Copy and thank you Kurt, appreciate the pointers.

I wish someone would make this a sticky, good info here on what and what not to do....

PS, I dunno how that stench could become normal... grin

I put mine in a large Rubbermaid Rough Tote type container with a lid and put it on the deck(had to be close enough to an outlet for the heater). This cut down the stench about 90%. Pop the lid off to check on it and it will bring tears to your eyes though.

JSH, You doing this on skulls with no antlers or how are you fitting those? If with antlers, I'd like to see a pic of that setup.

Ya, are the horns submerged?

Just finished up this bear skull (what's left of it) for my daughter. That little 80 gr TTSX ended up in the forward part of the bear's front leg.

That looks good, need to check on my buck skull....

Congrats to your girl kid!

Sorry, I missed this earlier. Just a large plastic tote with a lid and I run the aquarium heater cord out the lid. Nothing fancy.
The key is to not shoot too big a buck so that the antlers fit.
I think you can get the container even larger if needed but this probably wouldn't work for an elk.
I fill the water right up to the base of the antlers but don't submerge them.
It really does cut down the smell a lot.

This has gotta be ready for degrease huh Kurt?

Yep.....dish soap and oxyclean

That looks better than mine did, before going in the Dawn.....

Cool thanks guys. Now how long to degrease? Grin

I soaked mine in dishsoap for 2 weeks

Copy that. Obliged

Yep...the longer the better it gets

Looks good. I swap out the degreasing water about every week and refill with hot tap water. Not sure how much the hot helps but thats what I've been doing. Buy some of that creme peroxide for hair care when you get done and brush it on. I set mine in a plastic tub and coat the piss out of it for a few days. Keep that off the antlers.

On a side note was moving some stuff around the barn yesterday and kicked one of the blankets used to wrap the 5 gallon buckets used for rotting with. After 5 months it still stinks like heck. Wow.

Cool thank ya sir!

Got mine done finally, think it turned out pretty well. One thing for sure, the skull is in a lot better shape after masecration vs boiling. I need to get another fish tank heater or 2 to try to speed it up, that and I am finishing up a green house for the commander right now, so that should help as well, vs being in the cold shop. Very happy with the finished product.

did you bleach yours?

Don, went to the local beauty supply store and picked this stuff up. Mix er up to a paste consistency, brush it on, spray off with water a couple hours later. Seemed to work good.

I didn't bother to bleach this years buck after soaking in dishsoap. He looks clean enuff to nail to the wall as is, without the extra work. And besides, nobody but me is gonna be seeing him, to critique the job...

.

I seen him. I think you missed a spot.

Looks good

Forgot the pic.

Only his hairdresser knows for sure.....

Thought I'd bump this one back up. Got 3 skulls in buckets with tank heaters and today marks the 6th day. Might have to go take a look at them today and check water level. 2 more heads are in the on deck circle so hoping to keep things moving. Based on the stench factor it appears the tank heaters are working.

Didn't want to risk my phone around the stench. After 6 full days in the 84 degree water, the 3 skulls are at least 85% cleaned off. Emptied out the initial water, refilled with hot water, dropped in tank heaters and wrapped by up in blankets. Total time expended on 3 skulls so far is around 20 minutes and only expense is 5 gallon buckets, water, and tank heaters. I may buy 2 more tank heaters to expand my capacity.

Pics in a week when these 3 should be done.

I’ve got a couple of Antelope skulls stewing in a covered rough tote as well. Cuts down on the stench enough that my wife will let me keep it on the deck.

First two are out of the rot bucket. Key is having water temp 85-90. These took 8 days and today I hit them with my garden hose with hot water. They are completely cleaned off. Now sitting in dawn dish water to degrease. Need to get the other 3 done so I can put the tank heaters in the dawn water. Then last step is hitting them with peroxide paste.

I have very little time in these and they have all the bones and crevices totally cleaned out. Will post finals when done degreasing.

Anybody do a antelope this way?

2017 Antelope....

I have lots done this way.. Nice easy to move around...

So take the sheaths off and let em soak? Thanks

I practiced on a small antelope last year. Just let the head rot a few days and keep twisting around on the horn sheaths. They eventually popped off from the decaying process. Hit them with hot water and then let them dry out. No damage and worked fine. Then let skull do its thing like any other one. I wouldn't hesitate to do a big antelope using that process.

Ackleyfan, that is one seriously big looking antelope, congrats.

30338, thats the way to go! To all you guys that have trouble, you're not getting the water warm enough, its that simple.

Regarding the dawn soak, I've had an unusually greasy mule deer skull soaking for over six months, change the water twice per month, and still getting a significant amount of grease floating on the top with each water change. Observing the skull shows the grease spots, mostly which are gone now, maybe its almost done. As a side note, I'm in Alabama so this buck was obviously killed out of state. Our laws require all skulls imported be cleaned before they get here. Beatles did the cleaning and I requested that the taxidermist not degrease, but he degreased by mistake. Whatever chemicals used did not even remotely work as well as dawn and water. Dawn has been continuously drawing grease out of a "degreased" skull for over six months.

