Getting the horns off a goat!

[stalker.308]

Ok so I have a goat that I have skinned and boiled to get the meat off the head, but I am struggling to get the damn horns off so I can clean inside them. Everyone says 'boil the head and the horns will just pull off!' Well they are not! I have tried to put them in a vice and twist but still they aren't coming off. Its the most infuriating trophy prep I have ever done and because I cannot really complete the skull by boiling in peroxide until the horns are off the skull is looking a little yellow. Help!!

 

[Lakey]

You need to take a thin blade and work it around and under the base of each horn to break the seal, then work each horn loose. Sometimes a tap with a mallet works, other times a couple of days wrapped in a poly bag works (allowing the skull to sweat a bit ) They will eventually come loose, then re-boil the skull in a deep pan covering both the skull and the horn cores. Wash the horns well, then dry. Once thoroughly dry, put back onto the now cleaned and bleached skull.

Lakey

 

[sws]

When I've shot other horned animals I've put the horns into boiling water for several hours ( a friend reckons one of his ibex took 48 hrs) and they will come loose. You shouldn't be able to over boil this bit, so don't worry if it's taking a while.

 

[375 mag]

Well thanks lads i never even new you had to do this with Goats horns !! Thanks

 

[steve109]

simmer for a few hours then seal them in a bin liner and sweat, can take upto 3/4 weeks

 

[Paul 600]

Give them a good boil in deep water for a few hours! They should come of with a little persuasion!

 

[stalker.308]

How do you clean the inside of the horns?

Ok, horns off, my pots just arent big enough to boil the horns so I put the skull and horns in cold water out in the shed and let them soak. After 6 days horn 1 came off with a little twisting every day. On day 10 horn number 2 came off with the same sort of twisting. I then cut the cores down and boiled the whole skull in peroxide and now its lovely and white!

My next question is, how do you clean the insides of the horns? Obviously putting bleach inside them would get rid of the colour and boiling them is not an option. Peroxide would bleach the colour so what do you do?

 

[Lakey]

Ok, horns off, my pots just arent big enough to boil the horns so I put the skull and horns in cold water out in the shed and let them soak. After 6 days horn 1 came off with a little twisting every day. On day 10 horn number 2 came off with the same sort of twisting. I then cut the cores down and boiled the whole skull in peroxide and now its lovely and white!

My next question is, how do you clean the insides of the horns? Obviously putting bleach inside them would get rid of the colour and boiling them is not an option. Peroxide would bleach the colour so what do you do?

Blast them off inside with a pressure washer. I wind them up in an old worlmate and pop the jet of water inside, them wrinse them out INSIDE ONLY with a weak solution of bleach, then leave in nice airey place to dry, if you get a bit of mould forming around the bases wipe off as it formes.

 

[stalker.308]

if you get a bit of mould forming around the bases wipe off as it formes.

You let them dry off the skull? Or on the skull? Presumably off so they get a chance to dry completely. My only worry is if they shrink off the skull they may not go on properly.....

 

[sws]

They shrink if you leave them on the skull as the core will dry out. If you leave them off they don't shrink.
Well thats the case with the horned animals i've shot.

 

[stalker.308]

Ok so just to finish this report! I boiled the skull with horns on, but only had the first few inches of horn in the water. I got the flesh off and meat but with no peroxide in the water so as not to harm the horns. I tried to put the horns in a vice and twist them off but they would not budge. I then put the horns in a plasterers of bath of water and after 6 days the first horn started twisting a little and eventually came off. After 10 days the 2nd one came off after a lot of twisting. I then chopped the boney core beneath down just leaving 3 inches on each side. I peroxided the skull. Now the skull was clean I only had the horns to sort out and they stank inside. I read a bit on the net and found something about putting alcohol inside them and someone recommended listerine! SO I filled each horn in listerine and left to stand for 1/2 hr. Emptied and left to dry off the skull. The listerine dried them so quickly and left them with a lovely minty smell. I then mounted the skull on a shield (made by MJM on the site) and just put the horns over the cores. No need to glue them on as gravity will keep them on. Really really pleased with the results. Such an easy method and not boiling them means there is little chance of them getting damaged. They only soaked in cold water and the temperature was quite cold but it worked. Goes to show a little patience pays dividends! Attached is a pic of the finished result!

 

[1st Pattern Paul]

Very nice. I have one booked up for next year in Scotland. Can't wait, they make great trophys don't they.

Paul

 

[photopro]

A very nice job.
When I was at school some of us went on a field trip and half a dozen visited an Abottoir - unfortunately I wasn't one of them - anyway they brought back cow horns which the teacher proceeded to boil up to remove the marrow, this he did in the dormatory !! WHAT A STINK so your Listerine idea really struck a chord !!

 

[stalker.308]

They do make a smart looking trophy. Am really pleased how it ended up. I was a bit worried when the skull went yellow because of no peroxide on the first two boils but when the horns were off and the cores cut down, 9% peroxide in the water, with the lid of the pan 'on' sorted it out in an instant! The listerine just seemed to dry everything out inside the horns amazingly. It was the sort of stuf inside that would never come out. I was toying with the idea of oiling the outside of the horns but decided against as any oil would just gather more dust and make cleaning harder as it would attract grime. I am more keen on the natural look on any mount, having horns or antlers looking the same as the day you shot it.