Thanks for the feedback, everyone.  I added two bear skulls (skinned this time) to the rain garden, so it's turning into a veritable boneyard back there in my uber-densely populated Seattle neighborhood.  Anticipate digging up the deer skull in the next couple weeks to check progress, and assuming it's mostly done, I'll probably go the quick boil/dawn/Peroxide 40 approach.  I'll try to remember to take pictures or videos as I go.  I'm mostly curious to see how much the process is delayed by having left all of the fur on the head.  Thanks, again.