Have you ever wanted to learn how to make your very own European mount of your recent big game harvest But weren’t sure where to start? We’ll show you how easy it is!
The European mount is a great option for a buck you won’t be taking to the taxidermist. And, it can be done very inexpensively.
The European Mount | A Great DIY Opportunity
On a recent bow hunt trip to South Georgia, my partners and I had identified a wide 6-point with spindly antlers and very small brow tines, as a buck that we felt like would be a good one to go ahead and harvest if given the opportunity.
Well, that opportunity presented itself the very next morning, as I was able to able to take this buck with my bow at about 12 yards, which is always fun and always a blessing.
However, this management buck was not one I was going to take to the the taxidermist.
So, we felt like this would be a great opportunity to show those of you at home how to do your very own European mount.
The “euro mount” process is not near as difficult as it might seem. You can do the entire process as home for as little as $10.
Instructional Video
In the below video, N1 Outdoors® co-founder, Josh Wells, teaches you the Euro mount process, step-by-step. Be sure you watch to the end of the video where Josh teaches you how to prep the head and the skull for this process that he shows you. We hope you learn something. Enjoy!
Learn how to make a European mount | Step-by-step instructional video
Supplies You’ll Need To Make A European Mount
We’ve got a few essential materials that you will need to do European mount. I will go through those with you in just a second.
I want you to know that I’m not a taxidermist. I’m not a professional doing this. But, I have done it several times and over the years and through trial and error, have figured out some of the best practices in doing a Euro mount.
A few supplies that you are going to need to the European mount are obviously, a knife to skin the head from the skull, a good set of forceps, a screw driver.
You can do your own European mount for under ten dollars.
You will also need two quarts of hydrogen peroxide and some liquid dish soap. You’ll also need some dark wood stain, masking tape, clear shrink wrap, and a pitcher or a big cup to add water to the pot as it’s boiling.
Knife for skinning
Forceps
Screwdriver
2 Quarts Hydrogen Peroxide
Liquid Dish Soap
Dark Wood Stain
Masking Tape
Clear Shrink Wrap
Water Pitcher
How To Make A Euro Mount Step-By-Step
In just 5 hours, you can have a European mount for your deer skull that you can be proud of.
Time needed: 5 hours.
How to do your own European mount…
Remove the skin of the deer head
Using your knife, remove the skin from the deer head and remove the lower jaw.
Boil the skull
Add 1/4 cup of liquid dish soap to the water in the pot you will boil the skull in. On a very slow boil, simmer the skull for 4 hours.
Remove tissue
After you remove the skull from the water, use your knife and forceps to remove eyes, tissue and tendons from the skull. Use the screwdriver to remove the ear buds so you can access the brain cavity. Remove the sinus tissue with the forceps. Use a water hose to spray in the brain cavity to remove the brain tissue.
Add Peroxide
Add 2 quarts of hydrogen peroxide to your boiling water.
Wrap antlers
Use shrink wrap to wrap around the bases of the antlers to protect them from being bleached. Secure the plastic wrap with masking tape.
Boil skull again for 30 minutes
Put the skull back in the water containing the peroxide for another 30 minutes.
Remove shrink wrap and touch up as needed
Remove the deer skull from the boiling water and touch up the bases of the antlers with the dark wood stain if there has been any bleaching.
This whole process will take about 5 hours. You will boil the skull on a very low boil for 4 hours. Then, you’ll need to budget about 30 minutes or an hour for cleanup and for bleaching the skull (bleaching will take about 30 minutes.)
The key to the process is the 4 hour boiling time. If you do it for 3 hours, it’s not going to come off as good. Slow simmer for 4 hours works best. If you boil it too hard, it’s going to weaken the bone and you’re going to break some bones. So, be sure it’s a slow simmer. Don’ try to do it too fast.
Remove Meat and Tendons
After boiling, remove eyes and tissue from the skull.
After 4 hours of boiling the skull in the liquid dish soap, the meat around the skull will be very tender. You just work your knife in and remove the meat and the tendons as best as you can. Much of the meat will just fall away during this process.
