The doe caught me before I ever saw the buck.
She stepped into the opening, feeding casually until she locked eyes with the odd shape sitting motionless on the forest floor. I refused to look back. I didn’t blink. I barely breathed. For what felt like an eternity, we stared each other down. Finally, she relaxed.
That’s when I caught movement in my peripheral vision. Another deer was following her, and as he stepped into the morning sunlight, his antlers gave him away.
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Everything happened exactly the way every hunter hopes it will. The doe resumed walking. I slowly raised my rifle. The buck stopped broadside for just a moment, exposing his shoulder. One well-placed shot from my .30-06 ended the hunt instantly.
Every clean harvest is satisfying, but this buck meant more than most. I had ventured into unfamiliar woods on a whim, relied on old-fashioned woodsmanship instead of gadgets, and won a close-range standoff with one of the wariest animals in the forest simply by remembering one timeless lesson: don’t move.
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The buck wasn’t destined for a shoulder mount. One antler was noticeably misshapen, making him less than ideal for traditional taxidermy. But after my four-year-old grandson helped me recover him, I knew I wanted to preserve the memory somehow.
Instead of paying a taxidermist, I decided to try making my own European mount. Thanks to a little encouragement from a friend, a few YouTube tutorials, and less than one hundred bucks worth of supplies, I discovered the process was far more approachable than I ever imagined.
The Supplies
Most professionals charge anywhere between $150 to $300 for a European mount of a whitetail. You can beat that easily by doing it yourself. Here is my supply list, most ordered from Amazon.
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That all totaled up to around seventy dollars. Of course if you want, it is easy to make your own presentation plaque. It looks especially nice if you have aged barnwood laying around.
I already had some items on hand such as the super glue, paint brush and hydrogen peroxide – along with large boiling pot and power washer. I also already had an Outdoor Edge RazorLite Folding Knife w/replaceable blades. Add another $27 if you need one of those.
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The DIY Process
I am going to summarize the process. You can find multiple videos on YouTube that provide step-by-step instructions. I used a 4-part series of videos from K&C Taxidermy.
Skinning
The first and probably most difficult step is skinning the skull and removing every possible bit of muscle and cartilage possible. I started skinning at the lips, working from the bottom of the skull to the top, removing the entire nose and cartilage. I removed the lower jaw as most European mounts don’t use or display the lower jaw, Once the skin is off, you must remove the entire neck and muscle. I suggest watching a video to see the easiest way to do that. Of course remove the eyeballs and trim as much cartilage and fat off the skull as possible. The more work you do now means less work down the road. I estimate it took me three to four hours to do all this. Remember, this was my first time. With experience the process will go much faster.
Boiling
You need a pot large enough for the skull to fit into. I already had a large aluminum pot and outdoor propane fish fryer. I filled the pot with water and added about one cup of Borax. I simply put the cleaned skull into the pot, fired up the fryer and waited for the water to come to a boil. IMPORTANT: As soon as the water comes to a boil, turn off the flame. Don’t over-boil or it softens bones and can cause separation of skull sections. But let the skull sit in the hot water for an hour or two.
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Power Wash and Soak
Take the skull out and power wash it. After boiling in Borax the remaining muscle and cartilage you couldn’t get off while skinning comes off surprisingly easily during power washing.
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After power washing, put it in a tub with water with a cup of hydrogen peroxide mixed in to soak overnight. Use just enough water to cover the skull. Don’t let too much get up on the antlers or it might bleach them. Let it soak overnight.
Paste
Using the Clairol Basic White Powder and 30 Volume Creme Developer, mix up a thick paste. Don’t make it too thin. It needs to be thick enough to adhere and not run off the skull. Very soon after removing the skull from the hydrogen peroxide soak, even while it’s still wet, use the paint brush to coat the skull with the paste – again being careful to avoid the actual antlers. Tap it on, don’t brush, so it goes on thick.
Again, let the skull sit overnight and then simply rinse off the dried paste with a garden hose or in a sink.
Admire
VOILA! You have completed your first ever European mount. Of course there is a wide variety of presentation plaques available, or you can easily make your own if you wish.
I’ve got a lot animals and fowl mounted and hanging on my wall. But this one feels extra special because I did it myself. I hope that someday my grandson will be able to point to it and say, “I helped Pops drag that buck out of the woods.”
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