JKR Ranch

[dgallow]

Skulls on young adult deer don't have the integrity of older deer. I've actually had to glue some nasal bones back in place before sealing. They seem to handle peroxide step just as well as older deer. Go with less heat and time in soda during the cleaning step for young deer and they should stay intact. Soda and heat is what dissolves cartilage....sometimes too well.

Skulls look really good. Mind sharing your process?

 

[Triple C]

OK...enjoying your thread!

 

[OKbio]

Thanks Doug. I boil and pressure wash. Clean the skull of meat and fat (and eyes) pretty good by hand. In the boil I add about 10-15 ounces of borax (depending on how much water, I use a 12 oz coffee cup per 5 gallon bucket) and a generous squirt of liquid dish soap (Dawn or equivalent). Using a fish cooker I bring the pot (or usually a wash basin) up to a boil then cut back the heat to simmer (no or very little bubbling, but pot still steaming). Usually let them go like that for 2.5-3 hours. Remove from pot, give the head a good sling to get the upper palate and (hopefully) the nasal cartilage off. If doing bottom jaw I pull the 8 front teeth or you're bound to lose them when spraying it clean. Using pressure washer with adjustable spray to clean off the meat, ligaments, brain, etc. (definitely wear hip waders and a pvc apron unless you want to be soaked with some rather unseemly material). Fan spray on the more tender areas (i.e. nasal passages), more of a jet around the thicker parts of skull and the brain cavity. Depends on how clean it looks, I may change out water, boil/simmer another hour or so, then give it another good fan spray final. After some air dry time (sometimes helped by some air from air compressor) I glue the bottom jaw back together (it splits right in the center and there's some tissue to get out from there, anyway) and glue the teeth back in. Usually use wood glue, matched the bone color and works great. Most I leave at this stage, as I kind of prefer the bone color to the bright white. Had a skull on the wall at office for 4+ years and still looks fine, no real yellowing or greasing.

I rushed this doe and had it at a pretty steady boil for an hour or little more. After the pressure wash the skull still looked dingy, so decided to go ahead and try the peroxide, a first for me, and I was a little concerned how much more damage it might do, but like you observed, seemed to have no ill effects. Bought 20 volume at the local Sally's Beauty (2 gallons, they didn't have 40 volume clear in gallons) and used it straight, since what I'd seen elsewhere was using 40 volume cut by half with water, and this way I could filter it and return it to the jugs for storage without having to find an extra gallon jug. Put that in a 12 quart pot, brought to boil put in skull, jaw, and a bag made from coffee filter with bottom front teeth and nasal bones (yep, the two front ones came off with the nasal cartilage). Boiled in peroxide for 10 minutes and pulled out. Rinsed in sink and dried. Could definitely see that the peroxide really cleaned out (dissolved) some of the remaining tissue that was left. Glued nasal bones, jaw and teeth that evening (about 4 hrs drying) with clear Elmers, although ended up needing to use some super glue to hold the jaw halves together. Coated with Mop'n'Glo (another first, but found some really good videos from a guy on YouTube and thought I'd give it a try) and let dry. Turned out pretty good. I've got a cedar round that I finished out with a batch of others a month or so back, need to get a little driftwood or small cedar log to attach and make a pedestal mount of it.

 

[dgallow]

Thanks for taking the time to explain that....I'll overview my process for comparison.....maybe you will find it usefull.