You don’t want to get too aggressive with it because you can pop a bone loose.
The most aggravating part is around the eye sockets because all the eye sockets connect to the inside of the skull in the brain (we’ll cover how we are going to get the brains out shortly) and it makes them a little bit harder to get to.
Remove The Ear Buds
All After you’ve gotten all the meat scraped off, it’s now time to pop the ear buds out. This is how we get the brains out.
Take your screwdriver and work it around in the ear buds and pop them out.
Remove the sinus tissue from the from the skull with forceps.
Remove Sinus Tissue
Now use the forceps to remove all the sinus tissue.
You need to get everything out of the sinus cavity because anything that you leave, will cause the bone to turn yellow. It may take two or three years for it to happen, but I’ve had it happen.
Be gentle while the skull is hot, because if you are too rough while removing the tissue, you could break the bone.
And, if you do break the bone, don’t worry. Sometimes the bones at the bottom of the nose will come loose if these tendons get cooked too long. If they do, you can put them back with super glue. So, don’t worry if they come off. You can super glue them back.
Get as much of the sinus tissue as you can from the front side and then you can get the rest under the brain cavity.
Use a water hose to rinse out the brain cavity.
Remove The Brain
Once you get the ear buds popped out and you get the sinus cleaned out, you’re going to need a water hose to rinse out the brain tissue.
Some people will use a pressure washer for this step. I don’t like using a pressure washer because if you’re not careful, you can damage the bone.
Put the water hose into the hole where the brain is located and flush out the brain matter. Anything left over will break loose once we boil the skull for the second time in the peroxide.
Prep Antlers And Boil Skull In Peroxide
Wrap antlers in shrink wrap and masking tape and boil a second time for 30 minutes.
Once you are finished rinsing the brain matter out of the brain cavity, it’s time to boil the skull for a second time in order to bleach the bone white.
Add two quarts of hydrogen peroxide to the existing pot of water.
Wrap the base of each antler tightly with shrink wrap and secure it with masking tape. There’s not really any particular way that you need to do this other than to just get them wrapped from the base up to the bottom of the brow tine.
Once the skull is placed into the boiling water, the plastic wrap will shrink tightly to the antlers and keep out the majority of the water. Some water may find its way through and that’s why we have the dark stain.
We can come back and if some of these darker parts around the base get bleached a little bit, we just use a q-tip to re-color it and you’ll never know the difference.
Once the antlers have been adequately wrapped, place the skull back into the boiling water and peroxide for 30 minutes.
The Finishing Touches
After the 30-minute boil in the peroxide and water, remove the skull and take the plastic wrap off.
Touch up any bleached areas of the antler base with wood stain and q-tip.
The plastic wrap will seem sticky and gummy, sticking tightly to the antlers. And, that’s what you wanted to do because that keeps the peroxide off of the antlers and prevents it from bleaching.
If there has been any unwanted bleaching on the base of the antlers, use a very small amount of the dark wood stain and apply to those areas with a q-tip. You can repeat as many times as you like to get the desired darkness.
But, how do you get the skin off the skull initially?
I wanted to go back and cover the preparation process of the skull before you even start to boil it.
Obviously, you have to cut the deer’s head off. And preferably, you would want to cut it at the last vertebra that connects to the back of the skull. (Normally what happens because the deer’s neck and ears compressed on the spine, is that most people naturally cut about one vertebra back, so you have to two things to cut off before you can start boiling the skull.)
to remove the last vertebra, cut just behind the brain lobe as pictured here.
The place you want to be careful about is this lobe on the back of the skull where the brains are. Be careful not to cut into that lobe. Just use it as a guiding point as you cut. Once you cut around it, you will be able to remove the last vertebra.
But while the deer head is lying on the ground, get your knife between the teeth and just cut back toward the back of the head. There’s going to be meat back there, so you want to cut that on both sides, so that you can open the deer’s mouth.
Once you’ve cut, pull the jaw all the way back until the bones that joined up under the brain cavity are loosened. Then then you can remove the meat from around those bones and pop that bottom jaw off.
