should i boil the bear skull?

[drivintrucks_shootinbucks]

Last spring I got a 6'6" inch black bear and took the skull to the local university to have it cleaned up by the bugs. Unfortunately the bugs died over the winter and the skull was not completely cleaned off. wat do you suggest i do to finish off the job? I have never preserved a skull before so i am kind of at a loss of what to do from removing the meat and what not, to bleaching the skull. Any help is appreciated.

[Fixit]

id avoid boiling if possible, they tend to fall apart after boiling i find...

dont use bleach, use H202, hydrodgen peroxide

if its still not done leave it outside for the woodbugs etc to finish off.

[moosinaround]

Well I am going to burry my B&C bear skull that I shoot this spring!! I will check it out after a full summer and fall in the dirt! I believe you will have to boil it with some degreaser to rid it of any fat/grease. Then I am going to peroxide it, and then maybe chrome it??!! Moosin

[BearStump]

if ya bury it, be carefull where you bury it. I buried 2 muley skulls a couple years ago and they got dug up and dragged away by either a bear or some yotes.

[pupper]

Ray weins does a bangup job but if you want to do it your self, watch this video:
http://www.huntingtipsandtricks.com/p/How_to_Make_a_European_Mount_Bear_Skull

[Fixit]

pretty stupid video, only shows skinning the skull

[pg83]

I've always boiled and then used hydrogen peroxide, but like it was mentioned by Fixit they can fall apart from serious boiling.

[drivintrucks_shootinbucks]

by falling apart, do you mean the teeth falling out?

[srupp]

IF its a B&C bear DO NOT DO THE BOILING METHOD YOURSELF...take it in and have it done professionally...the skull could crack or split ..teeth usually come out any craks or splits makes the skull NOT able to be entered into B&C..

cheers

srr

[snareman1234]

Ive done a few skulls now

Bear, Bobcat, Beaver, Muskrat and Blue Herron

Avoided Boiling, brought water to boil, then turned heat down so it was below boil, and let skull sit for 20 mins,

Pull out, get as much off as you can, and repeat, sometimes 10 times lol

Then soak it in hydrogen peroxide, good stuff can come from a taxidermy supply, or try hair dresser.

Low concentration stuff at drug store, but thats all I use, just leave it in a day or two

[cloverphil]

if you have bushes on your yard outside hang it inside the bushes, for the flies to lay eggs and maggots will clean it quite well, evergreen shrubs hide skulls well

[Surrey Boy]

if you have bushes on your yard outside hang it inside the bushes, for the flies to lay eggs and maggots will clean it quite well, evergreen shrubs hide skulls well

Alternatively, put it on a fencepost above a "No Tresspassing" sign and lay a few shell casings in front.

[yukon john]

I've tried burying and boiling and hanging it for the flys. boiling gets it clean but it falls apart the other ways dont even come close to working IMO. X2 on ray weins, he just did a griz skull for me and it turned out great, pretty cheap as well. Sounds like a nice bear, its worth the money.
YJ

[Kody94]

You guys are obviously boiling the living chit out of your skulls. :) A light boil, like mentioned above, with lots of scraping and you won't have any problems. Put some washing soda in the water while lightly boiling and it will help get the meat off quicker.

Then soak it in the 3% peroxide you get at the drug store for as long as you need for it to get white. 5 to 10 days is no problem.

If you want it even whiter, mix up a paste of the used peroxide and some magnesium carbonate (from a tanners supply shop) and paint it onto the skull. Let it dry a few days, then hose off with water. A little baking soda to neutralize the acidic action, another hose off and you're done.

Here's a cougar skull I did myself this winter...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Staggerino/CatSkull.jpg

No teeth cracked or fell out. Did not have to use magnesium carbonate either...just a few days in the peroxide.

[TyTy]

What do you think about putting it in a crab trap, and into the ocean (lake). chicken wire around it and onto the trap. I'd think it'll clean pretty quick inthe salt chuck.

[Surrey Boy]

What do you think about putting it in a crab trap, and into the ocean (lake). chicken wire around it and onto the trap. I'd think it'll clean pretty quick inthe salt chuck.

Not that this is exactly the same, but cow bones dissolve pretty quick in the manure bunker, since when we drain it there's never any at the bottom, and it ought to be full. Just thinking about the salt, acidity, bacterial culture.

[snareman1234]

Here's an example of what my skull came out like

I agree with SSS that if its falling apart, you are boiling way too hard.

