I found a Bighorn Sheep Ram Skull in 2018!
This page tells the story beginning to end: from unearthing it, to displaying it in my house.
Finding the Ram:
On a sufferfest of a horn hunt, I noticed a small portion of a skull poking through the grass. On closer inspection, it proved to be a ram skull without its horn sheaths! I looked around but couldn't find them. As I was packing up, for some reason I kicked at a rotten piece of log that had strange fungus growing on it...and flipped over one of the sheaths! Then I spent more time on my hands and knees digging and clawing at the grass and mud. As a last resort, I took my trekking pole and began jabbing all around the area I thought the second sheath might be. I was about to give up when I heard a "tonk tonk tonk." And I pried the second from the mud! The skull was in impressively good condition, and though the sheaths were mainly intact, they were in rough shape and were rank from rotting in the mud. The end result is a skull that doesn't smell, and looks good enough my wife even liked it! There were a lot of products I could have used, and I think would have helped me maintain as natural a color as possible. But it would have taken more money, and even more hours that I already invested. I decided to use products I either had, or could pick up at the local hardware store instead of special ordering off the internet. The horns are darker than I'd have preferred, but once I started, I had to finish.
Original condition of the horn sheaths (I wrapped in electric tape to minimize splitting as they dried):
Cleaning the skull and restoring the horn sheaths:
First Wash
It was difficult finding the right amount of scrubbing pressure...too much vs too little to get the job done without scrubbing off too much of the horns:
Scent Killer:
Soaking in 90% rubbing alcohol to try and kill the horn rot stench. It was so bad I couldn't even keep them in my garage. I used 1/2 a dozen average sized bottles poured into garbage bags. Then I submerged the bags in a tub of water to displace space and cover up the horns. This way I didn't need two gallons worth:
Reconstruction
I was using Minwax Premium Wood Filler - this stuff is awesome but sets up faster than I expected! It takes stain OK, but sands really easily even though it is tough:
I was using Minwax Premium Wood Filler - this stuff is awesome but sets up faster than I expected! It takes stain OK, but sands really easily even though it is tough:
Final Touches
Staining, cutting the cores shorter, using a dremel to ream out the inside of the horns, and coating with Helmsmans Spar Urethane. I tried linseed oil mixed with turpentine, but the horns were too far gone to properly absorb and recolor. So I went to staining with some Minwax natural, and Minwax dark walnut - since that is what I had on hand. Some spots I used the stain straight, in some spots I thinned it with turpentine. The exterior of the horns was continuing to flake badly. To stop it, I coated them with spar urethane. Then I pinned each horn to the skull by drilling two small holes and tapping a big finishing nail into each one:
Staining, cutting the cores shorter, using a dremel to ream out the inside of the horns, and coating with Helmsmans Spar Urethane. I tried linseed oil mixed with turpentine, but the horns were too far gone to properly absorb and recolor. So I went to staining with some Minwax natural, and Minwax dark walnut - since that is what I had on hand. Some spots I used the stain straight, in some spots I thinned it with turpentine. The exterior of the horns was continuing to flake badly. To stop it, I coated them with spar urethane. Then I pinned each horn to the skull by drilling two small holes and tapping a big finishing nail into each one:
Conclusion
The end result is a skull that doesn't smell, and looks good enough my wife even liked it! I soaked the skull in hot soapy water for a couple hours, but I was too concerned that the age of the skull would catch up to me if I soaked it any longer. Then for a couple hours I submerged the skull in 20vol peroxide. As for the horn sheaths, there were a lot of products I could have used, and I think would have helped me maintain as natural a color as possible. But it would have taken more money, and even more hours that I already invested. I decided to use products I either had, or could pick up at the local hardware store instead of special ordering off the internet. The horns are darker than I'd have preferred, but once I started, I had to finish. The only easy change I would have made to the process was to use a lighter stain than the "dark walnut" I already had. Another route would have been to use very minimal wood filler. Instead of trying to reconstruct the broken off sections, I could have filled the ends of the horns just enough to cover the splintering. Then I could have stained the filler a little, and clear coated the whole horn without staining it, accepting the big cracks and color variations. Or instead of a clear coat, I could have soaked in paraloid resin or Minwax Wood Hardener. A big thanks to some folks on TAXIDERMY.NET who gave me some great advice that got me rolling in the right direction.
The end result is a skull that doesn't smell, and looks good enough my wife even liked it! I soaked the skull in hot soapy water for a couple hours, but I was too concerned that the age of the skull would catch up to me if I soaked it any longer. Then for a couple hours I submerged the skull in 20vol peroxide. As for the horn sheaths, there were a lot of products I could have used, and I think would have helped me maintain as natural a color as possible. But it would have taken more money, and even more hours that I already invested. I decided to use products I either had, or could pick up at the local hardware store instead of special ordering off the internet. The horns are darker than I'd have preferred, but once I started, I had to finish. The only easy change I would have made to the process was to use a lighter stain than the "dark walnut" I already had. Another route would have been to use very minimal wood filler. Instead of trying to reconstruct the broken off sections, I could have filled the ends of the horns just enough to cover the splintering. Then I could have stained the filler a little, and clear coated the whole horn without staining it, accepting the big cracks and color variations. Or instead of a clear coat, I could have soaked in paraloid resin or Minwax Wood Hardener. A big thanks to some folks on TAXIDERMY.NET who gave me some great advice that got me rolling in the right direction.
