Looking for Advice - Coyote Skull Prep

Slug870

Slug870

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So I have been thinking that I'd like to keep the skull of the next coyote I shoot. There is quite a bit of info on different methods of preparation out there, but I'd like to hear from those here on CGN on what method(s) you have used and how your skull(s) turned out. Having never tried this before, I'd like to ask for your input on everything from the moment I shoot the coyote until the moment there is a nice clean skull on display in the gun room.

Please discuss and add pics if you've got them!

Thank you.
 
I wait til warmer weather and put it in a pail outside. Maggots clean it up quick then i rinse and let it sit in a degreaser for a day then rinse again

Finding a beetle keeper is another step
 
Skin it. Boil it. Clean some more. Use a wire to get the brain out. Boil again if needed. Power wash can help a lot. Wrap in paper towel and soak with peroxide for a day or so. Rinse and let dry. Really only a couple hours of work and then just some time for it to soak and dry
 
Have never done a coyote skull, but several whitetail deer heads - just as FishHog describes, except I have never used the peroxide soak - just boil, remove what comes off, boil again if necessary, repeat as needed - get all the flesh off and brains out and then let dry - use needle nose pliers to get hold of and peel off linings - sitting in sun would also bleach it , I would think.
 
FishHog said:
Skin it. Boil it. Clean some more. Use a wire to get the brain out. Boil again if needed. Power wash can help a lot. Wrap in paper towel and soak with peroxide for a day or so. Rinse and let dry. Really only a couple hours of work and then just some time for it to soak and dry
Click to expand...

Don't over boil it. very easy to do. Work in progress. :d

270030201.jpg


Grizz
 
Yeah, boiled off the flesh from quite a few deer skulls. Add some soap, simmer, rinse in cold running water, and have at the internal cavities with whatever tools you have. I have used a lot of bamboo skewers from the grocery store.
If you cook it too long, you start to get bone plates separating and the skull falls apart. Makes for a pretty good 3D puzzle to put back together, and the parts warp when they dry, so it's worth avoiding that.

Dunno what other skulls are like, but the STINK when first starting out, will not make you the popular guy, if you do that in the kitchen. I found that if I started it outdoors, pulled the skull and hosed it off, bringing it indoors for the continuing attention was fine. Just evil smelling, for the first bit.
Garden hose sprayer makes pretty good work of blasting out the brain tissue and sinuses too.

Never used bleach or peroxide. Kinda like the look of it without the stark white that those leave.
 
Skin it and boil it for about 10-15 mins then use good pressure washer and the remains will come off with a little work then coat with 30-40 percent peroxide from a hair salon for a day then wash clean it with bright white clean and contamination free
I do this for European deer mounts
 
trevj said:
Yeah, boiled off the flesh from quite a few deer skulls. Add some soap, simmer, rinse in cold running water, and have at the internal cavities with whatever tools you have. I have used a lot of bamboo skewers from the grocery store.
If you cook it too long, you start to get bone plates separating and the skull falls apart. Makes for a pretty good 3D puzzle to put back together, and the parts warp when they dry, so it's worth avoiding that.

Dunno what other skulls are like, but the STINK when first starting out, will not make you the popular guy, if you do that in the kitchen. I found that if I started it outdoors, pulled the skull and hosed it off, bringing it indoors for the continuing attention was fine. Just evil smelling, for the first bit.
Garden hose sprayer makes pretty good work of blasting out the brain tissue and sinuses too.

Never used bleach or peroxide. Kinda like the look of it without the stark white that those leave.
Click to expand...

STINK........Doesn't even come close to describing the smell. Not at all like boiling the thanksgiving turkey carcass for soup. I don't believe anyone would eat coyote soup.

Nitro
 
I’ve done a few...coyote, bear, deer, coon, etc. They all started and ended the same way and all turned out great. What you do in the middle really depends on a) time and b) available resources.

The start involved skinning and removing whatever flesh is easy to remove (cheeks, eyes, etc,). The end involved submerging the stained but fleshless skull in dollar store peroxide until the desired whiteness was achieved, rinsing, drying, then spraying with clear acrylic spray paint.

For me the middle varied from leaving it in the fence row to boiling to putting the skull in a bucket with fine chicken wire over the top and tossing into a pond for 3 months. All worked well. Boiling was quickest, letting nature do its thing in the pond or the fence row took the longest.

* I will add that the only skulls I boiled were deer and turkey....the smell was as expected - family wondered who was making soup. I would not expect the same reaction boiling a coyote or coon skull but having never tried them I cannot give a definitive answer on that.

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I've done a bunch using the pot method. Skin off as much flesh as possible. IF you want to do this indoors, use a pot that becomes dedicated to this hobby, and throw in some onions and garlic, seriously, it seems to help others ignore what you are doing "in the kitchen". A side burner on the BBQ, or a turkey fryer burner or hot plate outside or in the garage/shop is always a better idea however. Just do not allow the pot to boil, this is the key. Simmer, not boil. That way you avoid softening bone, and having everything fall apart.

I use a piece of wire with a hook or loop in the end chucked into a cordless drill to stir up and remove the cooked brain.
Change the water, and simmer again with dish soap and some borax. Couple times if really greasy.

Then I pull all the teeth, clean off the roots, soak them and the skull in low concentration peroxide (sold in grocery stores as chlorine free bleach, or ultra Active Oxygen Bleach), then dry and glue them in with white carpenters glue. The non chlorine bleach is slower than the hair dresser peroxide paste, but just takes more time and is easier on your hands, and you don't have to worry about getting it on antler bases.

Boil and bleach - bad
Simmer and peroxide - good
 
Willen said:
I've done a bunch using the pot method. Skin off as much flesh as possible. IF you want to do this indoors, use a pot that becomes dedicated to this hobby, and throw in some onions and garlic, seriously, it seems to help others ignore what you are doing "in the kitchen". A side burner on the BBQ, or a turkey fryer burner or hot plate outside or in the garage/shop is always a better idea however. Just do not allow the pot to boil, this is the key. Simmer, not boil. That way you avoid softening bone, and having everything fall apart.

I use a piece of wire with a hook or loop in the end chucked into a cordless drill to stir up and remove the cooked brain.
Change the water, and simmer again with dish soap and some borax. Couple times if really greasy.

Then I pull all the teeth, clean off the roots, soak them and the skull in low concentration peroxide (sold in grocery stores as chlorine free bleach, or ultra Active Oxygen Bleach), then dry and glue them in with white carpenters glue. The non chlorine bleach is slower than the hair dresser peroxide paste, but just takes more time and is easier on your hands, and you don't have to worry about getting it on antler bases.

Boil and bleach - bad
Simmer and peroxide - good
Click to expand...

This is good info... I do the same except, I scramble the brains before the first boil, makes complete removal much easier later and I use 30 Volume peroxide for the whitening after boiling... everything else is done the same as above.
 
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Thanks for the replies fellas. It is interesting to note that neither of you mentioned using a pressure washer after the simmer. Also, how long do you simmer in total? Lastly, how do you get all the teeth out and back in while maintaining proper positioning?
 
skin the scull and boil for 20-30 mins in water with plenty of oxyclean laundry soap. Tissue left will turn to jelly and can be power washed off but this should be done IMMEDIATELY after the first boil. Then paint on liquid paste 40 percent peroxide and let sit for 15 mins Boil again in fresh water for no more than 10 mins. Let air dry for a couple days and coat with a light coat of floor wax. Simple as that.
 
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