Re: First Skull Mount Buck !!
Don't use bleach. It degrades the integrity of the bone. Sure, it will make it look ok...but eventually, the bone will become brittle and flake.
A better way is to send it to, or find someone that can run a beetle colony on it. You can do it yourself, but it's kinda smelly.
What I feel really makes them look nice and rustic...is to just bury it in the ground. If the ground is not frozen, 3-4 weeks and it will be completely cleaned off. If there is a small amt of "stuff" left, soak it in water and bury it again for another week or so. I run a garden hose over the spot its buried about once a week to assist in maceration.
It will end up with a pale brown, or dirty tan depending on the mineral content of your soil and as long as your antlers are under ground too, they wont fade or bleach in the sun.
When it's all said and done...blast it off with a pressure washer at the car wash...and soak it in a bucket of simple green, or rubbing alcohol to kill anything that might bring a smell. Rinse, dry and repeat if needed.
Here are two I did this summer, the cow took about 3 weeks in early summer, the deer took about 4 in late July.
Not to hijack your thread cause you got a beautiful deer there...but here is what I do with them when all the time under ground is done.
This I did for my dad for Fathers Day.
This one I did for a guy in Texas.
