with european mounts. I did search the archives and found a great deal of useful information. But for those of you that boil, or simmer your game heads, how on earth do you clean away the cartilage at the back of the skull? I have done an elk, and an antelope (using the soak in a bucket method) and those have been fine, but its cooler now and a couple guys wanted thier deer done quickly, so I tried boiling/simmering them. Most of the meat came off without any problem, but the cartilage at the back of the head and also some of the flesh inside the nose, thats another story. For those people that say, "boil your skulls and the meat scrapes right off" what am i not doing right, because that stuff at the back fo the head does not scrape right off! Also if I just set them in water for a couple of weeks, will that stain the horns (of deer or elk)? thanks in advance for your help
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After you boil them for a while, use a pressure washer to finish cleaning.They will turn out snow white.
As for the cartilage in the nasal cavity, boil it with sal soda or baking soda in the water and that tissue will become jelly-like and pull out with a forceps or tweezers, and as for the yellowish cartilage and tissue on the back of the skull, it always likes to skick there for me too. I have used the course wire wheel on an electric grinder before to remove it, came off pretty well with a stiff steel brush too. It just takes some work, but I have had preety good success with simmering/boiling. email me with any questions. Peace~Sam