Roe deer trophy preparation – how to get your roebuck trophy ready for the wall

Once the buck is harvested, the hunt is over – but the work with the trophy has just begun. A roebuck trophy can last for generations and become a lasting memory of a special hunting day, but the result largely depends on how the skull is treated in the hours and days following the hunt.

Good trophy preparation is not just about getting the skull white. Skin, meat, fat, and brain tissue must be thoroughly removed, the skull must be heat-treated without being damaged, and the natural color of the antlers must be protected. Finally, you must decide whether the entire skull should be preserved or cut to size before the roebuck trophy is mounted on a trophy plaque.

Here you will find a detailed step-by-step guide to roe deer trophy preparation – from the fresh buck head to the finished roebuck trophy on the wall.

Why is correct trophy preparation important?

There are small roebuck trophies, large medal trophies, and everything in between, but the value of a hunting trophy cannot necessarily be judged by its size. The first buck, a special stalk, or a memorable hunting day can easily make a modest trophy one of the most cherished ones.

Therefore, it pays to treat every roebuck trophy properly.

However, the most important reason to be thorough is purely practical. If skin, fat, or tissue is left on and in the skull, the trophy can eventually become discolored and start to smell. Fat, in particular, can penetrate the bone. The result may only show itself long after the trophy has been hung, where the skull gradually turns yellowish, gray, or dark.

A beautiful buck trophy therefore begins with thorough cleaning – bleaching cannot replace proper cleaning.

Before you begin: Should the skull be cut or preserved whole?

It is worth making this decision early, even though the actual cutting is usually not done until later.

Traditionally, many Danish roebuck trophies are cut so that only the upper part of the skull is preserved. This gives the classic, compact roebuck trophy that is mounted on a smaller trophy plaque.

A whole skull gives a different and more distinct look and has also become popular as a trophy mounting option.

If the buck appears to be a medal trophy or needs to be measured, however, you should be careful with the saw. How the skull is cut can be important for a subsequent trophy measurement. Therefore, wait with the final cutting until you have clarified how that particular trophy should be presented and possibly measured.

Cutting too little is a problem that can be solved later. Cutting too much of the skull cannot be undone.

Step 1: Remove skin and as much meat as possible

The more work you do while the head is still fresh, the easier the rest of the trophy preparation will be.

Start by cutting the skin off the head with a sharp knife. Work carefully around the coronets to remove all the skin without damaging the antlers. Then remove as much meat, connective tissue, and other soft tissue as possible.

It doesn't have to be surgically clean yet. The primary purpose is to remove larger amounts of organic material so that it does not subsequently need to be boiled or steamed off.

This can be done conveniently while the animal is still hanging during butchering. The head is then fixed, which provides a better working basis than a loose head on a table.

What about the skin around the nose?

The muzzle consists of a number of relatively fragile bones. Therefore, it may be an advantage not to try to completely clean all the most difficult areas with a knife.

The remaining tissue will be much easier to remove after heating.

Step 2: Remove the lower jaw

The lower jaw can be removed by cutting muscles and tendons free and working the jaw backward until it can be detached.

Whether you want to keep it is a matter of taste. The lower jaw and teeth can be interesting if you later want to examine the buck's tooth wear and try to estimate its age.

Some also choose to keep part of the lower jaw along with information about the date, location, and the harvested buck.

Step 3: Soak the buck's head

When the rough trimming is finished, the skull can be placed in ordinary cold water.

Let the water cover the skull and go up around the coronets. Soaking for, for example, 24 hours helps to draw out blood and impurities and makes the subsequent treatment easier.

This is also another reason not to just throw the uncleaned head directly into the pot.

If you don't have the opportunity to finish processing the trophy right away, the prepared head can also be saved for later, for example by freezing. However, it is easier to remove skin and larger pieces of meat before the head is frozen.

Step 4: Boiling or steaming the roebuck trophy?

Now comes the step most people associate with trophy preparation: the skull must be heated so that the remaining membranes, tendons, and pieces of meat loosen.

There are basically two good methods:

1. Boiling in water.
2. Steaming.

Both can give a beautiful result. The crucial difference lies primarily in the workflow.

