hunterjoe21 wrote:

I don't usually care about scores, but am curious on this one.

I picked him up with cape from the processors yesterday when I dropped my cow elk off. I took him over to a buddy and we did an unofficial score. By the pictures he guessed 158. I couldn't believe how close he was. The rack was very uniform with 1/2 the measurements matching side to side.

158 2/8 with no deductions

cow elk????? what cow elf???? where are the photos and autopsie results with projectile preformance????
do you score using the Douglas score method??? or SCI????

www.nzhuntinginfo.com/...html#form2

Boon & Crockett

The elk is another story I plan to share. A very interesting hunt and learning experience.

slimjim wrote:

hunterjoe21 wrote: I don't usually care about scores, but am curious on this one. I picked him up with cape from the processors yesterday when I dropped my cow elk off. I took him over to a buddy and we did an unofficial score. By the pictures he guessed 158. I couldn't believe how close he was. The rack was very uniform with 1/2 the measurements matching side to side. 158 2/8 with no deductions

I would have guessed more than 158 2/8. Probably due to the smaller body size.
Please don't take that as a criticism. I'd take 158 any day and call my buck of a lifetime!

Wonderful deer! I like a story with a happy ending. All the best...
Gil

I finally got a chance to go through my trail cam pictures. I looks like the rut started Sunday night, 4 November. This guy went past my trail cam at least 3 times that week along with several other bucks. I shot him 11 days later on the morning of Wednesday, 14 November. That is a long time to be on the run. I wonder how much weight he lost in that week and a half.

Beautiful buck Slim!

Thanks, Azar. I can't wait to get my European Skull back!

lets hope he had 11 nights of hard out.......shall we say???romance??? to pass on the great genetics.

slimjim wrote:

Thanks, Azar. I can't wait to get my European Skull back!

You don't make it yourself? It's not so difficult. You need a bigger cooker for deer than for a roebuck and maybe you have to paint it with hydrogenperoxide instead of putting it in a container, but it cannot be that difficult.
I use an old electric thing that was used for French-fry. I don't use oil but fill it with water so that the skull (with skin removed!) is covered. I forgot to mention that on the bottom I've put a small piece of stainless sieve so that the skull doesn't touch the bottom. Adjust the thermostat so that the water is just cooking. Cook for about 45 minutes (according the age of the buck). The jaw-bone only about 30 minutes.
Afterwards you remove all flesh, brains, ... with the high-pressure-cleaner. Give enough pressure to cut the flesh but not the bones and pay attention not to loose the teeth.
Than you immerse it in the H²0² (NOT THE ANTLERS!!!) and let it dry.
Don't burn the skin on your fingers with the chemical! The use of gloves and safety-glasses are a clever idea...

I myself always prepare the complete skull, jaw-bone included (the teeth are the indication of the age of a roebuck). Others cut the skull so that's easier to mount.

You see, it's easier to do than to explain. Just 2 warnings: don't overdo the cooking as to much means loosing teeth or small pieces of the skull. (Not enough cooking only means harder work and more time needed to remove the flesh). And second: don't use the high-pressure-cleaner on this while wearing your best clothes as the brains on high pressure will jump out to get you.

And SJ, remember: you're never to old to learn + saying you cannot do this job often means that you just don't want to do it...

Aloys, you make me laugh. Yes I could do all that. But why would I do that myself and risk messing up a trophy when I can have a professional outfit do the work. They uses bugs to clean the inside of the skull so their is no weakening of the skull with cooking or high pressure waskers. They do beautiful work for around $150. Much better than any other skulls I've seen done, pro or rookie. Check them out. They are "local" if you are a Texan so I just drive them the skulls there but they work by mail also.

www.skullsunlimited.com/


BTW, I'm learning to do your technique to remove tusks from boar jaws.

Elvis wrote:

lets hope he had 11 nights of hard out.......shall we say???romance??? to pass on the great genetics.

I'm with you Elvis! I kept the lower jaw and will have a biologist age him. It will be interesting to see how long he has survived in the area and be on the lookout for his off-spring.

I'll post some pictures when I get the skulls back. I have this year's pronghorn with them also.

there's a guy in Havre, MT that does the "bug" thing. They come out very nice. I had never heard of it until I moved West.

My Dad was doing something similar about 70 years ago with massive fish they caught. After filletting he would put the remainder on a big ant's nest and leave it for a week....nice clean skeleton was all that was left.