Bootlegger's Skull Mount Guide - A Picture Tutorial

I've seen a lot of people asking about help with doing European mounts, so I wanted to put together a picture-heavy, step by step tutorial. Kind of a way to give back to the board for various other advice I've received here. I hope you all enjoy this, and see that I may be useful for more than just lawn advice!

I am not a trained taxidermist, nor am I saying this is the only way or the best way. But, this is the most efficient way I have found in the past several years of doing them. It doesn't involve stinking up your house, or sneaking one of your wife's good pots out into the garage. It also eliminates a lot of danger from using an open flame and propane.

So, without further adieu, let's get started.......

Cooking bucket materials needed:
20qt flat back bucket (Tractor Supply)
15ft (or so) extension cord (Lowe's)
1500w water heater element (Lowe's)
1" electrical conduit nut (Lowe's)
1 1/4" hole saw

The first step is to make your boiler. I use a flat-back 20qt feed bucket from Tractor Supply. Using a 1 1/4" hole saw, drill a hole near the bottom on the flat side of the bucket. Insert a 1500w water heater element into the bucket, using the 1" conduit nut on the inside to secure it.
*Do not overtighten, or the gasket will squeeze out, causing a leak*
Cut the female end off the extension cord, and connect the hot and neutral to the two poles on the element, either via eye terminals, or just pinning the wire under the screws. Remember to NEVER plug it in unless the element is fully submerged.






Now, on to the deer...



Once you get the deer's head removed (leaving as little of the neck attached as possible), skin off all of the hide. The best way is to skin it as a taxidermist would for a mount. If you just hack away, you may cut into the bone, which will leave visible marks once the mount is complete. There are several videos on YouTube to reference for this. Many people use a scalpel, but I've come to prefer this small, hooked tip knife by Mundial:


Then, CAREFULLY remove the eyeballs (kinda tricky), as well as the tongue and jaw. The closer it looks to a skull mount at this step makes the rest of the process easier.





Now, fill your bucket with water, drop the deer head in (does not matter if the antlers are submerged) and plug the unit in. I usually fill near the top, so that I don't have to add as much water as it slowly steams off. When I see that the water is good and warm, I'll drizzle in a generous amount of Dawn soap (8-10 tablespoons).



Because you're not dealing with an open flame, and because the (non-thermostat controlled) 1500w element seems to keep a near perfect simmer temperature, you don't have to babysit the bucket. Just be sure the water level doesn't drop too low and expose the skull. I usually have to add water only 3-4 times through the course of the cooking.

When I get around the 6 hour mark, I'll pull the skull out and begin the picking... I use needle-nosed pliers.



Pull as much loose meat off as you can. Also, grab the vertical piece of cartilage in the nasal cavity and remove it.


At this point, you should clearly be able to see the ear canal. This is where the needle-nosed pliers come in handy. Open the pliers, and insert one jaw into to ear canal.