Mounting a deer skull is a favorite step for every hunter after hunting. But mounting can become tough if the bones have dried out. In that case, you may face difficulty removing the dried hide from the deer skull.
So, do you know how to remove dried hide from deer skull?
Well, you can do this in many ways. And for all ways, you’ll have to be patient. You can do it by soaking in water, water and dish soap, water and baking soda. Also, pressure washer, wire brush drill bit, water and OxiClean, water and hydrogen peroxide, etc.
That’s just a quick overview of the article. To know more, go through the article.
Let’s start to know more about them.
7 Methods to Follow to Remove Dried Hide from Deer Skull
Deer mount is obviously a great memory of every hunter. That’s why they always try to keep their memory fresh by hanging deer mounts on their wall.
Removing dried hide from deer skull is not an easy job. Have you kept the deer skull for many days and have not removed its hide? Then you may face difficulty removing them. As they will dry out and become rough and strong with time.
Here are all the best ways to remove dried hide from deer skull.
Method 1: By Soaking in Water
Soaking in water is an old method to remove the dried hide from deer skulls. But still, it’s also an effective one. For this, you will need
- A bucket
- Coldwater
- Knife
You will need to submerge the deer skull in a bucket full of cold water. You will have to keep the deer skull like this for about 2 to 3 days. After 3 days you will notice that the dried part has become wet and softer than before.
As a result, it will be easier for you to remove them now. Now take a knife and try to remove them. Be careful while doing this! Don’t harm yourself.
Method 2: Water and Dish Soap
As mentioned, by soaking in cold water for two to three days, the dried will become softer. But we will tell you now how to make it more effective. For this, you will need
- A bucket
- Coldwater
- Dish soap
- Clean water
- Old brush/ knife
Have you added any kind of dish soap to the water? Then it will be more helpful and effective than before. The dish soap will help you more to detach the hide from the deer skull.
After soaking them for about four days, clean the skull with clean water. At this, the tissues will break down.
Then scrub the skull with an old brush or remove the hides with a Knife. Interested to know how to clean a deer skull found in the woods? Then you can follow this step.
Method 3: Through Baking Soda
Baking soda is another material that will be very helpful for you to remove the dried hide. Baking Soda is very effective in this way. It can break down and soften any tissues. For this, you will need
- Baking Soda
- Water
- Bucket
- Dish Soap
First to take a bucket. Put a packet of baking soda in it. Then add water. Submerge the skull in it for about 24 hours. Don’t keep the skull in the baking soda for so much time. Baking Soda will loosen all the hard tissues. So if you keep it for a long time, the skull will be brittle.
For the best results, you can again soak the skull in dish soap water for about a day. It will make the process more effective.
Do you know the mounting time of deer head? You should know. Because different parts will take different times for mounting.
Method 4: Pressure Washer
Pressure Washer is very effective to remove any kind of skin, hide or grease from the skull. It’s also a good method to remove the dried hide.
It will help you a lot to remove the fresh or dried hide. You can also know the general use of pressure washer for cleaning purposes.
Here we have recommended some pressure washers to buy.
| Image | Product Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
  | Westinghouse ePX3050 Electric Pressure Washer | Check Current Price |
  | Sun Joe SPX3000 Pressure Washer | Check Current Price |
We hope, you find these helpful.
Method 5: Wire Brush Drill Bit
You can also use this method to remove dried skin from any kind of skull. It’s a kind of grinding process. Through this machine, you can easily remove the dried hide.
Method 6: Water and Oxiclean
Oxiclean is another effective way to take out all the dried hide from deer skulls. Do you want to know how to get the hide off a deer skull? Then you can also follow this method. For this you will need
- Oxiclean
- Water
- A large pot
- Stove
At first, fill the large pot with water. Don’t fill it too much and keep some space. Because of OxiClean the water will come upwards. So don’t fill the full pot.
Now boil the water on the stove. Then soak the skull in the hot water and add ¼ cup of OxiClean in that. When the OxiClean will start to work, it will generate foam.
Now let the water for cooling and keep it like this for about 24, hours. See how simple it is! By following this method you can remove all the dried hide.
Method 7: Through Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen Peroxide is the safest way to remove dried hides from the skull. So it’s helpful in every way. For this you will need
- Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide
- Water
- Bucket
For this method, you will have to add 1 and ¼ cups of 35% hydrogen peroxide and ¾. And 14 cups of water in a bucket. Then soak the deer skull in that bucket. You will notice some bubbles above the water.
Hydrogen Peroxide works through heating up and it doesn’t harm the density of the skull. So it’s very helpful to remove dried hides.
For best results, you can soak the skull in water for three days before using hydrogen peroxide.
FAQs
What should you use to whiten the deer skull?
You can use bleach or hydrogen peroxide for this. But among them, hydrogen peroxide is better as it maintains the density of the skull.
How should you clean if a deer head has gone rotten?
It will be annoying to do so. You can do it by boiling it in the warm water outside of the house. The rotten part will come out through this.
What are the steps to dry out a deer skull?
Soak the skull in cold water for about 2 days. Then remove any kind of grease from the outside part. Again soak it in hydrogen peroxide and water. Then let it dry.
Is vinegar harmful to the bones?
Yes, vinegar is harmful to the bones. If you soak any bones in the vinegar, they will become rubbery and softer than before.
Wrapping up
Hope you know now all the tactics about how to remove dried hide from deer skull. Follow the mentioned ways with attention.
It’s time to say farewell to you. Share your adventurous hunting stories with us in the comment section.
Happy hunting! Stay safe!
