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How long do you bury your deer heads?

I buried mine for about 10 months under a pear tree in Michigan. Some of the bone is soft but I'm really happy with it. Maybe I'll try 8 next time
 
Focused on 10+ said:
How do you do this?
How large is your pot?
Do you do this outside?
Click to expand...
The how long depends on how stripped down you get the skull beforehand. Large pot. And yes do it outside. You’ll need a burner, large pot, cellophane, electrical or duct tape, forceps(these remove biological matter pretty well), and hydrogen peroxide.

I’m slow at it so it takes a couple of hours. If you search YT there are some pretty good instructional videos.
 
Focused on 10+ said:
How do you do this?
How large is your pot?
Do you do this outside?
Click to expand...

I Try The Maceration Method Euro Mount

I’m trying the maceration method I read about and watched a couple videos on here: https://saddlehunter.com/community/index.php?threads/euro-mount-maceration-thread.50312/ I just wanted to give it a go and share my thoughts on the experience. I killed this deer 01/02/22 Monday and cleaned up...
saddlehunter.com
 
Focused on 10+ said:
How do you do this?
How large is your pot?
Do you do this outside?
Click to expand...
Pull the hide and Eyes, Simmer in a pot over a fire, stove, or turkey roaster. Can be done indoors if done fresh, it won't smell. Clean off w/pressure washer. Dry and coat w/40 volume hair bleach from a hairdresser, Place in sun to dry and it will turn bright white. Clear coat. Simple and quick.
 
If you do bury it, take a 5 gal bucket and cut the bottom out of it, dig your hole and put the scull in and put sand in it up to the anger base then cover it with some wood chips. This will help it not to stain like it will in the dirt and it will be easier to bleach. Also cover the antlers in something or throw a black bag over them to keep them from sun bleaching. I have wrapped them in painters tape and it worked ok… a bag works just as well and less work. It takes about 2 months to get cleaned off. It looks better if you pull the hide off and clean it up a bit before you bury it but at that point just boil it and bleach or peroxide it after.

if you have a field with an ant hill in it, bury It right next to that the same way and it will be clean in a couple weeks.

boiling is faster and looks better.
 
So pulled my head from November. Probably could have took it out a little while ago. I had a test varment I buried in February. Few bugs on there. But clean for the most part. So 4 months seems to be sufficient.
 
Jagger0502 said:
If you do bury it, take a 5 gal bucket and cut the bottom out of it, dig your hole and put the scull in and put sand in it up to the anger base then cover it with some wood chips. This will help it not to stain like it will in the dirt and it will be easier to bleach. Also cover the antlers in something or throw a black bag over them to keep them from sun bleaching. I have wrapped them in painters tape and it worked ok… a bag works just as well and less work. It takes about 2 months to get cleaned off. It looks better if you pull the hide off and clean it up a bit before you bury it but at that point just boil it and bleach or peroxide it after.

if you have a field with an ant hill in it, bury It right next to that the same way and it will be clean in a couple weeks.

boiling is faster and looks better.
Click to expand...
For me, the satin color that comes from burying in the dirt, is a primary reason for doing that method. Otherwise, just soak in a bucket of water and change it out every 5-7 days, while the bacteria in the water easts away the remaining tissue.

Burying takes a long time, but the end result of the dirt "patina" makes a more rustic natural look.
 
I buried one in April(I found it scouting)and dug it up around September and it was totally clean. Just had to clean the dirt off of it.
 
ShooterMike said:
For me, the satin color that comes from burying in the dirt, is a primary reason for doing that method. Otherwise, just soak in a bucket of water and change it out every 5-7 days, while the bacteria in the water easts away the remaining tissue.

Burying takes a long time, but the end result of the dirt "patina" makes a more rustic natural look.
Click to expand...
I can’t disagree, a few walnut hulls in a bucket of water will also do this. I prefer to take a little torch to it, (I don’t, I have a guy that does these for me like this) to make it looked weathered.

1688261353616.jpeg
 
ShooterMike said:
For me, the satin color that comes from burying in the dirt, is a primary reason for doing that method. Otherwise, just soak in a bucket of water and change it out every 5-7 days, while the bacteria in the water easts away the remaining tissue.

Burying takes a long time, but the end result of the dirt "patina" makes a more rustic natural look.
Click to expand...
I’d like to see some examples of buried skulls. Can y’all show us your work?
 
I simply cut the head off and bury it. I do not remove anything and wait 6-8 months before digging them up. Hose it off let dry for 24 hours and spray paint them white. Look just the same as a professional which I’ve had done for over $100 but not anymore. Here are the last three I did for my sons bucks.
 

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This is what 8 months does. The remnants washed off easily with a low pressure hose.

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Semper Fi,
Mike
 
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