# euro mount



## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

just thought I would share this with everybody. i got the mount plans from a thread on here.....i think form bowfisher. anyways it turned out awesome and i think my brother will be pretty happy.....after all i did it for free. I have very minimal wood working skills, maybe a couple of fan mount and thats it. I did do a couple things different in that I used thicker wood.....didn't feel like planing it plus it was all free from my wifes father. just cut them out with a power jig saw and did some sanding and router work. I used Jacobean stain from minwax to hide the burn marks from the router and personally, i like the dark stain with a bleached skull. Thanks for looking.


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## JeffreySlayR (Mar 1, 2006)

*Yes sir, you did a great job, on both the mount and the woodworking.*


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## pwahuntn (Jun 18, 2004)

Looks nice, but is that dried meat under the bottom.


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

Yes it is dried meat.....or was I was excited to get it up on the board and hung it and snapped the pic. The meat has all been removed. i actually wait for the meat on the back to dry a bit and then pry it off.....seems to come off easier. My brother is being admitted tommorrow to start his third battle with cancer so i thought I would take this to him and see if the nurse would let me set it on the table next to him......might be a sanitary issue though


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## pwahuntn (Jun 18, 2004)

Josh sorry to here about the bad news. Our family wish your family well with this isssue. Our prayers will with you all. I lost my Mother to cancer few years back.


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## rebel deer hunt (Jan 12, 2009)

congrats on the buck, I do all my deer and hogs euro mounts, I like the pedistole you have it on


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

Thanks for the support.....aside from my brother....my mother was also just diagnosed with breast cancer. (Different sides of the family, my brother is actually my step brother) The kimo is taking its toll but the cancer is shrinking. I am praying that it is removable soon.
Here is another deer that I found during turkey season. I staned it then routered it, just for the different effect......looks kinda cool. I also used a peice of carbon arrow instead of a wood dowel to hold it on the plaque. I then ran a screw through the arrow and in the skull. I don't like them sitting on there loose as they can easily fall off. Tell me what you think and be honest, this is my second one and I am going to go to taxidermy school in April...I need suggestions! Not quite sure why that pic is sideways....I edited it but didn't work....you'll just have to tilt your head to view it.


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## P.Smash (Jan 8, 2009)

*nice lookin euro*

I've been in taxidermy for about six years, done my fair share of skull mounts, not much fun. Yours looks great, clean and slick. Very nice desk pedastal too. You'll probably love taxidermy, I do. I only do it as a hobby now, cant make much money at it around here and its more enjoyable as a hobby instead of trying to turn out a bunch of work to pay the bills. Good luck and I hope your family gets better.


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

I that second skull painted? What technique are you using to do your skulls?


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## Adam Spittler (Feb 19, 2006)

Looks great!


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

buckblood....you are correct...I found that deer during turkey season and after contemplating on boiling it (allready pretty decomposed) I decided not to. So I took it to work with and just started pulling the rest of the face off the bone. The bone was stained quite a bit so I used a color I found at a craft store remarkably with the title "BONE WHITE". It didn't turn out to bad but I wouldn't recommend doing it unless the skull looks really bad such as in this case. Plus at the time I didn't know how to go about bleaching. I actually thought about boiling it now to get the paint off and trying the bleach. If I do i'll repost the pics. Nice observaion by the way!


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

oh I boil only....if your careful it turns out great. Took me about three hours to do the first one. I have boiled a couple just this year and none of the teeth or bones have cracked or anything. I also do the lower jaws for future age reference. Thanks for the compliments....I am hopefully going taxidermy school in April...sent the check just waiting to hear. How about posting some pics of beetle mounts. Should look the same....it would be cool if someone posted a "In progress" photo session of the beetles at work.


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

I may post a beetle skull later. Good luck in taxy school. :darkbeer:


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

how bout that beetle pic bucky?


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## pwahuntn (Jun 18, 2004)

*Euro mounts Wild Boar & deer*

Here's a couple pics


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## HighFive22 (Jan 7, 2009)

Those are really nice!


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## King (Dec 8, 2002)

Looks great.


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## Darien Outdoors (Dec 31, 2004)

*Euro Mount*

Heres the Euro mount stands I make for all of mine.


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## Darien Outdoors (Dec 31, 2004)

*Stand*

Stand... This fliipn "attachment" thing is ticking me off.....


