Antler mount question

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I shot a couple of small bucks and want to mount the antlers myself. My question is: how long should I let the skull cap dry after skinning the hide off the front and brain matter off the back before mounting?

[Duffy]

Mr. 16, I have several skull caps mounted, and I've never dried them per se. My process is to clean off as much hide, sinew, brain matter, etc., off the skull, then boil the skull in water with Dawn dish detergent. Every so many minutes, take the skull out, scrape off more gunk, and put back in the water. Replenish water and Dawn as necessary. Once all the stuff is gone, dip the skull for a few seconds in hot bleach water, rinse, and let air dry. Comes out nice and clean, and ready to mount.

I would highly suggest that you do the boiling outside, if possible. I use my turkey fryer for the job, in an old pot we no longer use for food preparation. My wife would not appreciate the smell, or the process in general, in her kitchen!

[Duffy]

I should also point out that you should make sure you don't let the antlers touch the bleach water if you want to maintain that dark field patina, just dip the skull. Otherwise, the antlers will whiten.