Once the head comes off I take off lower jaw and tongue and blow out the brain immediately....major source of fat and can't take neural tissue across state line.....use an air hose with a crooked wand attachment....stick it in the back of skull and litterally blast out the brains in seconds....the crook in the wand is to keep from getting brains all over you. At this point, I either go right into the following steps or wrap in a paper feed sack and freeze head as is until I have time for skull work (usually Dec after rifle season). Skin and remove most all flesh and fat including eyes with scalpel...put under running hot water and use a tooth brush (or suitable stiff plastic brush) to get bark off the bases. Use a hand drill with 3/8" bit and drill through underside of skull at start of nasal passages into sinus cavities just in front of eyes being careful not to drill all the way through upper side of skull....this is the other source of major stains which the solutions must come in contact with to remove. Try substituting 1 medium box of baking soda (about 4x6" box) instead of borax in the simmering pot....that should cut your simmering time in half and keep teeth intact in jaw, but I would not simmer over 1 hr and 45 min or the bone surface will start to flake...I've never put Dawn in the simmer pot...you will get a protein froth from the baking soda which subsides in first 30 min. On a skinned and most major flesh removed (including eyes) skull, it should clean well by hand and a plastic brush and a thin wire with a hooked end after 60-90 min simmer...after first 30 min, pry out the ear bones, the soft palate should peel right off....prolly wait until the end to pull out nasal cartilage (long narrow screw driver on the underside of cartilage and a pair of needle nose helps). Power wash like you do (never saw the need personally). I then degrease immediately with compressed air using a small hand wand in hot water with lots of Dawn while holding skull under the soapy water (yes, major bubble bath)....make sure to blow out the sinus cavities real well and all holes in skull.....this goes quick with a good compressor....slow with my pancake compressor....this should remove all residual flesh material from hard to reach places (this step is why I don't use a power washer). Recap that.....in ONE evening, I have a skinned, cleaned and degreased skull ready for bleaching! Put a good coat of molding latex from just below burrs on white of pedicle to about 3" up antler bases as soon as horns are dry...remove residual cartilage with a knife and let skull dry overnight. Folks who use other peroxide bleachings and no latex may go right into their bleaching without drying. I make a warm peroxide bath using 100 watt bulb in shop light on top and heating pad underneath a long narrow plastic basin....inside that is 5% peroxide (2 oz of 40 volume per quart of 3.5% peroxide).....paper towels placed over top of skull so peroxide will wick up top and stay moist. I don't want any part of antler or latex under that peroxide solution or it will bleach antlers and touch up paint is needed and it's hard to get a perfect color match.. I just kept adding to the bath after each skull.....this year did 4 skulls....dump bath contents down a warm sink when done and it will clean the P-trap and the rubber intake on the disposal! When done with peroxide bleaching (24-48 hours), take off moulding latex and put the skull in an ice chest of hot water....residual oils will float on top and can be skimmed off....keep adding boiling hot water as needed and turning skull from side to side to help water flow through it....figure an hour for this step. Let skull dry over night at room temp or in front of a heater. At this point I will band the nasal bones so they dry without spreading apart (rubber bands for braces work great for the small ones on top and one regular band around the front lower nasal bones)....I will add a bead of Elmers along inside of upper teeth (just in case) and a drop on each spot where nasal bones are banded. To recap, after 3-4 days I have a bleached skull with no or very minimal antler touch up need and no loose bone or tooth and ready to be sealed with Krylon 1311 matte clear then mounted on a plaque or hung as-is with a wire loop. Just have to wait for 50+F temps so I can spray sealer outside. The lower mandible can be run through all the steps right after the skull....you arencorrect, lower mandible bones break apart during simmering but should stay in jaw....this is when I take out middle inscissors for Matson's lab.....jaws are put on an aging lanyard....I don't clean them to the degree you do as all I need is non-greasy bone to write data on jaw with a marker....thin wire with a hook works well to get veins/nerves out of cavity below lower teeth and above upper teeth before bleaching.....before and after bleaching I may use a dental pick to get major stains off teeth.

 

[dgallow]

For the last several years, I saved the used peroxide in their original bottle after filtering through panty hose...evidently there is still residual flesh which the used peroxide kept working on...so I had sealed bottles in the garage which either 1) looked like gas filled balloons or 2) a peroxide explosion during summer. Figured cleaning the kitchen sink drain when I was done this year was better than cleaning the garage next year!

 

[OKbio]

Thanks for the heads up. Got them in a climate controlled area, so maybe they won't quite expand as much, but will definitely keep an eye on them. I filtered back through a coffee filter. Went ahead and did a button buck after the last post. Was generally more careful with it, but still ended up having to glue several pieces back on, mainly after the peroxide boil.

 

[OKbio]

Been a very busy time at work, haven't been able to update much, so this'll be long. Winter was pretty dry in OK (as you've probably gathered from other Okie's posts). Was going to try to slip in a Rx burn back in Feb., but the Friday I got off and made it down hoping to burn the following day, I checked and the governor had posted a burn ban for 2/3's of OK (including Pontotoc county). Couple weeks later made it down (the ban was lifted) and got a brush pile burned, cleared up a spot for some fruit and native tree plantings.


The fruit trees have mostly come on. Have one apple (that wasn't caged and got rubbed over the winter) that may not make it, really coming on slow, but everything else is looking good. Early frost might have got the pears, but had one tree that was putting on some new flowers this past weekend, so may still have something.


Didn't get it done during rifle season, so no in the field experience, but got some 300 Blackout loads put together and resighted the AR (kind of a 2-step process, the old scope I used to begin with ended up having a turret come off). Continue to be really impressed with Barnes X bullets, don't think I'll handload anything else if I can help it (X bullets on right, Remingtion open tip factory ammo on left).


Finally got a 10 acre piece that I've enrolled in a conservation easement planted with native grass. Used our own drill, dad drove while I patrolled the walkboard on the drill and served as the "manual agitator" for the seed. Seemed to work OK (although rather rough back there, with all the hog rooting, animal burrows, etc. that we were going over). Got a couple inches of rain in the 7-10 days following, so should be set up well.


Field we planted NG in had a stand of some annual winter grass. This was hit with gly a few days prior to planting. The chemical has mostly done its job.


Had a few storms down there recently. One of the things I'll need to work on before next season is to put together an A-frame or something, the old skinning tree finally went down. The drought a couple years ago killed it, but figured to keep using it until it fell.


The sawtooth oaks I planted last year all look to have made it through ok. They are all putting on new leaves now.


And started turning over the plots (picture taken while tractor in motion, sorry its blurry). Thinking of trying some new plantings this year. Chicory and milo (sorghum) are a couple I'm kicking around. Would also like to give lablab a try, although having done soybeans (both ag and grazing) before it isn't as "new".

