Invited Guest - Huntin` Fool

Invited Guest
By Robert Shaw
Skull Hooker
Get Your Head
On Right! ™
Garth’s
Remarks
After the Shot: Considering Your Options
Just about every Huntin’ Fool has a stack of deer and elk horns in the corner of their garage.
Now with Skull Hooker’s unique design we can all display them on the wall in their natural
position. What a great idea! Thanks Skull Hooker!
I
t is hard to believe that the 2013 hunting
season is already upon us! By the time
you are reading this article some lucky
hunters will already be in the field and
the rest of us will be anxiously waiting for our seasons
to begin. However I want to focus on what comes after
the shot — memories. The size of the animal doesn’t
matter when it comes to memories and hunting. For me it
doesn’t matter if it’s a forked-horned buck or those rare
200" elusive monsters. A rag horned bull or 400" of bone
simply should make no difference. They are all trophies in
their own right, and each and every one of the memories
from these special creatures is perpetually burned into
our brains. Eventually their antlers or horns are all that
physically remain. Their places or displays within our
homes, at our offices, or in our garages are deserving and
serve as a constant reminder of the details of each and
every hunt. As we look up on the wall, every one of these
majestic trophies has the ability to spark a memory and
put a smile on our face, even on the worst of days.
With that said, no matter the size of your castle or the
bulge of your budget, one cannot shoulder mount each
and every animal, so the underlying question is what
Tule Elk
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www.huntinfool.com
options do you have once you have your trophy down?
Many hunters elect to chop or cut off the skull plate and
call it good, but before you do that I would respectfully
ask you to read on and consider all your options.
How about a Euro?
One option becoming more popular today is the
European mount. There are many forms or variations
of the European mount, hence the name and skull
cut stemming from Europe. For the purpose of this
article I am discussing the North American version of
displaying a European skull. This would entail a full skull,
inclusive of the upper teeth, displaying of the lower jaw
being optional.
Why do a European Skull?
There are many good reasons to consider a Euro. The most
obvious reason is economics. The cost of doing a European
mount can save hundreds and even as much as thousands
of dollars, on larger skulled species, versus the cost of a
shoulder mount. Also many other hunters are gravitating
toward Euros to complement their shoulder mounts and
because they don’t require the space of their shoulder
mounted counterparts.
Mule Deer
M e ta l i z e d
finish bronze
A l l i g ato r
If you decide you want to consider doing a European
mount this year, here is your first decision to make — do
it yourself or have it professionally done? Let’s keep this
simple. Taking the time to do a European skull yourself
can cost less than $30 to complete. I personally know a
few people who do all their own European mounts and do
a very good job. It is very doable, and everyone likes to
save a few bucks. The more you do it, the easier it gets
and the better you become.
The skull cleaning process is an article in and of
itself. I would suggest utilizing YouTube as an easy
and valuable resource for educating yourself on this
process. I recently partnered with a group that has a
step by step video on cleaning a skull yourself and is
available for your review within the video section at
www.skullhooker.com. If you prefer a typed step by
step version, they are readily available on the internet
as well. With some easy research you can steer clear of
the common pitfalls, such as avoiding the use of bleach.
The phrase “bleaching skulls” is a bit misleading because
utilizing peroxide to whiten your skull is a much better
alternative to bleach as it is not as harsh on bone. Finally
not only will you save money by doing it yourself, you
can also customize the level of whiteness to your liking.
However it goes without saying that the skull cleaning
process is not for everyone. If you are short on time and
don’t care to experience all that is involved with cleaning
a skull yourself, you can take your skull to a taxidermist.
There are pros and cons to having your mount
professionally done. The upside is that you don’t have
to deal with it. Here is a tip — find a taxidermist who
offers skull cleaning with Dermestid beetles. This should
not cost much, if any more, than a taxidermist who boils
skulls the old fashioned way. Utilizing Dermestid beetles
is the premier method for cleaning and preserving skulls.
These little beetles eat away all that is edible around
the skull. The end result is a perfectly preserved skull,
inclusive of all the cartilage and detail that would
have been lost during the manual spraying and boiling
cleaning processes.
The downside of utilizing a
professional is twofold. First is
the additional cost, and second
is the time you will have to wait
for it, which could be 1-4 months,
depending on your taxidermist.
