Skull Boiling Question

[tmike]

I was going to boil out my Buffalo skull but was wondering if it will hurt the horn. This was a young Buffalo and the sheath (if that's what you call it) is soft not hard closer to the skull. Does anyone know if in the boiling process that will harm that area. Or just boil away.  Any advice??? Thanks

[Michelle_Nelson]

Yes it will hurt the horn.  Horn is an extension of hair.  The long exposure to heat and drying can cause the horn to come apart and the base to mis shape.  You need to remove the horn first.  Than clean the skull and horns seperatly.  Than reattach.  

To clean the horn itself once removed use a tooth brush and dawn dish soap.  Scrub it really good and rinse real good.  Than put some 20 mule team borax inside.

[tmike]

How do you remove the horn  I assume it's like an Antelope.

[KillBilly]

Tmike, how big is the head? My beetles might be able to clean it.

[Crowns]

If you do it the way I have done it on Antelope, youre in for a real treat. I wrap the skull and all in a bag and kept it air tight. Left it in a secure area so critters couldnt get to it. I would get as much flesh off as possible before doing this, makes for a really nasty job if you leave an excess of meat on it. In about 2 weeks time, the sheaths will pull right off the bone. Like michelle said, make sure the inside of the horn is cleaned well. Now you can just boil the skull. My  .

[tmike]

Good thing I asked. I would have thrown it in and boiled it. Thanks

[Michelle_Nelson]

What Crowns said.  Your in for a real treat.  You think maceration stinks? lol

FYI. . .  beetles can and will naw away at the horn itself during cleaning.  I have seen them eat through plastic.  I hope you have a lot of beetles KB.  If not it is going take a long time to clean a buffalo skull.

[cohoho]

Tom- We can do it sometime here soon if you like.  Just got to get off those sheaths first, of course they stink like ^%$# bad, but hey it all part of the fun ...right...  Was looking at how they were at the ends and they were hard unlike the two younger cows?  Maybe they'll hardened up a bit after they are removed....  Here are a couple of ours...

[washelkhntr]

Not to thread jack here, but do I understand you guys correctly.... a horn on a buff comes off the skull? Probably a dumb question, but I am totally currious now.

[Crowns]

Yeah they slide off. All horns do. They are matted hair.

[longstevo]

But antlers are different, right?  I know we've all been guilty of calling antlers 'horns.' 

 
Sorry about the 'jacking.'

[Michelle_Nelson]

Deer, Elk, Moose, Caribou have "Antlers".  They are shed once a year.

Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat have "Horns".  They don't shed!  Except on Antelope.  Antelope have Horns also but they shed theirs every year.

Horned animals have a Sheath and a Core.  The Sheath is the horn that you see.  The core is bone that extends fron the skull up inside the sheath.  Between the core and the sheath is a membrane that holds the 2 together.

[longstevo]

Deer, Elk, Moose, Caribou have "Antlers".  They are shed once a year.

Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat have "Horns".  They don't shed!  Except on Antelope.  Antelope have Horns also but they shed theirs every year.

Horned animals have a Sheath and a Core.  The Sheath is the horn that you see.  The core is bone that extends fron the skull up inside the sheath.  Between the core and the sheath is a membrane that holds the 2 together.

So the antlers are bone or a bone like material?  I don't mean to sound stupid, but I guess I thought the only animal with 'hair-horns' was the rhino.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Yes, Horns are hair and Antlers are bone.

[bighorns2bushytails]

wow i just learned me something.  thanks guys.  thats interesting.  i think ill read up more on this.

--BH2BT

[longstevo]

Yes, Horns are hair and Antlers are bone.

Awesome.  Question answered.

[@RCHER]

Pretty much any aged bison's horns are soft around the base. The tough part is that the horn caps are attached to the skull like the ends of an axle shaft or end of a drive line, with splines. They are heavily ridged on the inside and form an exact fit over the skull. You can still successfully boil and remove them. Here's what I do...

1) I cut the circumference around the base where the horn ends.
2) I cut the flesh away from the horn base and cut up under the horn as far as I can get. It won't be too far, however. Just anything to help the hot water get in there.
3) In order to keep the horns from flaring out too much, I then use electrical tape and tape quite a bit around the horn base. After the tape, then I tightly tie wire around the base. All of this in order to keep the horn in tact during initial boiling. I use this same process with pronghorn skulls. Works slick and quick.
4) After boiling for a couple/few hours, the membrane between horn and bone will cook and soften. Although it still takes elbow grease, I usually kneel on the center (forehead) of the skull and twist (hard) till the horns pop off.
5) I then leave the wire and tape on for a day or so. I also fill each horn with Borax right away and leave it for about a week.
6) Then just continue to boil till you see the results you are looking for.

Here's one from last year. You can see the white fleshy bits at the base of the horns and the nasal turbinates you want to try to preserve.

If you would like to borrow any of my cooking hardware (pots, burners), feel free to PM me.

~ Best of luck.

[tmike]

Wow @RCHER thanks a lot for the advice and the offer. I appreciate it.