CT, I'd be curious to see you try something with that skull. I just did 3 skulls, have 2 more rotting but not sure 3 tank heaters can keep up with overnight low here of 9. Anyway, on the 3 I just did, I sat them in Dawn and hot water for 2 days. Rinsed well, coated in 40% peroxide paste and sat them in the sun for 8 hours. They are totally pure white. Now they could seep grease out I guess at a later date, but the ones last year have not yet.

If you try that and it doesn't work, could you then just go back to soaking it in Dawn? I get impatient and it seems like the sunshine peroxide combo is working really well. If you try it, let me know how it goes.

Gotta go out to barn and see if I can rig something over the 15 gallon tank to keep the heat in without burning down the barn.

I've gone the quick route and grease spots showed up each time. I'm peculiar in that I want no grease floating after a two week soak. I soak until that happens. But if you're happy with it, by all means, rock on.

Regarding re-soaking in dawn after peroxide, later on down the road, absolutely you can. Peroxide does nothing to trap the grease in. I soaked old euros that had been simmered, back before I knew better, and it was pretty darn effective.

Thanks,

Pretty much the exact process I used on this antelope, I put it in a black garbage bag in a plastic feed barrel for 3-4 days in the summer heat and the sheaths will just pull off, then put the skull back in a 5 gal bucket and soaked for a couple weeks then I degreased in dawn, and then I sprayed with 40% HP!

I bought a tank heater to speed the process on the next ones after reading this thread!
I think this maceration process turns out very good results

Ya man what a hammer !!!! Got the sheaths off mine already gonna dunk er in water

looking forward to your results!

I posted my progress on a muley in this thread last year, by far the best euro mount I have. Just gotta be patient

Here are the last two to get through the process. Have 6 more coming at a minimum this year from friends and family. The stench in the barn is pretty real lol. Toughest part is keeping the rot buckets warm on cold nights.

You definitely have the process dialed in

very nice looking skulls!

Do you seal them or leave them natural?

What container do you use for the elk skull? I have a bull I shot a couple weeks ago I’d like to do. Have a Buck from the weekend and a couple bears in the freezer I need to work up too.

Ackley, been leaving natural. It leaves options if any grease were to surface later. But sealing is a rattle can away.

TheKid, ranch supply store had a 15 gallon black soft rubber like horse water bucket. I had 3 tank heaters in it. It fit an elk and a mule deer at same time. On the bears, be careful on having teeth fallout and get lost in the sludge. Not sure how you get around that on the bears.

It warmed up here the other day, so I put a heater on my frozen bucket of bear skull.

I guess I need a tank heater.

TheKid, This is the container:
https://www.bigronline.com/miller-mfg-15gallon-heavy-duty-rubber-tub-black-601415.html

CWH2, that'll look like new after about 12 days in some nice luke warm water.

I take a simpler path. Put the skull in the canal and hope the gators don't make off with it. Crabs take care of the light work. Tusks on the bottom, pick 'em up and glue them back in place. Short soak in bleach,dry it out and go. 3 days in the water was all it took.



Resurrected:



Crabs gotta eat too.

And these clowns as well.

Trying an experiment with a small tank aerator in the Dawn soak along with the tank heater. Thinking that agitated warm water may degrease a little faster than still. We'll see.

Just put 3 buck skulls in to rot off.......I will pull them out in May or June

Why no tank heater and done in less than 2 weeks?

I have patience

I must be doing something wrong with an elk skull plate then. I didn't do a great job of fleshing it off a few years back, but now I've been soaking it in water and several water changes with Dawn over a couple of months and yesterday I took it to the car wash and blasted it for four minutes. I've already spent hours with a knife, needle nose pliers and a hemostat and there is still 10% of white smelly skin stuck to that skull plate. I do have a new appreciation for how tough elk hide is. No deer skull was ever this much work.

Windfall, Do not add dawn soap to the water. Just hot water with a tank heater keeping it at 85-90 degrees. It will be clean in 9-12 days. I don't scrape on them or anything like that after I pull them out. The maceration basically dissolves it all. Now that said, I don't put unskinned heads in the water. But I still think what you have will rot off.

Tank heaters are $13 delivered on Amazon.

Thanks for that 30338, but it was skinned back when it was fresh, but now I'm contending with layers of very thin skin layers that were under the hair hide skin. I've always boiled my deer skulls and I'm considering that with the elk now too. It is drying in the garage, but the effluvia funk is filling the garage and it enough to gag a maggot. Sweetness isn't about to let this thing into the house again even down in the man cave.

If you only have a garage, I'd start boiling that sucker immediately. No way I would macerate in my garage, its really bad.

Yup, it was even worse in the utility sink down the basement. It's a good thing that she likes me. Worse was boiling deer heads on the stove before she got home and before I bought a hot plate for outside boiling. She wasn't quite as nose blind as I was when she walked in the door. Wasn't real happy about me using her soup kettle either.

Windfall, you keep that up and another skull is going to be joining that one in the pot.....

Kurt, I’m shifting gears here. Tried the fish tank heater, didn’t work to well for me. stopped by tractor supply tonight, gonna give this a whirl. Supposed to get to 100 degrees so we’ll see.

Jud, the buck i killed in SD came out perfect in 10 days. I'll shoot you a pic tomorrow. Its all about the heat. Try two or three heaters in the bucket at the same time.