I do it just below boiling, use some baking soda and dish soap, degreases a bit

this one was done using the 3% drug store hydrogen peroxide.

Also, I believe that this is one thing that can be done quite well and easily at home. Most things I dont bother doing myself, just let the pros do it, like tanning lol, but I think this is definately "at home do-able"

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c270/empire_baller/P1050110.jpg

[fourbyfour]

bioling is fine if done right. the guy i got todo my 21 7/16 P&Y blackbear did the best job ever. not one tooth missing and no cracks and he only boiled just the right amount of time.. (green score was 21 8/16) go to someone that know what they are doing , you will not regret it.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

I was thinking about buring one in an anthill to get all the flesh off ...

I know a member here (the tackdriver) hammered an easy Poper bear last year and buried the skull under like 500 pounds of logs and stuff and the yotes still got it ... I was thinking the anthill idea would keep unwanted scavengers away

thoughts?

[bighornbob]

Like others have said if teeth are falling out or cracking you are boiling to long. I did a fischer and a bobcat and here is what I did.

-Scraped off as much meat, eye balls, brain (all the big stuff) as possible before hand
-put a big pot of water on the wood stove and dropped the skulls in. water was barely steaming but it never reached a boil
-skulls were maybe in the water 40 minites.
-took the pot off the stove and let cool over night with skulls. I have heard the teeth crack becuase they were taken out of the boiling water and cooled too fast.
-took the skulls out the next day (does not have too cool that long), then I used a pressure washer to get rid of all the rest of the meat.

They came out perfect and no cracks.

To degrease place in a bucket with Dawn dishwashing liquid and a aquarium heater (about $10) for about a week. You want the water warm as this will draw out the grease the skulls (especially bears).

BHB

[Slee]

You guys are obviously boiling the living chit out of your skulls. :) A light boil, like mentioned above, with lots of scraping and you won't have any problems. Put some washing soda in the water while lightly boiling and it will help get the meat off quicker.

Then soak it in the 3% peroxide you get at the drug store for as long as you need for it to get white. 5 to 10 days is no problem.

If you want it even whiter, mix up a paste of the used peroxide and some magnesium carbonate (from a tanners supply shop) and paint it onto the skull. Let it dry a few days, then hose off with water. A little baking soda to neutralize the acidic action, another hose off and you're done.

Here's a cougar skull I did myself this winter...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Staggerino/CatSkull.jpg

No teeth cracked or fell out. Did not have to use magnesium carbonate either...just a few days in the peroxide.

Is it ok to add a bit of water to the peroxide to cover the entire skull??

[Kody94]

Is it ok to add a bit of water to the peroxide to cover the entire skull??

I would just add something inert to the container to raise the peroxide level (like an old glass or plastic jar with some weight in it), but if you can't do that (it won't fit) then a little water will just dilute it and it might take a little longer to get the same whitening effect. Distilled water would be best.

[IronNoggin]

What do you think about putting it in a crab trap, and into the ocean (lake). chicken wire around it and onto the trap. I'd think it'll clean pretty quick inthe salt chuck.

This is exactly what we used to do with the skulls we chose to keep when I lived in the Arctic. We simply wrapped them in chicken wire, attached an anchor of some sort, and dropped them out there. Usually took about 2 - 3 weeks, and you'd have one clean skull. Have done this with Grizzly, Polar Bear, Caribou and Musk-Ox.

Of course they don't come out as white as the suggestions offered here. Here is what my Musk-Ox looks like 15 years after he was treated in the chuck:

http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Ironnoggin/Muskok_3.sized.jpg

Been watching this thread with interest as I still have a few to take care of. And I would like to thank those who offered suggestions! Methinks the Musk-ox and a few others will shortly be a glistening white! Cool! :mrgreen:

Cheers,
Nog

[BlacktailStalker]

Just make sure it isnt somewhere in the chuck where there is a chance the trap/head might be stolen :shock:

Short boil, scraping and a power washer is your best bet.
Then on to the whitening.
If the skull is whiter than your teeth, get your teeth cleaned too.

[IronNoggin]

Just make sure it isnt somewhere in the chuck where there is a chance the trap/head might be stolen :shock:

Absolutely! Had a huge Fallow Deer head scooped after I had drowned it in the Alberni Inlet. Was there ~ 3 weeks, with just a small log for a float. And in a protected bay so it wasn't simply a passing work boat that snagged up on it. Might eventually run into that head again, and certainly will recognize it. Wouldn't want to be the fellow whose hands I find it in... :evil:

Cheers,
Nog