My deer

8 point, 200lbs live weight. I had watched several does and then a small spike. The spike hung around my stand and at one point layed down and fell asleep. After he woke up he was browsing around and I heard this guy coming my way. Hit him on the right side quartering away. Rem 700 LTR .308 shooting Federal Gold Medal 168gr

 

Damn! You mountin' him?

 

No, just doing a bare skull mount. I'm holding out, every year I get one about like this. I cant get better then an 8, if the beams were thicker I prob would have mounted it. My first 10 will be mounted.

 

Great looking buck! You'll get that big boy don't worry.

 

great shootin bro!!! nice buck!!!

 

Nice deer man i just hope i git mine soon

 

Nice Buck!

 

nice going, know what you mean about holding out, have 2 in the freezer waiting to work on.
Are you going to do a german skull mount or the american style?
In any case "you did good!"

 

Not sure which is which. I'm doing the full skull mount,not just the antler cutout. Head is in a barrel filled with dirt behind the house now.

Its unreal how many deer I have passed on. Last year in the same stand I passed 4 other bucks in a 1 hour period. Finally took one, similar to this, shorter tines. Its the one on the top, the other was a massive deer, just a little bit banged up.

 

I could only wish I had such a problem

 

The one mount is cut below the skull in back and adds most of the eye sockets and top jaw (nose area), the other covers everything. So basically a full head less skin, meat etc.
Their are a number of cool displays for them, in oak, cedar etc. I know a member here has faimly that does and carries the items. Need to find that post.
Are you going to boil it yourself?, if so get a S.S. pot, alum may burn the horns.

 

I skinned the skull then boiled it. Found a plastic trash barrel and some good compost soil and in it went. Covered the barrel and tied it to a tree with the lid duct taped on to keep critters out. I'll give it a few months and it should be good. Then soak the skull in bleach and mount it up.

 

Wonderful trophy man. Congrats!!
If you have time, it really isn't a problem to clean the skull out then boil it to prep it for bleaching. Its best to have a skull already done to look at so you don't break off the smaller pieces of bone.
You just have to seperate the lower jaw and dig the brains out through the hole in the back of the skull......a long screwdriver and a water hose helps a bunch too.
Did mine last year and then had a buddy boil it for me since he had a few he wanted to boil.
Stunk up his house not mine......

 

The full skull is actually called a European mount. There is a vast amount of info and tips out there. Here is just one site I found real quick.
http://www.minnesotabucks.com/tips cleaning skulls.htm

You can use hydrogen peroxide or bleach. The guy that did mine has used both. The bleach he uses is some kind of special commercial bleach. I have them both ways and they each have their own character.

 

I was going to do that, I boiled it at my old mans house, he has a vacant apartment above the garage. Then I didnt have the time afterwards to sit down and keep working on it, so it just went in the dirt.

 

I have heard stories of people hanging it off of the end of a pier and letting the fish go to work. I bet there is something that you can put into the dirt to speed up the process a little bit. hmmm

 

Nice buck man, can't wait till i get one that nice

 

right on

 

You actually can, with an ammonia mixture. (not sure what else is in it). My dad waters his compost pile with it and it promotes bacterial growth which speeds the decompostion.

 

what part of ct you from im in columbia