Judman, That should work. Going to be some cooked on rotted flesh on those elements but I like the idea of 100 degrees. CT, I am finding 8-10 days if I can keep water at 85 or above. Had a couple of sitka that took longer but they had dried a bit. Got a 1 year old skinned mule deer I am trying to save right now. Taking a long time. I think I ended up this year at 13 heads done. Been real happy with the process. If it gets cold, the multiple heater trick works well.

I think that 100 degree heater may be very nice for degreasing for a 3-7 day soak. Keep me posted on what luck you have with it. Got one degreasing now and 3 more rotting it up. Temps headed south so may take longer. Be glad to finish up the last of this years crop lol.

A few recent ones.

Few more.

Been seeing some issues with heads skinned by hunting buddies. I now recommend only removing the hides. Don't cut out eyes, don't mess with brain, I do prefer lower jaw removed. But some guys are beating up eye sockets and areas above teeth on cheeks when skinning and removing eyes. Just let that stuff rot out, way better on skull quality from what I am seeing.

Ya do that Clint!! Thank you

Got er Kurt. I cape, cut jaw off and that's it too. I fight the cold, 35-45 til March/April.

Yours look great, really no comparison with the boil/beetle imo....

I take out the eyes and brains, but agree that its not necessary, just a little cleaner bucket when you're done. I think ya'll have talked me into not screwing with it.

Just finished this one up

Turned out real nice there. I need to glue a few sheaths on mine but they just sit on the shelf so haven't gotten motivated yet.

Judd, Nice! Did the problem turn out being water temp or chlorine content? Was it the river water that worked?

Clint, I used river water, seems to work a lot better!!

You guys reckon an elk skull that’s been sitting skinned since Halloween will still clean up okay with this method. Been busy and haven’t got going on it yet.

TheKid,

Do you have a FIRE ANT mound near you?? = Just drop your skull on top of the mound & those critters will eat the skull clean for sure, regardless of how old that it is. - Fire Ants are NOT very particular about their dinner.

yours, tex

I cleaned a deer head that had been skinned and sitting outside for a year this winter. It cleaned up fine but took a bit longer. I'd for sure put it in a tank of water with fish tank heaters turned to 90 and let it rot off. It will look great.

Yes it will hydrate and rot off just fine.

Well I did round me up a big mineral tub to rot it in so I guess I’ll go grab a heater and give it a go. Have a buck head from November in the back of my truck I might as well toss in too.

And Tex, thank god no, we don’t have fire ants around here. Just regular old red ants.

TheKid,

RED ANTS will do the job too but MUCH slower.

yours, tex

Jud... looks good!

Not doubting that this works but it sure made me laugh a little. Sounds like a prank on the new guy.

Been cleaning a few heads again this fall for friends and some clients. No changes to the process. This is a bull that sat in the warm water for 5.5 days. Totally clean. Now degreasing and then peroxide on next sunny warmer day.



And here was one that was completed recently.



And a few antelope.



If you're along the Colorado Front Range and need one done, shoot me a pm. Had a guy drop off an elk yesterday and walked him through the whole process on how it is done. He should be able to do his in the future now.

Some guy dropped one off? I kinda liked the way you done me. Lunch, shooting and free pickup and delivery...... They turned out great, as usual. Thanks......

Thanks Don. Any excuse to drive out there works for me. And one more to deliver so can recheck zeros after lining up reticles.

What's your degrease procedure? Was just talking to a guy that was soaking in acetone, which seems ideal, but maybe over the top?

Also, while we are on the topic, how do you mix peroxide when you "bleach"?

I rinse out the rot tanks, add clean hot water and a lot of Dawn dish soap. They sit in that with tank heaters until I deem them good enough. Typically elk are going faster than deer for some reason. Then I hit them with a garden hose that is hooked up to hot water.

Next up, I buy the 1 gallon jugs of 40 volume cream peroxide and then paint it on. Typically 2 days of that sitting in bright sun and the bones are quite white. I don't mix anything in them.

Thanks... sorry if you had already posted that.

The kid I usually have do my european mounts was booked up this year, and I might have to actually do something myself.

I want to try the method with the aquarium heater. There are tons of options for purchasing those things on Amazon; can someone post a link to the heater(s) they bought from Amazon and have had good performance/luck with? I'd appreciate it.

Also, just so I'm clear, the first step is to remove the hide from the skull as well as the lower jaw, correct? Then into the bucket to soak in warm water?

Thanks!

Yep skin er out, remove jaw as much meat as possible and eyeballs

Those look damn good Kurt, love antelope euros!!

Those are my hunters lopers. I'd rather they support my buddy, than the other skull guys I used to take them to. That way he has some mad money for scopes and such.....

Nice goats Don, and ya, gotta take care of your pard!! You a guide?

not commercially any more. Just guide the guys that hunt the ranch. Had 7 goat hunters and 3 rifle deer guys this year. The boss, his wife, and me all drew plains late season deer this year. I prolly won't get to hunt till they fill....

I do an acetone soak before the 40 volume peroxide. Don't glue any teeth in until after the acetone because it will dissolve the glue.

I find that acetone really draws out and dissolves any remaining fat and grease that may be hiding in small spots like the sinus area. It really gets the bone degreased on bears. I reuse the acetone

Love it. I never shot an antelope but think the skull mounts for them go together like peas and carrots.