Now, you are ready to start boiling!
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this instructional article and video on how to do your very own European mount. We hope you have a great deer hunting season, and remember… where moments happen, we’ll meet you there!
Before I start talking about food plots, I want everyone to understand that no food plot, no matter what the blend, can supply everything a deer needs in terms of their nutrition.
So, no matter what you are planning for a food plot, the first step in the Spring should be to create a mineral site and/or feeding station next to the planned food plot location.
Getting deer accustomed to using an area and giving their diet a boost is a great way to set your food plot up for success later in the year, even in places where feeding is not legal during the hunting season.
When I am in the planning stage for a couple new food plots, sometimes I get to the point where I am tired of planting food plots using the same old, run down equipment.
This article focuses on those of us that do not own enough land to justify buying a tractor. But, just because you don’t own equipment does not mean you need to skimp on your food plot prep.
How Much Tractor (and money) Do You Need For Your Food Plot?
If you are going to use a tractor for your food plot, how much tractor do you need? Something in the 20-35 horsepower range should work just fine.
First, if you own your own land, you can probably afford a tractor.
Tractors certainly come in all shapes and sizes. But, for the avid food plot planter, something in the 20-35 hp range should be plenty.
I have looked at a lot of different options on the market and each has its strengths and weaknesses. Regardless of the price a dealer tells you, a tractor is worth what someone will pay for it.
Tractorhouse.com is a great place to search for tractors for sale, but farm retirement auctions are also a great place to find a lot of good machinery at a reasonable price.
Getting to know the tractor market in your area is a valuable tool before you decide when/if you should buy one.
To buy or not to buy a tractor… that is the question
Around my hunting ground in SE Minnesota, most rental places have small walk behind tillers for garden work. If you have a small secluded area that you cannot get a tractor to, this might be your only option unless you want to wear your arms out using a rake, making what I refer to as a “poor man’s plot.”
Let’s calculate some numbers, which I think you can appreciate if you are wanting to know rental rates on smaller tractors and implements versus owning the equipment.
For ¼ to 1-acre sized food plots it is very economical to rent a riding tractor, but most rental outfits only have landscaping tools available such as skid steers and back-hoes. My local rental shop actually had a 25 hp riding Kubota with a 36” garden tiller attachment for $200 per day.
There was no trailer included in this price, but you could rent their trailer for $50/day. Luckily, I have an uncle with a car trailer I could borrow. Basically, I could spend 2 days tilling food plots all day and be out $400. The problem is that with only a 36” tiller it would take me all day to do what I want done.
Just for fun, I priced out what that same tractor would cost if I were to buy it new with a 48” tiller, and the amount was $27,400. My monthly payment would have been over $400 (60-month financing), so paying $400 for 2 long days of tough tractor labor doesn’t sound so bad.
If I only needed 2 long days of food plot tilling each year, it would take me 47 years to justify buying a new tractor versus renting (assuming I use 4-wheeler for spraying plots).
I would certainly use a tractor for other things such as gardening and snow removal, but I’m focusing on food plot tillage for this article. Granted, the rental rate will increase over time. But, the value will also decrease on a tractor over time. so, both would be a wash in terms of value lost/gained.
Don’t own a tractor? You could rent one or hire a nearby farmer to plow your food plot location.
I called around to a few different companies and food plot installation ranged from $400/acre (uninsured Bubba with a tractor) to $1,600/per acre (Professional install included soil testing, fertilizer amendments, and consulting/design on where food plot should be placed).
The professional also had access to a no till drill which is great for reducing soil erosion as well as conserving soil moisture.
Some charged by the hour and charged mileage for getting equipment to where the work needed to be done. Others charged for time and materials, meaning you pay for the labor around $75/hr and pay for the seed, fertilizer, or whatever materials are needed to have a successful food plot.
Some would even travel to my location and use local rented equipment to do the job, and charge $100/hr labor, plus a consulting fee ($500).
So, Can I Borrow Your Tractor?
Another option is to find someone that trusts you with their equipment. Why rent a tractor 50 miles away from your property when the neighbor is willing to let you use their tractor?