Regardless if you are going to
have it done professionally, speak
at length with your taxidermist about how he processes
his Europeans and what your expectations are with the
finished product (time, color, method) so there are
no misunderstandings.
Do you want a free
European mount?
Compared to a shoulder mount, which typically runs
anywhere from $400-$1500, paying $75-$150 to have a
European skull professionally done is a bargain. Even
so, there is one possible way to offset some or all of
this cost. Contact your taxidermist prior to your hunts
and determine if he or she is looking for a quality cape,
which many times they are. If so, ask if they would trade
a Euro for the cape itself. Most taxidermists will require
you to cape it, and most importantly, cape it correctly.
However your taxidermist may also take the head
whole and prefer to personally cape it, which is a nice
bonus. Regardless quality capes of certain species are in
demand, and you can now trade your cape in return for
a finished European skull. The value of the trade, quality
and type of cape, is negotiable with each
taxidermist individually. Nonetheless
this is a viable way to get a beetle
cleaned skull at little to no cost
— a win-win for both you and
your taxidermist.
Now finish
your skull in
style.
With an increase in
demand the European
skull finishing options
have also evolved
in recent years. For
instance many hunters
are electing to camo
dip their skulls. Another
relatively popular finish
option is the new metalized
finish, like the bronze bison and
M e ta l i z e d
finish bronze
435-865-1020
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Bison
14" A n t e l o p e , L e f t - U p r i g h t D i s p l ay , R i g h t - D o w n w a r d "F i g h t i n g " D i s p l ay
alligator shown. I am partial to
white skulls, but I do like these
colored options on occasion.
It can help highlight certain
features, like the teeth on the
gator skull.
Get your head
on right!
Hanging and properly displaying
European skulls have been
problematic in the past. New
and innovative hanging options
are now available. Let’s take
a look at the wall mounting options because, let’s face
it, a perfect European skull mounted trophy doesn’t
look right if it is not displayed correctly. Yes, you can
certainly hang that beautiful skull flat off the wall on
a nail, but I, for one, have never been a fan of this
downward or “fighting” type display. To be honest, this
is the very reason I was disenchanted with European
mounts for many years, they just don’t look right. This
presentation is NOT a natural, upright look. You can
take a 14" antelope and it will look 10" mounted flat off
the wall. The two antelope mounts that are pictured
are the same size. Which one looks bigger? Simply put,
a downward displayed trophy hanging flat off a nail
just doesn’t show the true size or the natural look of
the animal.
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A second and more traditional display
option is the wood plaque. They
are bulky in appearance, but
the good news is that some
newer wood plaques are
now angled to provide
a better upright look.
For those who don’t
want the fixed look
of the bulky wood
plaque there is now
a powder coated
steel Skull Hooker
bracket. This option
provides
a
more
streamline approach
or presentation to your
trophy. Unlike the wood
plaque it requires no drilling
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or damage to your skull and also allows for complete
customization, up and down and left and right, so that
you can display your trophy at any angle for that natural,
upright look. The no drilling feature appeals to head
collectors, but that feature is popular with the average
hunter as well because with the Skull Hooker bracket they
can take their heads on and off to show their buddies or
even swap out heads when the wife isn’t looking.
Miss your buck?
Another popular trend driving demand for European
mounts is that many hunters are electing to Euro out their
trophy for immediate display in their homes rather than
waiting the many months that it takes their taxidermist
to get their shoulder mount done. I agree. Why let that
rack sit with your taxidermist? European mount it, hang
it, and enjoy it until your taxidermist is ready for it!
The carnivores.
For species like bears, cougars, and hogs the skull is
available to you regardless of whether you mount the
animal or not. These are keepsakes, and it astounds
me that a person would not keep each and every skull.
Whether you have a bear, a cougar, or a hog, their skulls
and teeth are impressive. Another cool feature of the
Skull Hooker hanging option is that you can customize the
jaw opening by securing a small amount of bondo at the
pivot joints to show off those chompers.
So why not?
The cleaning, the finishing, and the display options
associated with the European mount are better than
ever. When you get that big buck or bull down this year
you might just keep that saw in your pack and consider
your options before cutting the skull.