Get you a 5 gallon bucket heater for maceration....

Ya I gotta order one Greg

Yep my for skull mount for sure

I've been watching threads on maceration over the last few years thinking I'd try, but haven't given it a shot yet. I have a deer from a month ago that I'd like to do, but the weather turned cold. How cold can it get and the 2 or 3 aquariums heaters still maintain 85 or 90 degrees?

I never have been able too, matter of fact checked on 3 I got going now, they’re blocks of ice!! 😂😂

Got 2 mule deer skulls going in the barn now. 2 days in and they are stinking pretty good. So 3 tank heaters in a cooler is enough for 48 degree highs and 28 degree lows in an unheated barn. If it gets too cold, process is delayed but starts up again quickly.

Wrapping the container in fiberglass insulation will allow it to work down to pretty low temps.

What about a pressure washer? Last year I dug out an old set of elk antlers that I'd like to put up somewhere and I soaked them for weeks with Dawn and water, changed the water a bunch of times and any time I wanted to spend an hour and not accomplish much, I could keep pulling off bits of what seemed to be layers of skin. Elk skin sure seems to be attached stronger than deer skin. Sweetness made me buy a pressure washer this summer to squirt stuff and naturally I thought about antler skull plates in the rotation.

By just letting the rot happen, all the details remain. Folks like different stuff though. I would say soaking in dawn water killed off any chance you had of maceration cleaning it off. Embrace the stench and use only water, no additives. After the rot happens and skull is clean without having to pick a single thing off, then use a garden hose and rinse off. Then soak in warm dawn soap and degrease that way.

Assuming the elk head was skinned prior to attempting to rot? I find elk meat rots faster and cleaner than deer do.

+1 except I use acetone for the degreaser then the 40 volume peroxide

Thanks for the guidance. I was considering just waiting till summer. Sounds like I should give it a shot with some heaters and insulation.

Finished these up for a friend. Tank heaters, uninsulated barn and a cooler. Currently have mountain lion skull rotting. Of the many heads I have done, the mountain lion had the most wretched smell of any of them.

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My old man decided to borrow my tank and heater to do an elk he killed last month. I gave him the rundown and told him to get the longest cord he could find to get it way away from the house.

He filled it up and tossed a couple road apples in, covered it up with a blanket and plugged it in. About 20 feet from his back door off the edge of the patio! It got epically ripe quick, mom was calling while we were in KS bird hunting wanting to know what in the heck had the whole compound smelling like a dead animal.

It’s been steeping for about two weeks and I suspect it’s done. Might have to go rinse it off this evening and see how it turned out.

Even if not done, pour out the rot somewhere safe and the odor will drop a bunch. Has to be about done though.

They look good, 30338

I dunno wtf I do wrong, just pulled a bear skull that’s been sitting in water in a covered bucket since September, been in a bucket with a tank heater for 2 weeks, still got a long ways to go. It is worth it though, no better way to do it if you like detail

Ones that sit in cold water for a few weeks or months, have proven to be far more difficult for me to get done vs ones that either sit outside or are in a freezer. The cold water does something odd to the meat. Fresh head and 90 degree water, you're looking at 7-10 days pretty consistently.

Toss another heater on that bear. I've been running 2-4 these days with colder weather.

Jud, the water is not warm enough.

This mtn lion has been in 90 degree water for 3 full days. It had eyes and brains still intact when dunked. Just flushed water, collected teeth and here is how it looks in the water again. Probably leaving it another week as I have heard these have a bit of grease in them. But it gives you an idea of 90 degree water and rot speed.

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I’ll pull it out tonight and snap a pic. Got a big whitetail and antelope soaking in the green house too. Thanks Kurt

Ya I need to get that bucket heater like you got lil buddy

Think I should change the water Kurt or keep letting it stew??

upload images to the web

Yep, I’d flush it. Should help with degreasing later. With heat that head is done in 2-3 days from that stage.

Copy I’ll take a temp with the clean water, don’t want my meat thermometer touching that water!! 🤣🤣

I’ll glove up and pull a bunch of that slimy shiit off too

We have fire ants were I live. I put the skull on a fire ant hill, and cover with a tin tub, bucket, etc. Ants do a great job.

Guy only goes without gloves one time lol. Going to use acetone on the cat skull. Experimenting. Heard it works on bears. Deer and elk so much easier than predators.

Soak the whole skull in acetone? How long?

Sitting here at work posting this, I can smell that shiit!! Good lord that shiit is bad!! 🤣🤣

The cat has been the worst I’ve ever smelled. After it’s clean, soaking in acetone till grease free. Dawn has worked fine but wanting the cat to be perfect. Either way of degreasing, end results are quite good. Lose any teeth on that bear yet?

Holy shiit!!! That bear is something else.....

Hmm... the mountain lion skull got me thinking. While it obviously wouldn't work for anything with antlers, I wonder about an 8qt pressure cooker? I have two 6 quart Insta-Pot cookers and the meat falls off the bone. I wonder what an hour or two would do to s skull.

Boiling is not an original thought.