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## Darien Outdoors (Dec 31, 2004)

*Euro Stand*

Take this Attachment thingy...LOL


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## JeffreySlayR (Mar 1, 2006)

Hey you guys are doing a great job.

What the hey- I'll toss a photo of mine in too. This is the whitetail I shot in November 08. Background is a mule deer pelt from a few years back.

I just put a first coat of Polyurethane on the mounting boards tonight (3 coats total). I will post a photo when it's all said and done.


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

Very nice job with that euro......color contrast between the skull and antlers is great! Very nice buck too!


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## 9th Icon (Nov 28, 2005)

It looks great. You did a good Job on it.


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## Mikie Day (Oct 21, 2002)

that is awesome...i love the mount too...


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## bsk72512 (Dec 12, 2005)

Awesome jobs guys! Even if the "IT's ALIVE" look of the traditional mount is not there it is a great and time honoured way to celebrate the hunt and the memories....................More Pic's, I have a few I am going to post soon.:wink:


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

Beetle skulls, de greased and whitened.


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## JeffreySlayR (Mar 1, 2006)

*You all are doing fabulous work!

I said I would post up again when finished with the mounting board. So here ya go...*


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## pwahuntn (Jun 18, 2004)

Buckblood said:


> Beetle skulls, de greased and whitened.
> 
> 
> 
> Look nice. I dont have the means to keep beetles so I wont used.


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## cgthes (Feb 9, 2007)

*A few tips and shortcuts*

I learned from a buddy a couple of tips on boiling skulls. He uses Sal soda for boiling. ( ihave yet to try) But my buddy says after adding this to the water you only need to boil for an hour let set and everything gels up and can be easily removed. Second I now take a needle nose and remove both ear canals. After there gone you can't even really tell. That is where most of your stubborn meat remains and this also give you a couple of more holes to help with brain removal. Lastly we remove both sinus'. When mounted verticaly you can't see these anyways. And it's just another place for flesh to sit with difficult removal. Hope these tips help.


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

I'll have to try the ear canal removal......as far as the sinus cavity.....they are delicate but fairly easy to just leave alone. Alot of the pedistols and plaques I build you can see this area. I will deff. try the ear canal thing though.....thanks for the tip.


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## lkmn (Feb 28, 2006)

Might as well throw mine up as well.

Had another guy beetle it. I just built the base.


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

Very nice....did you make the desk it sits on as well? Almost perfect match by the looks of it.


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## lkmn (Feb 28, 2006)

josh s. said:


> Very nice....did you make the desk it sits on as well? Almost perfect match by the looks of it.



No I did not. Just happen to be a pretty close match.


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

cgthes said:


> I learned from a buddy a couple of tips on boiling skulls. He uses Sal soda for boiling. ( ihave yet to try) But my buddy says after adding this to the water you only need to boil for an hour let set and everything gels up and can be easily removed. Second I now take a needle nose and remove both ear canals. After there gone you can't even really tell. That is where most of your stubborn meat remains and this also give you a couple of more holes to help with brain removal. Lastly we remove both sinus'. When mounted verticaly you can't see these anyways. And it's just another place for flesh to sit with difficult removal. Hope these tips help.



Removing the inner nasal bones??? That's a hack job. And boiling is not good advice. It ruins bone. If your gonna do it that way, just simmer. :darkbeer:


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## cgthes (Feb 9, 2007)

Buckblood said:


> Removing the inner nasal bones??? That's a hack job. And boiling is not good advice. It ruins bone. If your gonna do it that way, just simmer. :darkbeer:


Well I've done close to 50 skulls by boiling and the last 8 by using the technique described and have yet to have a disappointed customer. My buddy has about the same number under his belt with the same results. I guess it's all about customer satisfaction. I guess your intitled to your own opinion. As for us I guess we'll keep "HACKEN" away.


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

cgthes said:


> Well I've done close to 50 skulls by boiling and the last 8 by using the technique described and have yet to have a disappointed customer. My buddy has about the same number under his belt with the same results. I guess it's all about customer satisfaction. I guess your intitled to your own opinion. As for us I guess we'll keep "HACKEN" away.


I'll show you what I'm talking about. Your customers probably don't know any better. The skull on the right was boiled. The nasal bones were smashed. In fact the nose piece had to be glued. And there's still bones missing.(lost in the boil) Which one do you prefer?


