questions about deer hide and head?

[steeliedrew]

I saved the hide and head from the Doe I harvested and am currently storing both in my freezer.  Since this is my first deer I figured it would be cool to hang the skull up with a framed picture of me and the Doe. I've heard I can just skin the head and burry the skull for a couple months and insects will do the work for me.  Is this a good way to do it or should I just drop it off at a Taxidermist and have them clean it up for me and bleach it out?

As for the Hide I figured I could get it tanned so at least its preserved and out of my freezer and then I could have something made from it. Possibly some house slippers or some stalking shoes for next year!

Please let me know.

Thank you,

Drew

[curlewkiller]

I did this last year.  I didnt even skin it and it came out awesome.  I photos and will post later.  There is a little clean up after you dig it up but not bad.  The summer is what gets it done.

[h20hunter]

that's interesting............any tricks to keep the critters from digging it up and eating on it? Looking forward to pics.......

[boneaddict]

I did it with mine last year and I have quite a bit of stinky clean up to do now.  The bacteria is pretty nasty.  I am thinking I like working with it "fresh"

[pashok23]

Or you can put on ANTS nest for a few days and they will do the job 

[steeliedrew]

I've heard that sometimes taxidermists use flesh eating beetles to clean skulls. anybody ever heard of this?

[Elliott]

The Brain Scoop, a youtube channel about natural history museums talks about them quite a lot, they are called dermestid beetles. The beetles themselves don't do the majority of the cleaning its their larva that do most of it. Heres a site that explains it and looks like they tell you how to do it as well.

http://www.skulltaxidermy.com/kits.html

http://youtu.be/JZTTckEIaDI

[steeliedrew]

I'm thinking my wife would probably have a cow if I ordered a bunch of beetles and started a colony. Haha. maybe I'll just skin the skull, remove the eyes and brain and boil the skull.

[Fowlweather25]

Get a propane burner. Get a pot large enough for the skinned skull. DO NOT BOIL. Just leave at approximately 180 degrees. Soak for around 6-8hrs and you can very easliy remove all tissue. Afterwards some baking soda and hydrogen peroxide paste or flat whit spray paint will do the whitening trick.

[steeliedrew]

cool. Thanks for the info. I'll see about tracking down a burner. Unless the wife leaves for a day...haha

[boneaddict]

I did the colony Steelie.   I have the acreage and the place to do it.  I say acreage because its no small task.  They STINK.   It was a fun venture.  I through all sorts of things in there and had fun with it.   You have to keep them warm overwinter and I just decided to let them die.   I have boiled I have thrown them out in the antpile, I have gone to skull capping.   I have yet to try maceration.   Michelle took the trouble to do a pretty good piece on it here.   I think the bugs do the best job.   If you have money, there are some sponsors on here that do this sort of thing.  If you want a fun hobby, which is kinda why I did it, just have fun.   I am not sure of your age.  I am sure I put my mother through hell and then a wife or two.   Moms love to come home and find dead critters boiling in her favorite cookwear

[300rum]

A lot of guys want to whiten the skull after boiling but I prefer to just leave it natural.  To me peroxide makes it look too fake.  They are plenty white enough when you just boil. 

Also, some like to fasten the lower jaw back on.  It looks like the ugliest grin you have ever seen!  Try leaving it off.   

[sakoshooter]

Don't use bleach. Take it to a taxidermist. They'll have it done with beetles and I believe, hydrogen peroxide to make it bright white.