It’s worth the stank... 🤣🤣

It turns out a great product. The challenge is getting water to 90 degrees for a period of 7 days or so. Do that and meat falls off completely with no damage.

Goal in off season is to figure out how to rig an electric hot water tank heater to maintain 90-100 degrees in a larger tank. See if I can pull that off.

Sheep is getting there...

Bear is out of the acetone soak and starting bleaching.

Looking real good.

Thanks for all your help, by the way.

I pulled all the teeth that I could out of the bear skull. Glad I did, because there was a lot of rotten flesh inside the canines. However, now the skull is dry (post acetone soak) and I'm having trouble getting them back in the skull... suggestions on that? Soak it in water overnight and see if that makes a difference?

I'd think a hot soak for a day and then see if that helps. I've got lion teeth cleaned and waiting for reinsertion after skull is done. Curious to see how that goes. Be curious if coating teeth in elmers glue and trying to insert might lube them up enough? I'll be trying that as it has worked well on deer, elk and antelope.

Did about a two week rot & two weeks with dawn - any idea what the white deposits are? And how to get rid of them?

That skull is going to look great. That is carcass wax. Take warm water, dawn soap, toothbrush, and scrub those areas well. That stuff will come right off. Rinse with hot water. After those are gone, you're ready to whiten with paste peroxide.

Not boiling, you only use about 1/4-1/2 cup of water.

I’d always done them by simmering them for a couple hours but tried Maceration for the first time this year after reading this thread. Way easier and very happy with the results.

Thanks, I'll get scrubbing the next warmish day we have.

I got an axis back from a guy that I assume boils skulls. I’ve had it about a month now, and although it was white when I got it back, now it’s turned yellow. Is this just needing to be degreased, or could it be something else?

With that description, sounds like a grease issue. Try Dawn water with a tank heater. May take a bit to get it pulled out of the bones.

That’s what I was thinking as well. Already ordered 2 100W tank heaters. I’ve got another head I just brought back from TX I’m going to do as well.

How long ya let em soak in dawn for to degrease Kurt?

Clean everything you can get off with a knife. Put them on a ant den in the summer.

It varies. Elk have been 2-4 days and come out great. Deer have been longer with more water changes. So far the cat is at 10 days and keep getting cloudy dawn water so keeping it in there. If you pull one out, let it dry completely, coat it with peroxide and then grease reappears no big deal, back in warm dawn water some more. Its a very low risk process. The degreasing process is odor free so sitting in a heated or insulated garage works great.

I tested the lower jaw on the cat and had a couple spots I felt like needed more degreasing. The teeth are just sitting in sockets totally loose. Requires care not to loose them during water flushes and rinses. Be glad when it is done completely.

I have a whitetail head in the freezer and will be trying this soon.

I’m curious, has anyone tried this on previously boiled skulls? I have several hanging in the building that doesn’t look the best, never we’re degreased. Thinking I might soak them in dawn for a few weeks and see what happens as well.

I cleaned an old elk head that may have been boiled, we didn't know the history. It was very yellow and had dried meat in the nostrils. After macerating for 2 weeks, I hit with a garden hose and hot water. Lot of filmy stuff came off the bone. Degreased in dawn a few days. Let it dry well and painted on the peroxide. It took about 3 treatments but came about 90% of normal white. Had a couple of spots I just couldn't get to turn white on it. Looked and smelled way better though.

Its always low risk due to the low temps. I'd give it a run in the degreaser for sure. If water gets cloudy just rinse and repeat.

I got a couple bear skulls we’ve had in the freezer for like 5 years I need to do. Do you put them in an onion sack or something? I don’t want to loose any teeth but don’t really want to muck around in the goop either.

Others can chime in any time, but my experience with the bear skull I did was all the teeth want to come out. Really nasty. I lost the small ones and it was my bear so no big concern. Working on my son's lion skull right now and all teeth are loose and come out easily when pulled or the rotten water is poured out. So I took a window screen from Home Depot, blue gloves and poured the bucket out on the screen. Then forced the rotten sludge through the screen until I found every tiny tooth. Not fun, but there are worse things. So here is how the lower jaw sits right now. Rest of skull still degreasing. I am deciding if lower jaw is done or not.
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So long story short. If you are doing predators, be prepared to sludge dive and degrease a long time.

Oh and due to teeth coming out, I'd only do one bear skull per 5 gallon home depot bucket. Don't want teeth mixed up.

Kurt, I might try the acetone degrease on this stupid, greasy fuucking bear...😂😂

Be curious to see how it goes. I may try it on this cat if I don't think the Dawn is up to the task. Just need to practice a little patience on the degreasing. Elk, deer and antelope are pretty easy compared to cats and bears it seems.

I did the same with the window screen.

My bear skull turned the acetone brown... Not sure thats good.

Normal, don't worry about it.

I suspect that your acetone is saturated (or nearly saturated) with fat and is not degreasing now (or at least not very well) Get some fresh acetone is all you need to do.

To get around the problem of acetone becoming saturated with fat, museums and universities have automatic degreasers that spray acetone on the bones in a closed system, and then collect the used (greasy) acetone, then distill it. It is then sprayed again over the bones being degreased. These machines work amazingly well, but they are expensive because they have to be designed to safely contain boiling acetone and have a LOT of failsafe mechanisms to cope with the huge fire hazard! :-)

John

I've got to try Acetone it sounds like. Interesting about museums using it, never knew that.

