Keeping a roe head for a few days before skinning

Wiltshire Lad

Well-Known Member
This morning I shot my first roe buck. I had intended to get a shoulder mount for my first buck, but to be honest his coat wasn't that great, I presume as he is transitioning from winter to summer coat, he also still has some velvet. So I have decided to boil the head instead. But I'm not going to get a chance to skin / cut / boil for a few days and I don't have enough freezer space to put the head in. I have read that in this case you should place the head in water until you can skin it. My question is, should it be fully immersed, or just up to the pedicles as with boiling?

This lad still had some velvet, but that's the problem with going out this early in the buck season. I have read that you can dye the antlers with potassium permanganate. What is the recommended procedure for this?
 
Just put the head in a bucket of water wont do any harm if you cover the antlers you'll need to boil the antlers to get the velvet of anyway
You mix the potassium crystals with water then paint onto the antler until you get the required color !
 
Just put the head in a bucket of water wont do any harm if you cover the antlers you'll need to boil the antlers to get the velvet of anyway
You mix the potassium crystals with water then paint onto the antler until you get the required color !
As above. The potassium can be appliied in a few coats till you get the shade your after.

i do it like the following link, but I don't bother with the last step of sealing with krypton.
Staining with Potassium Permanganate (How to w/pics)
 
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I am going to try to skin and boil the head today. I have decided to leave it as a full head for measuring purposes, so I won't be staining it yet. But as I am leaving it as a full head, how do I get the brains out before boiling?
 
But as I am leaving it as a full head, how do I get the brains out before boiling?

You don't, you essentially cook the brain, which is about 70% fat, and so melts to a degree. After that, with needle-nosed pliers (I use the ones I have for removing hooks from fish) you can pull out chunks through the hold at the base of the skull. Every so often you'll get a big bit and a scrap of fibrous membrane. But mostly, you're mashing it up into pieces, then flushing the bits out with hot water from the tap. At least that's what I did. Painstaking and not very pleasant work.
 
If you have a pressure washer it will make short work of the brain. Just make sure the dogs are with you at the time, as they love it too ;)

willie_gunn
 
If you have a pressure washer it will make short work of the brain. Just make sure the dogs are with you at the time, as they love it too ;)

willie_gunn


while using a pressure washer keep your mouth closed too, unless partial to cooked roe brain.:rofl:
 
If you have a pressure washer it will make short work of the brain. Just make sure the dogs are with you at the time, as they love it too ;)

[cough, splutter, choke, cough] thank you willie! Actually I chickened out of using the jet wash as I thought it might be too brutal, maybe on a buck that isn't my first. I have "furtled" most of the brains out. But I'm still having trouble removing some of the gristle around the atlas joint and lug holes. This sort of area:
roe_lat.jpg
Any tips?
 
I use a really small screwdriver for these bits, thats one of the disadvantages of not cutting the skull a cut skull is easier cleaned, but if you are going to have it measured best not cut, especially if you think it could be border line medal.
 
If you're going to bleach the skull then I wouldn't worry until after the bleaching process is complete. I often find the bleaching softens up any remaining flesh on the skull so that it simply scrapes off.

NOTE: Don't let the dogs eat the bleached flesh if you resort once again to the pressure washer.

willie_gunn
 
Thanks, I'll give that a go. It definately isn't gold, but it would be nice if it was something, as my first buck. Wet weight of full skull is 650grms (minus a bit of gristle), haven't tried to measure volume yet, but span in 19.5 and length 26. Is it worth perservering to get it measured or should I cut my losses and errr cut it? I'll post some pictures tomorrow once I have finished removing the last bits of gristle.
 
If you're going to bleach the skull then I wouldn't worry until after the bleaching process is complete. I often find the bleaching softens up any remaining flesh on the skull so that it simply scrapes off.

I am going to bleach it, so maybe I'll leave the last bits. I try and keep my dog on a strict diet, as springers easily put on weight and it isn't good for their joints, so I'll definately keep her away from the scraps.
 
Thanks, I'll give that a go. It definately isn't gold, but it would be nice if it was something, as my first buck. Wet weight of full skull is 650grms (minus a bit of gristle), haven't tried to measure volume yet, but span in 19.5 and length 26. Is it worth perservering to get it measured or should I cut my losses and errr cut it? I'll post some pictures tomorrow once I have finished removing the last bits of gristle.

OK can't guarantee you have a medal head but at 650 grms you have a fair chance allow about 10%for drying out though this is not exact and heads can vary a fair bit.

For an uncut head but without the bottom jaw, again this is no guarantee as factors other than weight are involved.

Possible medals

445 g bronze
500g silver
540g gold

good luck
 
You don't, you essentially cook the brain, which is about 70% fat, and so melts to a degree. After that, with needle-nosed pliers (I use the ones I have for removing hooks from fish) you can pull out chunks through the hold at the base of the skull. Every so often you'll get a big bit and a scrap of fibrous membrane. But mostly, you're mashing it up into pieces, then flushing the bits out with hot water from the tap. At least that's what I did. Painstaking and not very pleasant work.

not sure what anybody else does but my tip is use a flat blade screwdriver into the atlas joint up inside the scull and wiggle it around to scramble the brains once this is done use a wooden block and tap the base of the scull the mashed brains fall out.
this is done before boiling and easier to get out then after boiling you can use the pressure washer to get any remaining parts, this to me is far easier than boiling up the lot and struggling with the brain, the bigger the head Ie a red deer is easier still as its a bigger hole, atb wayne
 
Ok, I got most of the gristle off with a bit of jet washing, then let it dry. Wish I had let it dry out earlier as the last stubborn bits came off fairly easily. Here are a few pictures of the finished skull. I didn't go too extreme with the peroxide, as I didn't want the full Michael Jackson effect. I know I should have left it later until the velvet was all gone, and I will get "null points" for colour.
_MG_2422.jpg_MG_2423.jpg_MG_2426.jpg

Cheers.
 
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