what do you do with your bear skulls?

tahunua001 · June 30, 2013, 09:01 PM

hello all.
as many of you know I got my first black bear this spring and I just got around to boiling it today. it's mostly done now I just have it sitting out so that bugs can do any remaining cleanup.

however now I find myself unable to decide what to do with it.

first of all all of the molars came loose during boiling, I would like them all to remain with the skull, what's the best way to re-attach them? super glue?

also, I'm not sure if I want to bleach it or have it camo dipped, there is a local business that I've seen has done a couple deer mounts and looked pretty neat so I'm kindof considering that even though it's just a little bit tacky.

so my question is what do y'all do with your bear skulls and is there any way to incorporate the lower jaw with any of it?

David13 · June 30, 2013, 10:05 PM

Well, I never got a bear myself, so I can't say past tense.
But if I ever do, which I probably won't and, if I didn't know what to do with the skull, I would probably send it down to that Skull Bound lady down in Florida.
To see what she could do with it.
I searched for some photos of what she has done with bear skulls, and I see a number of photos of her with bears, but not with any skulls.
dc

tahunua001 · June 30, 2013, 11:09 PM

her price tag may be a little out of my budget.
something like this might be neat but not sure how plausible it would be to have done.

Rifleman1776 · July 2, 2013, 09:12 AM

I've never killled a bear but hope to.
I'll go with bleached.

ChasingWhitetail91 · July 2, 2013, 09:30 AM

First i'd hang it in a tree to let the bugs clean it, I learned that the hardway with my first buck's skull.

tahunua001 · July 2, 2013, 10:31 AM

I have set my bear skull inside a live trap designed for squirrels and cats...

the dogs and cats(and hopefully mice can't get to it but the bugs can.

I learned that lesson when my older brother put his very nice antelope skull on a fence post to be cleaned and his labrador cleaned it for him...

BigD_in_FL · July 2, 2013, 09:14 PM

Sell it to the Orientals who will pay a lot for it so they can grind it into some medicine.........

tahunua001 · July 2, 2013, 09:58 PM

that's the gall bladder and that's kindof a few thousand dollar fine if I'm caught.

BigD_in_FL · July 3, 2013, 10:04 PM

You'd be surprised what they buy and think will work for aphrodisiacs........

stevelyn · July 6, 2013, 04:59 AM

The tannery did mine. I think they sent it to a company that uses dermistad beetles to clean the flesh then it was bleached for a short period of time to kill any foul smells. I wanted to keep the skull natural.

Pahoo · July 6, 2013, 11:15 AM

Lots of stuff here, to address. I have never done a Bear skull but have done Raccoon, Coyote and one Wolf. A fella I know, asked me to do a dog and I refused as I just can't see me doing this to someone's pet. ....

There are many bugs that will do the work for you and you can order them over the internet. I'm not familiar with dermistad beetles but instead, Scarab beetles. Find a nice shady spot in your back yard, dig about a 4" deep hole, lay the skull in the hole and cover with a tub or bucket. Let it sit and check occasionally.
I was waiting for you to mention the loose teeth. I use contact cement or rubber based cement to glue them back in. You really don't need epoxy.
On the lower Jaw, I position it in place mark the hinge location, drill a small hole in the upper and lower jaw, on both sides and string some heavy monofilament line into a loop and tie on the inside of the jaw. Man, I hope you can understand what I just wrote. ....

One Halloween I mounted a large Raccoon skull one the end or a stick and rigged a piece of monofilament line to the lower jaw. My Gunny Grandson went out and would make the skull talk. "Some" folks got a kick out of that..

Have Fun and;
Be Safe !!!

nickE10mm · July 7, 2013, 08:51 PM

I eat them

Pahoo · July 8, 2013, 12:01 PM

One observation on a hunt, in Alabama, was what Fire-Ants can do to a skull. We were on a deer hunting trip, on private land and the landowner's wife, asked that we shoot some squirrels for her. Of course we complied with her request. Field dressed the squirrels and skinned out the heads which we don't normally do. Left the carcass and heads close to a Fire-Ant mound and in about three days, they pretty well got cleaned out. The skull actually got real white. As stated before, we either boil them or let the bugs get to them. We have never tried both, at the same time. ....

Be Safe!!!