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## cgthes (Feb 9, 2007)

Here's some samples of the work I've done with boiling. The antelope has the sinus' removed I wouldn't leave them in crushed if they were crushed like shown in the picture above


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

cgthes, thats a nice buck in the bottom pic there. I too boil( or simmer) my skulls. I have never had one turn out bad but you do have to be delicate. Now even though i do simmer, I might have to contact buckblood for my nextone because those are hands down a nicer finished product. Even the connecting peices between the skulls look better and of course beetles get ALL the meat and simmering does not. Very nice job though. I would be satisfied, its not like the nasal peices make the mount.


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## cgthes (Feb 9, 2007)

josh s. said:


> cgthes, thats a nice buck in the bottom pic there. I too boil( or simmer) my skulls. I have never had one turn out bad but you do have to be delicate. Now even though i do simmer, I might have to contact buckblood for my nextone because those are hands down a nicer finished product. Even the connecting peices between the skulls look better and of course beetles get ALL the meat and simmering does not. Very nice job though. I would be satisfied, its not like the nasal peices make the mount.


Oh I won't dispute that beetles are probably the best process to use. I don't have the time or the resources to keep a colony alive. I'm just sticking to the point that skulls can be adequately boiled by the Do-it -yourselfer. And when I say Boiled I use the term loosely. I am not pouring the coals to it on the heat, it is a slow simmer. Whole process boiling takes about 4 hours. I just don't think it's right for Buckblood to tell people in this forum to absolutely never boil out (simmer) a deer skull and that you will wreck it.


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

cgthes said:


> Oh I won't dispute that beetles are probably the best process to use. I don't have the time or the resources to keep a colony alive. I'm just sticking to the point that skulls can be adequately boiled by the Do-it -yourselfer. And when I say Boiled I use the term loosely. I am not pouring the coals to it on the heat, it is a slow simmer. Whole process boiling takes about 4 hours. I just don't think it's right for Buckblood to tell people in this forum to absolutely never boil out (simmer) a deer skull and that you will wreck it.


There is a difference between boiling, and simmering. Boiling DOES ruin bones and it also sets the grease in the bone making it difficult to get out. You might get those skulls white, but in time they will turn yellow. You all can do what you want, but I'm just telling people like it really is. Cgthes, I'm sorry, I did not mean to insult your work, and that's how I came across. Have you tried masceration? It's another really good technique if you can't have beetles.


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

josh s. said:


> cgthes, thats a nice buck in the bottom pic there. I too boil( or simmer) my skulls. I have never had one turn out bad but you do have to be delicate. Now even though i do simmer, I might have to contact buckblood for my nextone because those are hands down a nicer finished product. Even the connecting peices between the skulls look better and of course beetles get ALL the meat and simmering does not. Very nice job though. I would be satisfied, its not like the nasal peices make the mount.



I disagree about the nasal bones making the mount.


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## turkeytom (May 8, 2003)

Buckblood said:


> I'll show you what I'm talking about. Your customers probably don't know any better. The skull on the right was boiled. The nasal bones were smashed. In fact the nose piece had to be glued. And there's still bones missing.(lost in the boil) Which one do you prefer?


I can tell you one thing for sure.Who ever simmered or boiled that skull doesn't have a clue what they are doing.I have done them both ways,(beetles and simmering)and you wouldn't be able to tell which one was which.
I dont have them come apart or loose any of the nasal bone,or any other bones.Either method works if you know how to do it.If you did the boil job,why dont you just say you dont know how to do it that way?


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

I didn't do the boil job. :darkbeer:


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

turkeytom said:


> I can tell you one thing for sure.Who ever simmered or boiled that skull doesn't have a clue what they are doing.I have done them both ways,(beetles and simmering)and you wouldn't be able to tell which one was which.
> I dont have them come apart or loose any of the nasal bone,or any other bones.Either method works if you know how to do it.If you did the boil job,why dont you just say you dont know how to do it that way?



I said simmering was OK and boiling was not. There's a difference.


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## WV Hunter (Jul 28, 2002)

Here's my 11yr old sons buck from this season that we recently finished and got hung up in his room. He's a happy camper 

I also simmer, and don't lose any bones or nasal cavity. I will agree, beetles are probably best, but I have skulls I boiled 15 yrs ago that still look awesome, so I can't complain and for me it works just fine.


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## josh s. (Feb 9, 2008)

bckblood., can you explain the mac thing a little better. I know you leave it in water but with what and for how long. I tend to want to see the outcome asap and i am pretty sure this is a slow process. Willing to try it though.


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