Boil or Beetles?

[shamoose12]

Hey guys, wanted to start a discussion on the pros and cons of Boiling the head VRS Beetles.

[Smoky buck]

Beetles is better in my opinion because if you boil at too high of a heat it can weaken the skull

[shamoose12]

Awesome, that being said. Does anyone have a good beetle guy in the cold lake/ bonnyville area?

[JonC]

Beetles no question. Will get all the meat out without having to break any of the fragile bones like the nasal. I used to do euros myself by simmer method. Now I just pay someone who uses beetles.

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[bonedogg]

After the beetle process, don't they still need to boil /simmer it to degrease them? I know it's not nearly as long, but it still gets boiled a bit. The nasal bones and other details noted above do normally work out better when using beetles.

[sns2]

Does anyone know who does the beetle method in Edmonton area?

[C&C Outdoors]

Originally Posted by sns2

Does anyone know who does the beetle method in Edmonton area?

I took an elk to a place called twilight custom skulls a few yrs back, not quite the edm area but not too far either located near ponoka. He does the beetle method and does good work. Website: twilightskulls.com

[nohlan_4]

Originally Posted by shamoose12

Awesome, that being said. Does anyone have a good beetle guy in the cold lake/ bonnyville area?

I do yup Grahams Bare Bones, they have been a little slow this past year but they are decent price and do a good job.

[dshaw]

simmer, not boil. Beetles it is so hard to remove the stink afterwards from the beetle cage. I have a couple euros that were done with beetles years ago and they still stink. plus there is greater chance of fat leaking into the bone with beetles. Simmering is quicker as well and you still have to simmer to whiten the skull if you wish so mine as well simmer before to clean it up.

[Battle Rat]

Maserate if you don't have close neighbors.
If you do have close neighbors, maserate for a s long as you can.
After that simmer, don't boil.

[huntinstuff]

Agreed with above

Simmer, not boil. Let cool a bit so you can use your hands and peel away tissue. Takes a bit but thats how it is.

"Bleaching" isnt bleach, its peroxide.

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

Agreed with above

Simmer, not boil. Let cool a bit so you can use your hands and peel away tissue. Takes a bit but thats how it is.

"Bleaching" isnt bleach, its peroxide.

Ya, good point about the peroxide.
Chlorine bleach attacks bone where peroxide does not.
I bought 5 gallons for $50 of 35% years ago and am just about out.
I think now it might be a controlled product now because of is oxidizing nature for bomb making.

[Albertajeff]

Jason at Alberta Taxidermy in New Serepta has Beatles. Just south east of Edmonton. They did a great job with all my skills/mounts I’ve got done.

[DeadEyeGardner]

I think there’s a good argument for both methods. Going to depend on money first of all, and what trophy are you looking to have done.

Simmer and pressure wash method has been good to me and all the heads Ive worked on. Ive also not harvested or worked on anything that would IMO justify the additional costs and wait times of beetling.

We’ve done many mounts by simmering and bleaching afterwards, the nasal bones are not at all missed or noticed to be a big missing part of any of the trophies. Lol.

If a record book animal was taken, sure I could see the justification of spending more time and money. MOST trophies are preserved and look just fine with the cheaper summer method IMO.

[Dewey Cox]

What's it cost to get set up with beetles?

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

What's it cost to get set up with beetles?

A heated building separate from the house to control the odour.
You will need to keep feeding the colony between skulls too.

[Dewey Cox]

What do the bugs cost?

[DeadEyeGardner]

Not sure what they cost, Ive never been set up to start a colony.

Some interesting info here tho…

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=26610

[JonC]

Originally Posted by bonedogg

After the beetle process, don't they still need to boil /simmer it to degrease them? I know it's not nearly as long, but it still gets boiled a bit. The nasal bones and other details noted above do normally work out better when using beetles.

You don't have to simmer to degrease. Just soak warm/hot water with dawn dish soap. I'm not sure what temperature the guy who did mine had it at but takes a bit of time.

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[Vacation]

Just did mine. Simmer method, power spray, pick flesh, simmer a bit more but add some dawn dish soap to the water, power spray, pick cartridge, put paper towel all over skull and in the holes, soak paper towel in 3% peroxide, wrap with Saran, bag it, tape as needed, leave for a week. Want it whiter, leave longer. Done and done. Best plus is it costs very little, done at home, and turns out fine.

