Red stag head prep advice

[gelert]

Like Baguio says, those persil tablet things work well to cut the grease. Good luck.

 

[Dave Lakes]

If you dont want to re-boil it you've removed enough flesh you could just re-fill the pot place the head in it and leave nature to do its job in a week or so, the hyper hydration of flesh and cartilage strips it all off with mild agitation simple as walking over giving it a twirl in the water every few days.

Its how I do all my roe inside (water changed daily) since I HATE scraping, the benefit at the very end of the day I literally have a flesh free animal there's nothing on it every bone I can see and there's no cartilage or dried up flesh inside it.

My roe are usually a little cleaner than your red doing that, but if your doing it outside it hardly matters tbh.
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I like the sound of this method. Do you have to keep the antler out of the water to avoid discolouration like when boiling?

 

[RS99]

I like to take several other steps.
Remove the brain before boiling stops getting covered during washing.
Drill a hole with a 15-20mm forstner bit at the base of the skull. This allows the water an out that isn't back at your face and makes jetwashing easier. It also gives a good hole for hanging the skull on a wall.
Drill a 2mm hole at the top, I go behind the antler, this allows the brain cavity to fill with water properly.
Use a nail/wire with a 90° bend at the tip to scramble the brain. (I also use a stepped cone bit to drill the neck joint a bit big, it makes for easier washing on smaller deer)
Recently I have drilled the ear holes out with an 8/10mm bit, again it makes washing easier.
After all this, with bottom jaw attached, I tap the skull on the ground and the brain falls out.
This takes about 5 minutes.
Then boil for 30, or until the hair peels at the base of the antler with a knife. Then pressure wash.

I've done 18 this year so far like this and it works.

 

[Sol]

I like the sound of this method. Do you have to keep the antler out of the water to avoid discolouration like when boiling?

I do.

If you want to go full out for future animals, skin the head leave it raw and place it in a toat of water very very very far from the house It reeks like **** and it takes a few weeks but it does bring them up perfectly clean (eventually)
I'm not the type of person that's two faffed about having a trophy on my wall a day after it was shot, so I'm content enough with that method I wouldn't want to imagine dealing with the neck anchored cartilage on a red stag especially when with a bit of water and time It just falls off.

In the height of summer I wrap black bags and duct tape the antlers, they fade surprisingly quick in the elements.

@/Ironmatt has boiling and maceration I think?