I am going to try and macerate a buffalo skull, my question is do I cover the whole head with water, including horns, or do I cover just the head up to the base of the horns? Thanks In Advance!
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And keep checking on the horns. When they get loose to the point where they come off, then remove them. Store them with borax inside of them until they are dry then remove the borax. Replace the horns when the skull is complete.
Coyote
Thanks coyote, I appreciate it. I've never macerated anything before, right now its just in a plastic bag until I find something big enough to put it in with water. Hope it turns out alright!
I am not jealous of you, I have tried maceration and I will stick to boiling whenever possible. Talk about a stinky, gooey God awful mess! I macerated an elk and it was not worth it. I ended up giving up and boiling it off anyway because it smelled so damn bad and took too long.
and I boiled a skull before and it smelled something aweful
It does stink! and you have a pale of water full of dead maggots, and other insects! very nasty!
If you have a mature bull or cow, the maceration method will work great and wont'damage the horns provided you keep a close eye on the horns and twist them off as soon as possible.
If you have a juvenile, DO NOT soak the horns. The horns will just fall apart on a juvenile if they are being soaked. For a juvenile, the best thing is to either soak the skull up to the base of the horns, or let the horns come loose by laying the skull out in the pasture and let the bugs to that work. Then macerate.