Even massive commercial farmers sometimes have a small “yard tractor” they use for grading their driveway, or for snow removal.
You could also talk to some of the local farmers and see if they are willing to do the tillage work and pay them for their service.
Having a great food plot doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be hanging a trophy over the fireplace. You need to put in the work on your hunting preparation as well.
I define tillage as any sort of equipment that makes the field look like dirt. So, I’m lumping all tillers, discs, harrows, and chisel plow type machinery into the word “tillage.”
One of my plots is adjacent to a farmer’s field, and if I need tillage work, I pay him $50 just to make a few passes with his massive machinery. Basically, I’m just paying him for the inconvenience of having to make a couple extra turns. This will not work in the smaller kill plots located inside of the timber though.
Just like with anything in life, you get what you pay for, and doing it yourself is always cheaper. It is also the only way to be certain the food plot is done to your standards.
I’ll save the fine details of hunting food plots for another article. Feel free to share your food plotting and habitat management equipment in the coments below or on Ani-Logics Outdoors social media pages.
Just like fingerprints and snowflakes, no two food plots are the same and you should use your own judgement as to what equipment works best for you.
As I sat there 20 feet up in that oak tree, trying to figure out what happened, I heard something behind me coming down the same trail. I turned to catch a glimpse of a wide Kansas buck heading my way.
I couldn’t believe this was happening so soon after I had missed the other deer.
This time, I was even more determined to settle my pins and connect on this nice Kansas buck!
As I released the arrow, I watched intently as it found its mark and sent the buck bolting through the woods to certain death.
Finally, after two years of hunting in Kansas, I was able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. It was a very exciting moment for me, as I anxiously texted my hunting buddies… “Big Buck Down.”
What makes this hunt even more special is the fact that I got it all on video.
Videoing my hunts allow me the privilege to watch them anytime I want to.
The scenario above happened almost a year ago. I went back and watched it five minutes before I wrote this article.
When I’m having a bad season and not seeing very many deer, I can always go back and watch the moment I killed my first Kansas buck. It is a very rewarding experience.
With today’s technological advances, it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to get started filming your own hunts. Keep reading for two things that you will need to get started…
The Canon 6D Mark 2 is a good camera for capturing your primary video while filming your own hunts.
Camera
Camera arm
External microphone
Fluid head
Remote control
Video Camera
Obviously, you cannot film hunts without a camera, but what camera do you choose? That’s a great question that gets asked often.
First, It is very important that you choose a camera that is “High Definition” and has good low-light capabilities. The high definition will help you have clearer footage and the low light capabilities will help you get a few extra minutes of film time in the morning and the evenings. After all, you never know when you’re going to see something so rare that you’ll wish you had footage of it later on.
It is also important that you get a camera that has an external mic jack. If you are self-filming, it is important for you to choose a camera that has a good auto focus setting.
It’s important to be sure you have a camera arm with enough length to film in some of the awkward positions hunting can put you in.
We currently use a Sony Ax-53 ($800) and a Canon 6D Mark 2 ($1500.)
Secondary cameras are also a big help to capture extra footage, such as GoPro, Spypoint or Tacticam.
Camera Arm
It wasn’t until a recent hunt that I realized how important stabilization was for a camera.
We were on a hunt and managed to forget the arm plate, so I had to free-hand film the hunt. A doe came into our location and circled around the tree and put me in an awkward position while filming.
When we watched the footage back on the TV, I was shocked at how shaky I was. This one experience made me even more of a believer in good camera arm.
It’s important to choose a camera arm that has some length to it. This will help when the deer puts you in an awkward position of filming across your body or around the back of your tree.
Fourth Arrow has some amazing camera arms that are affordable, ($100-$300) adjustable, and easy to use. Muddy also has some great camera arms that are reasonably priced ($100-$300) and easy to use.
External Microphone
An external mic will help you capture sounds from farther away than if just using the mic on the video camera.
Every camera you buy comes with a built-in microphone, and they work decent most of the time. However, they are just not as clear or as sensitive as they need to be when capturing the sounds of the woods.
