Check out our sponsors and advertisers!!
Mount that Skull
Professional taxidermy mounts are visual reminders of a great time spent afield. But having a trophy professionally mounted can be an extremely expensive endeavor. Additionally, the turn around time on having a trophy prepared can take anywhere from 6 months to a year. By that time most of us have forgotten the trip that brought us the trophy in the first place (or maybe I’m just getting old).
An inexpensive alternative, and one that can easily be accomplished by novices, is a European or skull mount. As the names imply, European mounts are simply the cleaned and mounted skull of a trophy animal. They are popular in Europe and relatively easy to do. As with any project though, there are various levels of quality and ease to consider before starting.
By far the easiest method to producing a quality mount is by employing the use of Dermestid beetles. Used by better taxidermists, universities, and museums Dermestid beetles can strip a large skull of flesh and membrane in less than 24 hours. The resulting skull is free from discoloration due to grease and oils as well as scratch marks incurred by scraping. Although starting a colony of beetles costs more than a skull bleaching kit the long term benefits are well worth the investment.