# help with a head please?



## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

so we butchered our highlander cross bull. he has a real nice rack on him, so we got the head back from the butcher. what do we need to do to get it down to bone, without damaging the bone? its currently laying in the snow, and the dog has been eating his neck a little at a time.


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## Bear (Jan 25, 2005)

I take it that you want to save the schull with the horns attached. Skin the head out. Than find a post or small tree near the woods and tie it down good with wire high enough off the ground that dogs and such and can't get at it. The crows, ravens, birds and other varmits will have it cleaned off for you by spring.


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## Oakshire_Farm (Dec 4, 2008)

If you hang it from a tree the ravens and crows will do a good job. But when spring comes around place the scull on a ants nest, they work wonders in no time at all. OR if you live near the ocean, tie a rope onto it and take it out into 30-40 feet of water and drop it (put a float on the other end of the rope) Crabs will clean it out with in a week.


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## Pops2 (Jan 27, 2003)

if you have a pond w/a good population of crawfish they'll do about as well as crabs.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

You can Skin it out,boil it in Borax,scrape all the meat you can off,break the brains lose,wash them out.The Horns will come lose they can be reglued.Then take it and either wash it with Dawn Dish Soap or take it to the Car wash and wash it down.this will Degrease it.Then take it and soak it in Peroxide,you can take Towels and bring the Peroxide up where its not getting to.This will Whiten it.DO NOT USE BLEACH.Then you can set it in the Sun for awhile this will lighten it up little more.Glue the Horns on and your good to go.

Here is a Buck I did.










big rockpile


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## tinman1 (Jan 20, 2009)

That looks really good ..I stumbled across a (missed) buck a few years back that was sitting for a year in some broomstraw patch..Wasnt even missing a tooth , the horns had lightened up slightly ..but it was NICE..Cant believe mice hadnt chewed it. that is the third nice one I have found.


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## foxfiredidit (Apr 15, 2003)

Pops2 said:


> if you have a pond w/a good population of crawfish they'll do about as well as crabs.


A pond is a good place, but if you don't have a pond, just stick it down in a barrell of water. Microbes and bacteria will do the same.


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## snowshoehair (Jul 3, 2008)

Perch it up on the outhouse roof and the birds will clean it up.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Find someone with Beetles they work the best










big rockpile


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## raybait1 (Sep 30, 2006)

We used to use fire ants to clean out turtle shells. May try that.


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## houndDogger (Mar 2, 2008)

I did a skunk skull last year by putting it in peice of screen off of a window tied shut like a baggie, then setting it in a fast moving creek for a couple weeks. Also did a badger skull a couple years ago by putting it in an old shop rag tied shut, then hung it high up in a tree. Flys couldn't get in but they could lay thier maggots through the rag. Left it over the summer and it was clean and dry by October.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

thanks for all the suggestions. we had thought about letting the birds have at it, or even the chickens for that matter, but husband is afraid they will damage the bone. I never thought of the fly thing. we could tie it in mesh, and the falling maggots would feed the chickens. kind of disturbing though if the neighboors were to notice, and the stench probably wont be pleasant.


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## oldcj5guy (Jul 24, 2006)

order a couple of thousand mealworms online and put it in a container with them.


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