I shot a 6 pt last weekend and ive decided to do a european mount on it just for something to do. Ive never done one and im 100% new to the whole deal but ive read quite a bit on it. I just have a few questions before i start. What is the easiest way to skin the head or does it even matter as long as you get all the skin off? how long does it take to boil the meat off? and what kind of peroxide do i use and how much?

Now i dont have beetles to clean the meat off and i dont really want to bury it since i have a dog who would steal it in a heartbeat and i dont think my neighbors would like seeing horns sticking out of the ground. Is it possible to boil ALL of the meat off as long i use a small knife to scrape it off as its boiling?

and my last question is other than gloves, a knife, maybe plyers and a kettle, are there any other tools of the trade i should need?

sorry for the long post and all the Q's

thanks ahead of time

i have done a couple. im no expert but they turned out pretty good. i took all the fur and meat off by peeling and cutting with a good sharp knife. get as much of the brain and stuff out that you can. i than boiled it for 20-30 minutes. the first one i boiled in the house and that was not a good idea. that was the most disgusting smell in the house ever. wife wasnt to happy. so do it outside. i than soaked it in bleach/hot water 40-60 or even 50-50 for about 15 min or so. than i used cotton balls and wiped clean with hydrogen peroxide. turned out pretty good.

DO NOT boil in bleach water.... Bleach will make the bone brittle. If you dont want to take to a taxidermist like me, or have beetles do the work, here is what you do. Google Wasco taxidermy supply. Wasco & Van Dykes also has euro skull kits. Get all meat off, eyes out, brain out. Get some sal soda. You will only need about 1/3 cup. Put in water SIMMERING not boiling. Do not get on antler burrs or you will have to restain. Simmer and keep taking it out and cleaning the skull till you get it with no meat still on it. In warm water & dawn soap keep soaking and agitating to degrease skull. When the water is dirty change it. When water is finally clean you can Go to local beauty supply. Get 40% peroxide. I pour it on the skull to get all holes and crevices. TIP (wrap antler burrs in electrical tape. Will help keep material off them so you dont whiten them) then let sit in the sun for 1-2 days. Wallah, theres your euro skull

thanks a lot guys, thats a humungous help. i didnt think gettin the meat off would be such a task but it is. skinning it wasnt a big deal but there has to be an easier way to get the brain and eyes out like maybe a sharper knife. i had to sharpen mine twice- ill get the hang of it. NDAwoods is sal soda and arm and hammer the same thing? thanks again!!

Sal Soda and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda are the same thing, sodium carbonate. Arm & Hammer baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and is different.
For the brains I cut a "V" with a hack saw on the back/top of the skull where the spine joins and it made it much easier to get them out. It will not be visible when the skull is mounted to the board. For the eyes remove the lower jaw first and cut around the eyeball from the front and back of the skull. It is still a pain and yes a narrow sharp knife, like a small fillet knife, is a big help.

I have found it works well to push a small pipe (1/4" diameter) through a cork and stick the cork in the end of a garden hose and keep it there with a hose clamp. Stick the pipe in the brain through the spinal opening and turn on the water. Not too much pressure or it gets really messy really fast. Moderate water flow and the brains slide out. It is still messy but it is also easy.

Also ndawoods mentioned using electrical tape to keep the antlers from staining. Don't leave it on any longer than you need to. I have had a dark mark appear underneath the area covered by the tape. I have found it easier to retouch the color of white antlers than it is to blend in this dark area.

Canis is correct about the water method on getting the brain out. You can use a air compressor to blow them out but that is like splashing pudding. Sal soda is bio carbonate (baking powder) but it has a soap/degreaser in it to help with the oils. My wife hates the smell of it. I think it smells a bit like laundry detergent. Just dont put any bleach on your skull. As for the eyes. I have a pair of pliers that are bent on the end. I stick it behind the eye. Grab anything I can and pull. It will pop the eye and then tear away. Be careful when cutting meat off. You dont want to put scrape marks from your blade into the bone. I personally use a scalple. But being a taxidermist, buying blades are less time consuming than stopping and sharping. I have never been any good at getting an edge on a knife anyways.

thanks a lot for your inputs. definitely helps. im sure ill have more questions before im done but id rather do this one right the first time and not mess it up.

I am not trying to be nit picky but sal soda in not baking powder or baking soda. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Sal soda is sodium carbonate which is also called washing soda. Here are a couple links: sal soda, van dykes and sodium carbonate and lastly sodium bicarbonate
I know you guys have done a lot more of these than I have but I didn't want him to buy the wrong thing and I don't think baking soda or baking powder will work. I know a taxidermist who told me he uses the Washing soda instead of sal soda and he claims it is the exact same thing.
There was a big discussion on another forum about adding washing soda to salt licks to make them more attractive to deer. A lot of people were confused about the difference between washing soda and baking soda so that is the only reason I checked into it.

European skull mounts

In my shop I use 35% peroxide. First take off most of the meat and brains, cover the skull not the horns with the peroxide, use rags around the base of the horns so the peroxide can leech up to the underside of the burr. After a week or two (depends on how well you cleaned it) rinse it in dawn dish detergent and water till it comes out clean, place it in the sun to dry. If it is the way you want it, then cover it with modge-podge high gloss and it will be sealed and stay clean forever. If you used bleach the modge-podge will seal the skull and stop the flaking that can go on forever. You can put the skull back into the peroxide as many times as you like, but if you notice the skull is falling apart take it out, you have left it in too long. You will have to glue the teeth into the skull. Never use bleach because it will continue to breakdown the bone forever. We do not boil the skull as most of the time it will fall apart if kept in too long.

Rich