How To Do A European Mount The Right Way
Memories are great, but physical reminders of a successful hunt are even better. A European (skull) mount is one such reminder that is easier to create than you might think.
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Separate deer head from carcass at the base of the skull.
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Remove the bottom jaw.
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Simmer the deer head in Oxi Clean and dish soap (DO NOT BOIL).
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Remove all meat and clean out all skull cavities.
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Whiten skull using Volume 40 creme.
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Hang using a skull bracket.
1. Separate The Deer Head From The Carcass
If you’ve never separated a deer head from the carcass, it can seem like a daunting task, but you’ll soon find out that it’s one of the easiest parts of the process.
Simply take a very sharp knife and start at the base of the skull where it meets the neck. You’re going to cut from one side all the way to the other.
At the top of the skull, you’ll hit bone rather quickly, but the sides and bottom of the neck will take a little more work to cut all the way through.
Once you’ve hit bone all the way around the neck, you’re going to squeeze the body of the deer between your legs, grab the antlers (or the head if a doe), and begin to twist the head in a complete circle until the neck breaks loose.
The head should only be hanging on by meat now, which can be cut by your knife. The head should be free from the carcass now.
2. Remove The Bottom Jaw
Removing the bottom jaw is a little less straightforward, as there’s a tongue and a lot of connective tissue to deal with.
Simply start your knife in the “v” where the bottom lip and top lip meet, and start cutting straight back. Do this on both sides, cutting through all connective tissue until the bottom jaw is completely loose.
The more meat you remove now, the better. Anything still connected after this step is going to just be more work later on when simmering in the pot.