I've got a few skulls that are cleaned and ready for degreasing. I've grown very weary of the dawn method, patience is not my virtue and neither is a half ass job, hence the conflict. Think I will give acetone a try.

As a side note, my deer skulls soak for months in dawn to get them museum quality. There was one that took eight months, and that was with heated water. The references I see to a few days to a few weeks have me perplexed. Here is a quote from a taxidermist that was posted in taxidermy.net forum, so I'm not the lone ranger.



Here's a link with good info.

Degreasing skulls with acetone

The majority of the fresh deer and elk skulls I have done, do quite nicely with relatively short dawn soaks. For the nastier skulls, seems like quite a few options. I don't feel like messing with ammonia. But acetone in a sealed container may be perfect for predators and what I am looking for. Going to grab some later today hopefully. Thanks for that link CT.

Side note, after 4th water change in 10 days, the cat water is looking very clear today. May make a run with peroxide at it soon.

Been using acetone for many years. It is reusable too. Posted in this thread on one of the pages previously. Keep it covered with a lid to avoid evaporation and be careful around open flame etc. Obviously, wear gloves.

Sako, The skull just barely fit into a new metal gallon paint can. So I filled that up with acetone and tapped the lid down securely. Guess I'll leave it a week and see what I have. Hoping it works well. Any other suggestions on acetone are welcomed. Need to reread this thread as there are probably some other nuggets I have missed. Another guy is using home depot buckets with lids on them for bear skulls.

On to this project. Alaskan moose that was previously boiled by owner. Cool thing and quite huge. My thought is to notch the cooler sides down about 6 inches. That will get the top of skull submerged and I know I can heat that with 4 heaters. The challenge obviously is how to get a water tight seal around the antlers and inside of cooler? Thinking I wrap the antler bases with saran wrap. Lot of layers, then duct tape on top of that. Bought a waterproof tape that I am hoping I can seal off the notch with and connect it to the duct tape on bases. Wondering if pipe clamps on the duct tape would help.

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Its a large problem and I keep looking at this bull wishing it was mine lol. Great trophy and it needs help. Any thoughts welcomed.

I like the plan... How about a layer of foam rubber (like a gasket) wrapped in visqueen with the visqueen run wild by a foot or so. Then a clamp over all that. The idea being that you can tape/seal the visqueen to the cooler to seal.

I'll be curious how it works out, because I've got one of those to do too. I'm probably going to be cutting a poly drum in half, but the sealing issue is the same.

Other option I think is to partially submerge and rotate after one side rots off. Don't like that option near as much.

Maybe wax up the antler bases prior to the saran wrap treatment as an extra layer of waterproofing to keep the bases from turning dark? I wonder if dripping a candle would do it and then hitting it with a heat gun to get it off? Parafin? Just thinking out loud here.

Jig saw coming out shortly. That cooler has a bit of dna stuck to inside and I need to clean off a bit to get a good tape seal. If it works, it may be the answer for guys cleaning moose. If not, I'm out a trashed out cooler lol.

Not sure, but once I get cooler cut and cleaned up, I can see where the antlers are hitting on the notch. Then any of the above ideas may have merit. Know later tonight hopefully.

Maybe Saran Wrap the heck out of the antlers and set it in place and then spray foam the openings shut? Just thinking out loud

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Lot of ideas being tossed around. Going to seal up the cooler first with some waterproof gorilla tape and then drop head back in to assess. Picture paints a 1000 words. It fits and it if I can seal it, doing moose skulls for guys would be pretty easy really. Way the heck less water needed.

Lookin good Kurt

What about duct seal? I've seen folks seal distributors with it on off road trucks. I have used it to seal holes in the firewall, but never tested it in water, let alone warm water for an extended period.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gardner-Bender-1-lb-Plug-Duct-Seal-Compound-DS-110/100212441

WARNING: I have never tried this, so you might end up with a huge mess trying to clean it off the antlers, or it could leak and you could end up with an even huger mess.

Edited to add: That cooler is the perfect size. Gotta love that!

The waterproof Gorilla tape may be water proof in some applications but can't get it to seal 100%. Going to pull that one on Saturday when our weather warms up and see how it did. Top of skull is going to be an issue.

Got the first mountain lion done. Turned out nicely I think.
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Looks good Kurt

Got a bunch wrapped up last well, bear.
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Coues deer

Archery antelope and coues again

Those turned out well Jud. Nice to see them. Just finished up a javelina here. Will look good on the shelf I think.

Those Javelina euros are cool!

down here we boil the sculls then pres wash and soak in peroxide for a few days deer hog and gator heads i got a bobcat scull but i lost the small teeth between the canine teeth. if some body wants to see pics. pm me a phone # and i will text it to you

Did you drill holes in the jaws?

Just how they are....

I didn't whiten the tusks but yours look good like that Greg. I guess I could always hit them with peroxide later.

I mean....holes to get the gunk out?

No holes are drilled. Soaked in 90 degree water, meat falls off. Then a series of dawn dish soap soaks at 90 and the grease comes out of the bones. Then whitening. Easy yet raunchy lol.

