I recently shot a corsican with about a curl and a half. I've only done one other ram before so experience is lacking. I had to let them sit for 2 days until I came back home. I read the archives and soaked them in a big bucket for a week, noticed the horns were getting lighter(cleaner) so I put them in the trash bags for another week. Temps were in the 40-60 range the first two days in the bags but has been 60+ the rest of the time. I took them out and threw them several times on a hard oak firewood log. No luck
Question is: Do I just leave them in the bag longer or soak them more to loosen them up. Just wondering if I need to try something else. Microwave is not an option if I wanna keep sleeping in the house, ha! Don't know if the horns will get soft or something.
Thanks in advance.
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Cold temps kill bacteria that breaks down the connective tissues.
Add a heater to your bag to keep the temps up. It works quite well I have just finished macerating 9 deer skulls and our night temps have been down in the 30s at night. Good luck
I've recieved Dall Sheep horns that were dried to the core. Put in a plastic bag, wrap a wet towel around the bases and leave them a few days. Then I drive 2 or 3 screwdrivers (flathead) up under the horns and they will pop off. Never had them rip or tear. If flesh is still dry after a few days, let them soak longer. Hope it works for you.
To get any ram horns off you needto submerge them in water, after about aweek they will start to soften. Then start tapping aflat head screwdriver around the bases that will allow the water to get in. Put them back in the water, basically it will take two, or three weeks depending on tempature.Repeat with screwdriver, you can tap the screwdriver further in now and they will pop off.They will be smelly but water will not discolor the horns.
To get any ram horns off you needto submerge them in water, after about aweek they will start to soften. Then start tapping aflat head screwdriver around the bases that will allow the water to get in. Put them back in the water, basically it will take two, or three weeks depending on tempature.Repeat with screwdriver, you can tap the screwdriver further in now and they will pop off.They will be smelly but water will not discolor the horns.