[JonC]

Originally Posted by dshaw

simmer, not boil. Beetles it is so hard to remove the stink afterwards from the beetle cage. I have a couple euros that were done with beetles years ago and they still stink. plus there is greater chance of fat leaking into the bone with beetles. Simmering is quicker as well and you still have to simmer to whiten the skull if you wish so mine as well simmer before to clean it up.

Strange. I've had 2 animals done with beetles. My deer didn't smell at all when I got it back. My moose on the other hand did so I ran the hose through it and a bunch more dead beetles flushed out. After that, the skull stunk for a couple months before finally going away.

Maybe yours still has beetles in it although I think they would just dry up over time and be a non issue. Taxidermist maybe pulled the skull out too early and what you're smelling is rotting meat? Just a thought.

No issue with fat/grease in the bone if you degrease properly.

You also don't have to simmer to whiten the skull although heating up the peroxide I heard speeds things up.

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[Buckshot82]

Had my whitetail 2 season ago done by coulee creek taxidermy near Viking and could not have been happier. Took a couple months due to me dropping it off late at the end of the season but I would never go back to the pain of boiling again. Came with a nice plaque to mount it on that can be reversed for setting in a table.

[Buckshot82]

If I’m correct I payed around 400$ all said and done including the mount. That could be + or - 100$ I don’t entirely remember being 2 years ago
Edit: looked back in my emails and found it was 250$ with the plaque

[JonC]

I agree Buckshot82. I won't go back to simmer. I did 4 myself. I could never get ALL the meat out. Not a lot of left over meat. It didn't rot. It dried out but it bothers me. I tried the pressure washer method too. Maybe im doing something wrong. Also, if you whiten without degreasing, the grease will show through in time. Learned that the hard way.

I paid $125 last year for my beetled deer and $300 or $350 for my moose in 2019. Beetled, degreased and whitened. At those prices, I'll never do them myself again.

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[leeelmer]

Simmer, then pressure wash, then repeat
I have always done this, the pressure washer works amazing at getting the goo out from all the different cavities.
Not 10000psi mind you, I put it in the top of a cut off pail, and it holds it there, and I can pressure wash most of the goo out, then put it back on the bbq burner in a big pot to simmer some more

[calgarychef]

If you use sofa ash while simmering the meat falls right off, make sure to skim the fat off the top of the water so it doesn’t soak into the top,of the skull that’s sitting just below the water surface. Change the water a couple times while simmering. Then use peroxide overnight, wrap,the skull,in plastic to keep the peroxide wet. Next day unwrap, wash in running water and let it dry.
A few days later Hit it with satin krylon to repel dust. It’ll last forever and it’s cheeeep to do.

[Rvsask]

Originally Posted by Battle Rat

Maserate if you don't have close neighbors.
If you do have close neighbors, maserate for a s long as you can.
After that simmer, don't boil.

Truth, maceration is best. Then again I live in the country but even that ain’t great as I’ve lost the odd nose to bears. Lol

Beetles are likely best, but I prefer free.

[eric2381]

I’ve always boiled mine. Once, I forgot a bear skull in a garbage bag I brought it home from NWT in. Maggots cleaned that skull off pretty much and it stunk.

[MountainTi]

Simmer it. Add Dawn and borax to the water. Simmer for 3ish hours and pull out. Pressure wash with a rotary tip for a good cleanup. Throw back in pot and simmer once again. Repeat with pressure washer.

Personally I think whitened skulls don't look good at all, just plain tacky and pretty unnatural. I leave them how they look after final cleanup.

ps. don't forget to rip up the cranial cavity before simmering in water. I just bend the end of a welding rod and attach it to a drill. Stuff it in a let it rip

[M70]

AC37D90C-D94E-4708-AFAE-46E9DB49DF9F.jpg

I was hoping to wait to do this until the spring so I could pressure wash it at home but needed the freezer space. I’ve used Borax before but the barn cats like to eat the scrapings so I tried adding a little baking soda to the pot. It seems to work alright.

I actually don’t mind if the skull doesn’t have the bright white colour either.