Roe Trophy Preperation - First Attempt

charlieg43

Well-Known Member
Roe Trophy Front.JPGRoe Trophy Side.JPGRoe Trophy Rear.JPGRoe Trophy Close Up.JPG

Good Afternoon Chaps!

Just thought I'd put up some pictures of my first roe buck, and the first go I have had at solo trophy preparation. Having done a few before with fellow stalkers and guides, I thought I would have a stab at it! The whole head has probably been in the freezer for around 10 months, so I was keen to do it before it was thrown out by "management".

Head was skinned and took off as much meat and crud as I could before boiling for around 40 minutes. I then removed the head and worked away at the remaining gunk.

Unfortunately, I could not do the whole lot in one hit, so when I went out for the afternoon, I left the head in water before returning to it later. When I eventually got back around to it, the gristle and cartilage had toughened somewhat, so I re-boiled for around 40-50 minutes, which only had a moderate effect.

I'm not sure how clear the photos are, but you should be able to see that although I cleared most of the nose, eye-sockets, cheek parts and cranium, there is still a little rubbish left on the rear underside of the trophy.

By the look of it he was an old boy, and I am rather pleased with the result (for a first solo attempt!). I am also contemplating having the lower jaw send away for aging, and not sure whether or not to cut it or leave it whole (I like the look of the whole head in all honesty!). Not sure of the weight, or whether he would make a medal though. The coronets are fairly large and joined at the bottom, pretty coloration of the antlers and it has a fair weight to it.

Just as a final question, are older bucks a little tougher to prepare and clean? Or is it all in the method and just a case of trial and error?

On reflection, ideally I would have boiled the head for far longer and done it all in one hit but there you go! Still happy none the less :D

Charles
 
Hi Charles

Decent enough first attempt I think. Older ones do tend to be a bit tougher but just needs a bit more boiling to soften. Would try and scrub the remainder of the grisly bits off and make sure that the nose cavity is fairly 'soft stuff' free. Find a solid fillet knife or screwdriver works well for this. Once it dries out a bit there won't be any smell of the remaining bits anyway. Now that you have done the full head I would leave as is. Always find it easier to make the cut before boiling. Saves time cleaning out the insides if you open it up with the saw - especially the brain cavity. Lots of people use a pressure washer to good effect on this but I am yet to try it. If you ever thought of getting it measured DON'T DO ANY CUTTING before it is measured.

Not sure if it will make a medal. Better estimate would be if you could weigh it and give length and span of antlers and let us know that. It doesnt look very thick or tall but could be really dense. Never know without the facts.

This Link http://basc.org.uk/deer-management/trophy-measuring/ gives a good rough guide to weights and other info to qualify for a medal. You could do a quick check that way. Needs 90 days to dry out mind so whatever the weight take 10-15% off for a rough dry weight.

Well done on the first solo head though. Always a bit daunting as you think you might ruin it but you have done pretty well. Looks like the peroxide was still on it though from the second photo. Depending on the strength don't leave this on too long or it might eat through the head!

Chris
 
Thanks for that Chris, nose cavity is pretty free of rubbish now and I've been picking bits off it as and when I can. Yea I decided to leave it full skull just in case I fancied it being measured (plus there are some really bad jobs made of cutting it so thought I'd play it safe).

Weight wise its around 600 grams now (coronets seems to carry some weight) so not too sure. Span not great but length around 20cm.

Would have loved to use a pressure washer but an airline seemed to blast the brain out fairly well. Peroxide is all off and now just trying to find a place to put it around the house!
 
Good effort for the first time! You will save yourself a lot of time if you use a pressure washer to clean it after boiling in the future. Just be careful of blasting off the nasel bones and cleaning off the colour on the actual antlers.
 
Well done Charles, great job. I had my first attempt on a Fallow a few months back and so can wholly appreciate the challenge. It looks like you've made a fine job of it and lovely antlers to boot, should display very well.
 
Thanks for the replies chaps, it has since found a nice place in the house! Powerwasher was out of action, but I will most definitely be using it next time!
 
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