Got the porcupine skull done. Interesting one to skin out lol. Pretty cool looking teeth on these guys. Thanks to my buddy for providing the dead head.

Looks great. Thanks for sharing.

a 'before' pic.....

I have one in the freezer. Hope it turns out that well.

Wonder if a busted freezer will keep the smell low enough the neighbors don't burn me out...?

It wasn’t as bad as I expected. Did a deer that took about 6-7 weeks.

Pointer, You've got a javelina head in freezer? At this point, I'd wait for June and warm weather. Take a 5 gallon depot bucket, paint it black to absorb heat, fill it up with water and put the lid on it. Unless you have a really big yard, I'd find someplace that you could put it with a big rock on it and leave it for 9 days or so. Buy the cheapest window screen you can find at Home Depot($12 one I found recently there), a good pair of gloves and get upwind of bucket when you pour it out. You'll want to look closely to locate all the teeth.

The javelina have a very bitter ammonia like smell when rotting. Took the barn about 8 weeks to recover from that one. They are really cool and worth the effort though. I'd vote wait for warm weather though and get it outside someplace. Good luck! Don't pour out the liquidified meat anywhere your dog can get to it.

Yep, a javelina and a couple of pronghorn heads in the freezer that I'd like to get cleaned up. Thanks for the info on the window screen. Thinking I'll just wait for warmer weather, which for around here isn't too far away. The smell should help with social distancing...

Finished my son's public land pronghorn. Rot took 6 days. New degreasing method took 2 days. Then whitened and glued on the sheaths. Had really good prongs.

Very nice. I love the color contrast. What is your new degreasing method?

Got a tank heater that goes on outside of a 5 gallon bucket. Put half a cup of dawn in there and turn heat to 150. Goes way faster than the old method with 85 degree water. Been testing it on a few things and seems to be yielding very good results.

Nice Kurt, I was just thinking about this thread the other day, got a couple soaking now

Which tank heater you guys recommend??

Got 3 small buck skulls the kids have killed I need to do before Christmas? Youth deer coming up fast so I better get on it before they put more heads in freezer that need done

I had always boiled them but am tired of the time involved with that. Nobody local does it anymore. So guess I’m gonna give this a go

I'd buy this one and turn it to 100 degrees to macerate, any above 100 and you kill bacteria. Then when cleaned of all rotten flesh, I'd wash bucket out good, pour in dawn soap, turn heat to 150 and degrease for a couple of days.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OYEABGQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'd put this heater on the very bottom of a home depot bucket which is what I do. If you read through the thread, its going to smell like hell for 3 days. I am now swapping water at 3 days to cut odor down. Don't pour it out anywhere a dog could get it or you'll be doing a lot of baths.

Elk just clean up so nice. This one sat in a rot cooler for 4 days, using rubber gloves pulled the large chunks of eyes etc off. Then back in clean water for 4 days. Took it out today, hit it with hose and it is completely spotless. Going in degreaser soak here with 2 tank heaters. Degrease and then out in sun with peroxide. All bones completely intact.

I gave up and pressure washed the moose (the one in front). It came out ok, obviously lost a lot of the fine bones.

Still need to degrease and bleach and then find somewhere to put it, but at least it isn't sitting out in the weather anymore.

Moose antler configuration is a big problem. For moose I'd recommend beetles as the tank size would be like a small swimming pool. I tried as you know with the cooler and just couldn't get the water to hold around my inletting. Those 2 look great though!

I just soak in water like the OP. No Chemicals. Skulls come out with a natural color and very nice.

A couple from this falls wolf. He was just losing his baby teeth. These are right out of a hot soak in dawn and water using 30338's bucket heater, which rocks by the way.

Just finished this one up last week

Cool wolf and good looking muley buck. I need to buy a hanger or two I guess. That sure looks good.

I didn't read all the posts, but does anyone have any experience "macerating" a skull in the ocean? I'm thinking that the crabs and other small invertebrates might help speed up the process and skip the rotting part. Haven't tried it yet but seems like it might work pretty well. I have a few skulls I'd like to try it with.

Seems like you would lose the ability for the bacteria to clean out all the tight spots, but I know nothing about ocean cleaning. If you do it, post up some pics and let us know how it goes. Seems like a few years back I saw someone doing that off a pier. Just didn't see closeups of final product so I can't say for sure on it.

Finished my bull bout a month ago


Finished product is a hellava lot better than boiling

Soaked an elk skull from May into last October, and then hit it with the car wash wand. About 75% effective. Will probably have to soak again through all of this coming summer.

Great looking mount Judman.

The best bucket heaters I've found are actually for heating up honey. They wrap around the bucket. Use a food grade bucket.

Gotta have some heat pard

It varies a lot, depending on what's down there. Have done lots of fish that way in a shrimp pot. If there are sand fleas, they will strip it clean, and in a hurry. They are the maggots of the ocean. Might want to wrap it in some sort of mesh if trying to keep the teeth. We tried a frozen bear skull, and all it got was wet.

Found a goat skull (and the rest of the goat) on the beach once, and it was clean as a whistle.

Damn those dark horns look nice with a white skull. Looks really good.

