Beretta28g Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Well went stalking the other day and was up well in time as id forgotten to change the alarm time from when the hour went forward :angry: Anyway i quickly made my way to the high seat and shortly afterwards this nice little buck put in a appearance. The bullet did some serious damage, smashing the neck and both sides of the ribs before leaving through the front leg. He is the first one i have had that has got any decent head gear, but he is not brilliant. Now just waiting on the head to be eaten by maggots then he will be skull mounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampire Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 That looks like its a good head mate,welldone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.philmypower. Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Well done pal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 (edited) Nice buck and well done. But I would not reccomend the maggot treatment, the skull often gets a stain to it and never loses its odour. Put the head in a bucket of cold salty water for 24 hours then skin it off. You can then cut the head in the raw if you wish, or wait until it is boiled out (or don't it at all if you want a full skull - best on muntjac and CWD or Roe if you are going to get it measured). If you are going to leave it full skull then I would advise you to get the brain out best you can, I use some strong wire to scramble it up and a hose pipe to wash it out the cavity, keep scrambling and flushing until nothing else comes out. Then boil the head for maybe 20 - 30 minutes, try not to overcook it, maybe add a bit of soap powder first. I then get to work with a reasonably sharp knife and a pair of long nosed pliers and strip the skull of the flesh and other tissues. I find a pan scrub usefull for getting rid of the stubborn membranes etc. It is by no way a pleasant job but IMO it is the only real way to get a presentable trophy. Some folk used a pressure washer to blast off the 'cooked' flesh from the bone. I then use a Peroxide paste (I thinks its 20%) on the skull for about 12 hours, keep it away from the antler though, which I then wash off with lots of water, this bleaches the bone nicely and really does make the trophty look its best. Edited April 3, 2012 by scolopax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted April 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 What i have done before is boil then for a few hours then pressure wash then bleach. However at present i dont have facilities for boiling and id be VERY popular if i used the kitchen stove. What i intend to do id a head mount minus the bottom jaw as he has nice Canines worthy of a CWD. What i have done before is to maggot them for 2-3 weeks then pressure wash. Then leave in a bucket of lemon floor cleaner for a week or so. Then 24-48 hours in neat bleach and then a rinse. Hey presto! Hopefully it will look nice in the sitting room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear68 Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Well done. What ammunition were you using? I shot a roe buck earlier this week with my 6.5x55 and Norma 120gn ballistic tips; dropped him on the spot, but the exit wound was massive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redgum Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Well done. What ammunition were you using? I shot a roe buck earlier this week with my 6.5x55 and Norma 120gn ballistic tips; dropped him on the spot, but the exit wound was massive. Maybe something to do with being ballistic tip, you tried soft points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear68 Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Maybe something to do with being ballistic tip, you tried soft points. Used to use Federal Powershock 140 gn soft points, but couldn't get any for a while so bought the Norma's instead. Very accurate, but will be going back to SP's just to save on meat damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted April 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Through my 6.5x55 i use Hornady Interlock 140g SP. I have also got a few Norma 156g SP these are a brilliant round very accurate, and will drop big deer too! the only thing is they cost £35 a box compared to £24-50 for Hornadys Ballistic tips are a bad idea on deer unless you are going to be taking head shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear68 Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 My local gunshop has got some Hornady's in stock, so will give them a try. They also had some Sako 156 gn, so might pick up a box of them as well, and see which the rifle prefers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted April 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Hornady are a good bullet and my rifles staple diet. You can also get them as bullets rather than cartridges for handloading purposes. Also Hornady brass is reasonable for reloading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 I shot a Red prickett with a Sako 156 grn. Never seen so little meat damage, entry was difficult to find, brusiing about the size of a 10p around a 6.5mm hole. Exit was maybe 30mmm across but the brusing was about the size of side plate. Very acceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redgum Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Used to use Federal Powershock 140 gn soft points, but couldn't get any for a while so bought the Norma's instead. Very accurate, but will be going back to SP's just to save on meat damage. Thats one of the benefits of reloading, for not a massive sum you can stock up on two or three hundred bullet heads that your rifle likes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear68 Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 I've been saving my norma brass, and bought some s/h dies and a reloading manual...just got to get the rest of the stuff now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.