How to Skin a Deer Head for a European Mount

How to Skin a Deer Head for a European Mount

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A European mounted deer head is one of the simplest yet most elegant ways of displaying your hunting accomplishments. European mounts are simply the white skull of the animal mounted on a board or the wall. They are tasteful, inexpensive, and so easy to do that even the newest of hunters and skinners can prepare them.

Items you will need

  • Sharp knives

  • Pot large enough to fit the skull in

  • Hydrogen peroxide

Split the hide from the nape of the neck all the way to the ears of the deer.

Cut around the base of the antlers and pull the hide off of the front of the skull. Pay careful attention to the eyes and nose area as the hide is thinner here and may stick to the skull (use a sharp knife or razor blade to help separate the hide and skull).

Dig out the eyeballs and brain and scrape off as much meat as possible.

Boil the head (not the antlers, as it will whiten them) until all of the meat falls off of the bones. Then drop it in hydrogen peroxide for a few hours to whiten the skull and separate the lower jaw.

The deer head is now ready to mount on the plaque of your choice for display on the wall.

Warnings

  • Do not use bleach to whiten the head as it weakens the skull and makes it flaky.

Tips

  • It is far easier to boil the head until the meat falls off than wasting several hours trying to scour the skull with a knife.
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