Bobcat skull

Wow... that is really nice. I just got done with my trapping season, got to head back to school. I have a nice coyote and bobcat skull that I am going to do. What did you do to yours? How long? Was it the "recipe" on this forum???
 
I boil them in enough water to cover, about 1# canning salt per gal water, a squirt of Dawn dish soap to cut grease and a couple oz. 40 % (hair dressers) peroxide and after about a half hour keep checking, scraping and cleaning until pretty clean then powerwash the remaining crud away.Hang on tight when hitting with the powerwasher or it could fly out of your hands, and be careful not to put too much power on the joints or some f the small bones could seperate, don't boil any longer than needed to get rid of most of the meat or the teeth will fall out. After clean I brush on another coating of peroxide and let sit for a couple hours then rinse off the peroxide and let dry. I did this skull yesterday afternoon. Here are a couple deer skulls I did back in Nov.

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its real easy to get the brain out just get a coat hanger or something you can fit into the brain cavity mix around and shake them out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif . you migt have to repeat a few times but its a easy way to get the brains out. but then again i dont boil my skulls i let my beatels get after them so i dont have to mess with the stink.
 
On small skulls you need a wire or something to scramble it up a little but I usually get most of that stuff out when powerwashing at the car wash. On deer skulls I take my hole saw and make a 1 1/2" hole in the bottom and blast out the brains with the power washer after boiling. I guess I can't smell very good but on a fresh skull I have never had much odor at all, if any.
 
Ive found over the years that a simple inexpensive product that I buy from http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/ called sal soda really makes a long job short. In there online catalog you may also find a tool for removal of brains. It is a little hook that the inside of the loop is sharpened. I made my own, but it works wonders for cutting the brain free from the nasal passages, and optical nerves. I dont know how much I like the pressure washer idea, cause I know how badly just a garden hose and a nozzle blows brains and such back in my face. I boil mine in sal soda which loosens up the meat, then I pull the meat from the bones, and cut as much excess "stuff" off as I can. Then I dip it back in the boil for a bit longer and the sal soda will help bleach it. Ive had a few that didnt come out sparkling white so I soaked them in a water/oxy clean solution for a few days and rinsed off well. They turned out whiter than I could paint them. Dont worry about boiling to long to much, cause if a tooth or two comes out just screen them out when you pour your water out and a dab of glue fixes them right up.

Oh, PS. Dont use your wifes noodle spagetti pan for boiling skulls. This may be hazardous to your health!
 


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