Alternatives for European mount with nose bones chewed off.

[andersonjk4]

I was in the process of making my first two European mounts, one for my brother in law and one for my future brother in law.  I went the route of maceration after reading Michelle's maceration thread.  I set myself of a big tote to macerate both skulls at once.  The maceration process worked great and the skulls came out nice and clean.  I then put them in a degreaser bath for a couple weeks.  Over the weekend I gave them a final 24 hour bath in plain hot water bath to get the soap out of the skulls and then gave them a final rinse and scrub down.  The skulls were looking great.  I put them in the house a few feet from the wood stove to dry out for a couple days before I whitened them.  Well this is where my problem comes.... Yesterday while at work my dogs decided to get the skulls down and chew the nose bones off of both skulls!  My future BIL's buck is chewed almost all the way back to the eye sockets!!! and the other skull only has the last inch or two chewed off.  I feel horrible about this.  The buck that in my future BIL's is his first ever deer and the other one is my BIL's biggest buck to date.  I think the one with the least amount of damage is salvageable.  It wont look great without the nose bones, but shouldn't be too bad.  The half eaten one is another story. My first thought is to just cut the skull plate off keeping as much skull area attached and then whitening it and mount it like a euro mount.  Anyone ever had to deal with something like this or anyone have any other ideas on how to make a cool mount out of a chewed up skull?

[sirmissalot]

This deer had something similar happen, I'm not a fan of fake skulls and would recommend this over a plastic one.

This was actually a cat kill that a bear had gotten a hold of and chewed the face of the deer off.

[Hunter Dug]

This deer had something similar happen, I'm not a fan of fake skulls and would recommend this over a plastic one.

This was actually a cat kill that a bear had gotten a hold of and chewed the face of the deer off.

So your in illegal possesion of a deer skull.      Shed antlers only friends.  Unless of course you picked it up, out of state or with the warden who gave you permission to posses the skull.   

As for the chewed up skulls if they insist on a euro mounts the only option is an artificial skull and mount the antlers, the other is of course as stated a horn only mount.

[sirmissalot]

This deer had something similar happen, I'm not a fan of fake skulls and would recommend this over a plastic one.

This was actually a cat kill that a bear had gotten a hold of and chewed the face of the deer off.

So your in illegal possesion of a deer skull.      Shed antlers only friends.  Unless of course you picked it up, out of state or with the warden who gave you permission to posses the skull.   

As for the chewed up skulls if they insist on a euro mounts the only option is an artificial skull and mount the antlers, the other is of course as stated a horn only mount.

Matter of fact this is a Montana buck, picked up near Heron Montana. Internet police crack me up 

Some of the plastic skulls can actually look pretty decent. Just personal preference for me.

[Mudman]

You could get an elk cow head and mount it on there?  No a skull plate is cool, sure they will like it either way.

[deereman]

I have mounted a set if elk sheds and a set of nice whitetail sheds on a plastic skull. They both turned out nice but I am debating on staining them a little to give them more of an aged look and less plasticky. Has anyone else tried to stain a plastic skull?

[huntnphool]

Mountain Mikes makes reproduction skulls you can mount it to. http://www.cabelas.com/taxidermy-mountain-mikes-bone-collector-8482-antler-mounting-kit.shtml

[robodad]

I would have both sets of antlers professionally mounted on a couple canine skulls if you ask me !! 

[quadrafire]

I don't have any advice, but just have to Laugh at your predicament. Sorry.
Just remember this will be hilarious in a few years. LOL

[kentrek]

ive never done this so idk how good it would turn out..

take a doe skull or a small bucks skull and cut a notch of the top of it...basicaly just the skull plate..then take measure ments and do the same to the "trophy buck" being sure to cut in the same spots then just glue the horns on to the other skull..bondo out the ugly spots..bone white spray paint..should turn out fine  in theory 

[TommyH]

I saw some stainless steel heads that you could put the cut skull plate into. Not to sure who makes it but I thought it looked pretty cool.
I will check and try to see who and where there made.

[TommyH]

------------Iron buck antler mount kit, thats the first one the search found, i think the other one i saw looked a bit better.

[sirmissalot]

The lather wrapped horn mounts are really simple, fyi. They sell different forms, leather, and paper mache all on the taxidermy supply stores. you can take a look at the reproduction skulls they have there too.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Nice Sirmissalot.... If you guys want to know how I do horns on a plague I will tell ya    Works on all horn mounts ..sheds or with the skull plate on ... I take and screw the horns to a piece of wood exactly the way I want them to sit on the plaque .. then I take Car Bondo and pour it over the skull area ....You can shape it anyway you like as it is drying ...Then once it gets hard I rasp it and sand it smooth ...then I take a piece of buck skin and put over it ...then I cut 3 pieces of buckskin about 1/4 in width and braid all 3 pieces together to put around the base of the horns ...Sometimes I put it all around the skull area ! ( the base )   I can find a picture if anyone is interrested 

[link]

If it is just the nose pieces on the one, you should be able to just replace those nose sections. I've done that before. They don't match exactly, but they slide in there good enough. You just have to find another skull to steal them from. With the other one, I'd just do a plaque mount.