Step 2: Skin it!

by Apr 6, 2012Uncategorized

Step 2: Skin it!

If you have read my blog, you know I am trying to figure out how to mount my deer antlers by myself (and with Dad). Step 1 was the easy part. I had to figure out how to get the hair and fat off of the scalp. At the Sportsman’s Show last weekend, I talked to a guy who runs a taxidermy company and asked him what the best way to do this was; just skin it.

So, Dad doesn’t know this yet, but on Easter, we are skinning my deer head. What Mom doesn’t know yet, is if it is frozen or too hard to just take a knife to, the thing is coming into the house and into some warm water to loosen stuff up. Then, I can mount the antlers, hopefully.

And, in a serendipitous turn of events, as I was looking for a picture of antlers, I found this video! I don’t know how Mom is going to like this 😉

Happy Easter!

2 Comments

  1. Don't bring it in the house! If you have a grill with a burner on the side use that. I can't remember if you were trying to do a European or just a skull cap. Either way it isn't the most enjoyable smell. I do European mounts on my deer. It takes about 6-8 hours of boiling in a big pot outside. Nothing about it is pretty. It also works to put some oxy-clean in the water, but don't submerge the antlers in that because it will bleach them. Good luck.

  2. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I never thought about just doing it on the grill. Im sure my neighbors will give me some classic looks when they see antlers sticking out of a pot of water on my grill. I will take pictures. Thank you again very much!

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Erin Merrill, author of And a Strong Cup of Coffee, is president of Women of the Maine Outdoors, a senior writer for Drury Outdoors, a contributor to the Northwoods Sporting Journal and passionate all things Maine, Hunting, and the Outdoors.

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