Thanks kurt, hard to beat the coloring of Roosevelt and blacktail bone. 👍

Yes, I have done it ONCE... not impressed. Boil it and then use hydrogen peroxide and let dry in SUN...

Like others I’ve done several bear skulls in shrimp pots. Sand fleas will clean them up quick, like overnight if there’s enough of them. They’ll still need degreasing but the ones I did were pretty well clean otherwise. We put them in onion sacks to retain the teeth that inevitably fell out.

Yeah, shrimp pot conversations is what gave me the idea. Maybe take the bear skulls to Seward, I wouldn't think Cook Inlet would have as many "cleaners". I'll give it a try in Kodiak this fall too. Might be a good way to clean up a deer skull.

Here are some pictures of the goat skull we found. Ocean did a great job.

How many growth rings on that critter? Amazed you got the horn sheaths too . Looks great.

Sheaths were and still are tight. Will count rings when I get back home. As i recall, it didn't miss the book by much.

Thanks for the pictures. That skull looks as good or better than by any other cleanig method I've seen,. I hope I can find a spot that works as well on mine.

Elk skull after 12 days via maceration. Still needs more soaking then degreasing before peroxide treatment.

Shiit that’s fast. Whatcha usin for heat?

The wheelbarrow is brilliant. I have one sitting here, full of rainwater as I walk around looking for a container to soak a caribou skull.

Glad to see the thread still alive. I've done 3 or 4 elk and 6 antelope this fall so far. Have 2 deer in the hot tub now. If a guy can keep water at 90-100 I am getting elk completely clean in 7-9 days. Then degreasing them. Few pics of bones from this fall.

Flexible 15-20 gallon tub from ranch supply store. Think its a livestock watering or feeding tub. The fish tank heaters will not melt it. And it fits say an elk skull and a few deer or antelope at one time. I put 3 tank heaters in this one.

Looking great! My wheelbarrow leaks lol, otherwise seems like it would work good. Wondering about air circulation under the water though. I do mine with stuff just resting on the ground. But can't argue with good results like you are having.

Actually using an old cooler. Wheelbarrow was used just to prop it up between water changes.

Using 2 aquarium heaters. Keeps the temp just under 90

I've sort of stopped doing water changes. I can't tell too much difference one way or the other. It does smell less if a guy swaps water around day 4. I just hate messing with it more than I absolutely have to.

The coolers can work great. I need to get mine out from behind barn, kind of forgot about them.

12 days ago.

I do agree that water changes probably halt the process. I limit them. When I do change, I leave some of the original water to act as "seed bacteria ".

Also, I replace with warm water, not cold.

Thats a dandy looking bull. He'll be a great euro mount.

Thank you! I added a 2nd heater. Without water circulation it takes a while to get the whole cooler warm. One heater on each end seems to do the trick.

I usually degrease in acetone but that skull is too big. Going to try dawn for this Elk.

Wash out cooler well and dawn with heat will do it. I have been doing all mine like that.

Few things I have experimented with this year:

1. After macerating, boiling antelope skulls minus the sheaths in sal soda water and also in oxiclean water. That seems to have worked well for degreasing and much faster. About 15 minute boil. Have done dawn on most though still.

2. Boiled an elk for a guy that was headed out of state in 48 hours. That took 2 hours of my life and was about like I remembered it. No desire to boil any other skulls as maceration for me is less time and better product.

3. Have used a 1800 psi water sprayer to remove any stubborn meat deposits on back of skulls. I can hook it to hot water in my garage. This has been good on larger bone but you have to exercise caution on any thin bone areas. Jury is out on this as it is easier to just drop back in rot bucket.

If doing antelope skulls, I have been working the sheaths hard to get removed in 1.5-2 days. Then I soak in dawn water for a bit and it with toothbrush to remove any odors. This seems to work good.

Good luck and hope more give this a shot.

Just checked on the 2 deer and antelope that hit the rot bucket Sunday night. They are 90% clean with all eyes, cheeks, brains etc cleaned out. Waiting on nasal cartilage to go and then can wash in hot water and dunk in dawn on Sat night is the plan.

Thought it may be helpful to show start to finish again. This elk came in today after being skinned, jaw removed and trimmed a bit 7 days ago. Owner was going to boil but decided to have me do it. So today Oct 20th at 2 pm he entered the hot tub. Grabbed one of my coolers I had forgotten about lol. I'll post a follow up picture on Monday and again when fully cleaned.





I have used that 4x4 and a larger flat landscape rock to keep them from bobbing to the surface. All this is is a 10 gallon cooler, 10 gallons of water and 3 tank heaters(I suspect one of them is not working well).

Dawn of a new day. 2 weeks to the day and time for Ultra Dawn soak.

How much you charge for elk?

Day 6, probably about 5.8 days actually. Got busy and didn't change water ever. Head is fully cleaned and now in degreaser. Key is keeping temp up 24/7.

Almost done

What’s going on in the last picture with the head in plastic wrap?

I have heard that it extends the working time of the creme peroxide. I have not used it as I try to minimize my contact with that stuff as it is hard on you and other stuff. But done carefully I bet it helps.

This bull is now ready for the wall.

Left it out in the sun yesterday. About 3.5 weeks from start to finish. Now to find a spot to hang my first bull!

Great first bull and looks super white. Very nice.