There’s just something special about being able to hear the leaves crunching under the deer’s feet when you are watching your hunt on TV or on social media. You will hear a lot less of those types of natural sounds without an external microphone.
Another problem with not having an external microphone is when you put distance between the camera man and the hunter. An external microphone will give you a lot more range of distance than your standard camera mic.
It is true, most people will watch bad footage with good audio before they will watch good footage with bad audio. Rode Mics offer a variety of microphones for most cameras.
Trust me when I say, you will want to get an external microphone!
Fluid Head
The fluid head, as seen here attached to the tripod, helps you make smooth, controlled camera movements. The remote allows you to operate the camera with one hand, freeing up the other for your bow or gun.
Yeah I know, I thought the same thing when I heard about “fluid heads.”
So, what is a fluid head?
It’s an attachment that fits onto your camera arm that works by hydraulic fluid. The hydraulic fluid head allows you to make smoother movements with your camera. This creates better, higher quality footage for your viewing.
Pro Am has some very good fluid heads at reasonable prices. ($100-$300)
Remote Control
A remote control for your camera is very important, especially if you are self-filming. It enables you to basically do everything with one hand so you can use your other hand to grab you bow or your gun.
Most cameras have remote controls that can be purchased for them. I prefer to use the remote controls that are wired and plug directly into the camera.
Camera remotes are made to attach to your camera arm handle and can be a lifesaver when a deer walks into range. They help you minimize movement while your target animal is close.
Second Thing You Need: PASSION
Passion is nothing more than a strong desire for something. And, if you are going to film your hunts, you are going to need a strong desire to do so.
I promise you there are going to be moments when you will wake up and you are already late to your stand and taking time to get camera gear to the tree will make you even later.
Then, there will be times when you will forget pieces of equipment and the thought will run across your mind, “I don’t know why I even mess with this junk. I’m not doing this anymore.”
Possibly, even worse than that, you will have a big buck bust you because you were reaching for the camera instead of your bow. It’s during these moments that it will take passion to help you keep going.
To successfully film your hunts, the second thing you need is to have passion in the following three areas…
Passion for hunting: Passion for hunting is probably the most obvious one. You have to love the hunt! Passion for hunting is what is going to keep you in the woods experiencing all of the things that are film-worthy. If the idea of being perched up twenty feet in a tree with a bow in your hand anticipating a big buck coming near gets you excited, then congratulations, you have a passion for the hunt!
Getting started videoing your hunts is not as expensive as you might think. There are many affordable options available for you to begin capturing those unforgettable outdoor moments.
Passion for telling the story: I had a man tell me once, “You tell stories really good.” That’s because I have a passion about telling stories. When I tell a story, I want people to feel what I was feeling, hear what I was hearing and see what I was seeing. Being able to take your camera and video everything that you are experiencing in the woods is being able to tell your story. It gives the viewer an opportunity to see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel what you felt. You will need a passion for that in order to overcome the difficulties that come along with filming.
Passion for new challenges: It is an understatement to say that filming your hunts is a challenge. It is actually beyond a challenge to be able to put it all together and film a successful hunt, but it sure is fun trying. One of the hard parts is learning all of the new things that make you better at filming your hunts. Anything from positioning your camera to learning how to edit your videos. Each one of these things can provide its own set of challenges, so you will need to be excited about learning new things. If you have a passion for new challenges then you are going to love filming your hunts.
There are so many more things that can be written on the subject of filming hunts.
The further you dive into the process more questions will come about camera equipment, editing, producing episodes for social media, etc. However, if there was one more piece of advice I could give you on this subject, it would be to remind you to have fun.
The camera is just a great way to share the memories of the love of the hunt, it is never meant to replace the love of the hunt. Sometimes the pressure of trying to get it all to work out on film can rob you of the fun of the sport of hunting.
Make up your mind before you begin the journey that you will always love the hunt more than you love the camera.
Casey Johnson is the founder of Huntreal Outdoors. Follow their Instagram and you can also follow Casey’s story on his YouTube channel.
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