June 30, 2013, 09:01 PM	#1
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	what do you do with your bear skulls? hello all. as many of you know I got my first black bear this spring and I just got around to boiling it today. it's mostly done now I just have it sitting out so that bugs can do any remaining cleanup. however now I find myself unable to decide what to do with it. first of all all of the molars came loose during boiling, I would like them all to remain with the skull, what's the best way to re-attach them? super glue? also, I'm not sure if I want to bleach it or have it camo dipped, there is a local business that I've seen has done a couple deer mounts and looked pretty neat so I'm kindof considering that even though it's just a little bit tacky. so my question is what do y'all do with your bear skulls and is there any way to incorporate the lower jaw with any of it? __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

June 30, 2013, 11:09 PM	#3
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	her price tag may be a little out of my budget. something like this might be neat but not sure how plausible it would be to have done. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

July 2, 2013, 10:31 AM	#6
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	I have set my bear skull inside a live trap designed for squirrels and cats... the dogs and cats(and hopefully mice can't get to it but the bugs can. I learned that lesson when my older brother put his very nice antelope skull on a fence post to be cleaned and his labrador cleaned it for him... __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

July 2, 2013, 09:58 PM	#8
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	that's the gall bladder and that's kindof a few thousand dollar fine if I'm caught. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

July 6, 2013, 11:15 AM	#11
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Crazy things that we do !! Lots of stuff here, to address. I have never done a Bear skull but have done Raccoon, Coyote and one Wolf. A fella I know, asked me to do a dog and I refused as I just can't see me doing this to someone's pet. .... There are many bugs that will do the work for you and you can order them over the internet. I'm not familiar with dermistad beetles but instead, Scarab beetles. Find a nice shady spot in your back yard, dig about a 4" deep hole, lay the skull in the hole and cover with a tub or bucket. Let it sit and check occasionally. I was waiting for you to mention the loose teeth. I use contact cement or rubber based cement to glue them back in. You really don't need epoxy. On the lower Jaw, I position it in place mark the hinge location, drill a small hole in the upper and lower jaw, on both sides and string some heavy monofilament line into a loop and tie on the inside of the jaw. Man, I hope you can understand what I just wrote. .... One Halloween I mounted a large Raccoon skull one the end or a stick and rigged a piece of monofilament line to the lower jaw. My Gunny Grandson went out and would make the skull talk. "Some" folks got a kick out of that.. Have Fun and; Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

June 30, 2013, 10:05 PM	#2
David13 Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2012 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 243	Well, I never got a bear myself, so I can't say past tense. But if I ever do, which I probably won't and, if I didn't know what to do with the skull, I would probably send it down to that Skull Bound lady down in Florida. To see what she could do with it. I searched for some photos of what she has done with bear skulls, and I see a number of photos of her with bears, but not with any skulls. dc

July 2, 2013, 09:12 AM	#4
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	I've never killled a bear but hope to. I'll go with bleached.

July 2, 2013, 09:30 AM	#5
ChasingWhitetail91 Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 336	First i'd hang it in a tree to let the bugs clean it, I learned that the hardway with my first buck's skull.

July 2, 2013, 09:14 PM	#7
BigD_in_FL Junior member Join Date: December 20, 2012 Location: The "Gunshine State" Posts: 1,981	Sell it to the Orientals who will pay a lot for it so they can grind it into some medicine.........

July 3, 2013, 10:04 PM	#9
BigD_in_FL Junior member Join Date: December 20, 2012 Location: The "Gunshine State" Posts: 1,981	You'd be surprised what they buy and think will work for aphrodisiacs........

July 6, 2013, 04:59 AM	#10
stevelyn Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2004 Location: Fairbanksan in exile to Aleutian Hell Posts: 2,655	The tannery did mine. I think they sent it to a company that uses dermistad beetles to clean the flesh then it was bleached for a short period of time to kill any foul smells. I wanted to keep the skull natural.

July 7, 2013, 08:51 PM	#12
nickE10mm Member Join Date: October 9, 2004 Location: Missouri Posts: 91	I eat them

July 8, 2013, 12:01 PM	#13
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Fire-Ants will also work !! One observation on a hunt, in Alabama, was what Fire-Ants can do to a skull. We were on a deer hunting trip, on private land and the landowner's wife, asked that we shoot some squirrels for her. Of course we complied with her request. Field dressed the squirrels and skinned out the heads which we don't normally do. Left the carcass and heads close to a Fire-Ant mound and in about three days, they pretty well got cleaned out. The skull actually got real white. As stated before, we either boil them or let the bugs get to them. We have never tried both, at the same time. .... Be Safe!!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.