 

[OKbio]

Last trip down was pretty hard. Took one of our 4-legged friends down for his final trip. 10 years of great memories, many made on this property, now he will be there forever. Toby, you will always be missed, but never forgotten.

 

[Weasel]

Somehow I missed this tour, got all caught up now. Its obvious you put a lot of hard work into your place and the results show. Thanks for sharing.

 

[OKbio]

Worked food plots over again, will probably have to work once more before planting to knock out what's greened up in the last few rains. Picked up some lablab and hegari (sorghum), still want to get some sunflower and maybe some milo (grain sorghum) or try some more forage soybeans. Wheat is looking pretty good, should be harvesting around the end of month. Will leave several skips in the field for dove season. Haven't seen much sign of hogs for a few months, hopefully Dept of Ag has got them shot out of the area for a little while (they'll mow down any wheat left standing).

Got the mount from the doe I shot on my daughter's first accompaniment. Since there's not the antlers to set it off, tried to make the stand more of an eyepiece.

Speaking of the daughter, recently celebrated her 5th birthday. Growing up too fast, but just that much closer to having a full-fledged hunting buddy.

In the meantime, working on taking out coworkers and friends that have or are showing an interest in the outdoors. Took a friend, Joe, out starting last year on his first turkey, dove and deer hunts. Schedules didn't work out well, so only made it out after turkeys the last day of season. Heard birds, but they didn't want anything to do with us. Dove went well, and deer worked out. Hooked up again for turkeys again this spring. First outing a couple weeks ago thought I had a pretty good setup going. Birds were always out strutting in this one field. Set up nearby and heard birds from off the roost and working up to our west. Figured they'd hit the clearing, turn and come right into us. Might've worked, but about that time had one gobble right behind us. Slowly turned to look, then started to tell Joe to try to slowly ease around, but heard putting and saw a hen that had worked up even closer to us. She got nervous and slowly worked back south toward him, then headed west, dragging him with her. Heard him gobbling off in the woods (on the neighbors) for the rest of the morning, but he wouldn't break and Joe needed to head out. Last Friday our schedules worked out again and in the face of an impending storm we hustled back out to the farm. Got there later than planned, but hurried out to a bottom where birds usually work back through going to roost. Settled in for a calling and waiting game. Called once and had been sitting for about 10 minutes when I heard one gobble north of us. Told Joe it looked like we were about to get started. Called and gobbled back and for a little bit (probably another 10 minutes or so), ended up with 2 birds that were hanging out together. One apparently finally broke, then it was a race to see who was going to get there first. Had them jump a little creek, come up in the pecan grove in front of us and work pretty well straight in. Not a foot race, but they weren't wasting time either. Had left the house so fast I forgot the decoys, and at less than 50 yards they were starting to get nervous that they weren't seeing another bird in there (or they were seeing Joe's ungloved hands up on his gun). Whispered for him to take the shot when he could, and after repeating that 3 times, Joe apparently finally felt like he could. Wasn't the best shot, but definitely put him down there. 9 1/2" beard, 3/4" spurs, definitely a lot better than my first bird.

 

[OKbio]

Found an excellent buy on Craigslist, and after several trips by to get it disassembled and loaded I looked like the Beverly Hillbillies going down the road. Had to build a new base and floor for it, but after spending a full day and a half building a base and floor for it, it actually went quicker than I thought. 5 of us spent a little over 2 hours taking it down. After spending a lot of the day scraping and cleaning the old caulk off, 2 of us had it up in about 4 hours, and that was with putting on new caulk and foam sealant tape.





Also building a new (weatherproof) blind through the winter. Replacing my old go-to ground blind, a stack of old telephone poles. Kind of bittersweet, watched a LOT of deer and other wildlife from that blind, but getting soft, and it's easier to stay out when one is comfortable. Got the new blind set in place and leveled up.




Got worried that we might have lost the wheat crop. Had over 7" of rain Friday afternoon and through the night, an additional 1" that came in the preceding 36 hours. Total storm amount was 8.25". Generally I wouldn't be too concerned about it, but had hoped to get the wheat harvested this week. With that much rain I figured that the watershed lake just upstream would top over the emergency spillway and the wall of water coming down the creek would rise well over the banks and lay the crop over. Made it down Saturday morning and was surprised and thankful to find it still in pretty good shape. Lake didn't quite top out, and although the east end of the field DID flood, it didn't lay much anything over and by Saturday evening it was down to just small puddles of sheet water in the lowest corner.



Did have one loss in the storm. My second trail camera I bought, purchased around 2012 or so, has done me proud, but Friday's flash flood caught me (it) unprepared. Went out to check or try to recover it Saturday, but it's about 4 foot under water. I didn't feel like swimming or risking dropping it trying to get it unlocked from the tree. Lake came up a pretty easy 12-15 foot Friday night. Hard to believe we were sitting under these trees calling turkeys not that long ago.

 

[OKbio]

Never been really big shed hunters, but do try to pay attention while we're out working.

 

[gut_pile]

Nice thread. Congrats on getting your friend a turkey