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Method 1: Boiling the roebuck trophy

Boiling is the classic method and essentially only requires a pot large enough for the skull.

Be careful with the antlers

The most important thing is that the antlers themselves are not in the hot water.

The dark color of the roebuck antlers is an essential part of the trophy's appearance, and prolonged contact with hot water can affect the color. Therefore, place the skull so that it is the bone and the remaining tissue that is heated, while the antlers are kept clear.

This can be difficult with a regular pot because the shape of the antlers causes the head to sit crookedly. A stand or other form of support can make the work considerably easier.

How long should a buck trophy boil?

There is no single correct number of minutes here.

A young animal with a small skull can be finished significantly faster than an old buck with a powerful skull. Therefore, there are rules of thumb ranging from about 20 minutes to significantly longer treatment times.

The best indicator is not the clock, but the tissue.

Take the skull out periodically and check if the meat and connective tissue come off easily. You can optionally cool it briefly in cold water and try to remove the tissue. If it is still stuck, the skull can be given a little more time.

Avoid the temptation to just let the trophy boil for hours just to be safe. Excessive and prolonged heating can make bones and joints more fragile and risk damaging the delicate parts of the skull.

The goal is therefore to heat-treat the skull just long enough for the tissue to be removed.

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Method 2: Steaming the roebuck trophy

Steaming is a good alternative to the traditional pot and can be particularly interesting if you are treating several trophies.

The method has some practical advantages. The work can be done outdoors, you avoid a large pot with a buck's head in the kitchen, and it is easier to keep the antlers clear of hot boiling water.

A regular steam cleaner or other suitable steam cleaner can be used.

How to steam the roebuck trophy

Start in the same way as with boiling: The head must be skinned and roughly cleaned.

Then protect the coronets and the lower part of the antlers with, for example, aluminum foil. This reduces the risk of the hot steam affecting the color.

The skull is then placed in a strong plastic bag, while the antlers are kept outside. The bag is closed around the trophy and the steam inlet, for example with plastic strips.

The steam must then be given time to thoroughly heat the skull and loosen the remaining tissue.

The principle is exactly the same as with boiling: Stop the treatment when the tissue has become sufficiently loose. The purpose is not to heat the skull as much as possible.

A further advantage of steaming is that the treatment can be carried out relatively easily outdoors. Trophy preparation is rarely the most fragrant part of the hunting experience.

Step 5: Clean the skull completely

After boiling or steaming, all remaining organic material must be removed.

Use a small knife, brush, or pliers to work your way around the skull. Pay particular attention to the areas:

• around the coronets
• inside the eye sockets
• in the braincase
• around the nasal bone
• along the underside of the skull.

The cartilage part inside the nose can be pulled out with pliers when it has loosened.

The brain must also be thoroughly removed. This can be one of the more difficult parts of trophy preparation, but remnants inside the braincase should not just be left.

Can a high-pressure cleaner be used?

Yes, a high-pressure cleaner can make the final cleaning very quick, because the water effectively removes loose meat, brain tissue, and membranes from the cavities.

But there is good reason to be careful.

The roebuck's nasal bones are thin and fragile. A concentrated jet of water at close range can destroy them in an instant. Therefore, keep your distance, avoid spraying directly on the delicate bone structures, and only use as much pressure as the job requires.

When cleaning the stronger parts of the skull and inside the braincase, however, the method can save a lot of manual labor.

Wear rain gear and eye protection. You will quickly discover why.

Step 6: Bleaching the buck trophy

Once the skull is completely clean of skin, meat, cartilage, brain, and tendons, it is ready for bleaching.

It is the skull – not the antlers – that needs to be bleached.

A correctly treated roebuck trophy usually has a light or white skull combined with the natural brown shades of the antlers. If the bleaching agent gets onto the coronets or antlers, you risk changing the natural color.

Hydrogen peroxide for bleaching buck trophies

Hydrogen peroxide is a classic solution for bleaching hunting trophies.

There are several ways to work with it. For example, the skull can be placed in a suitable tray, then cotton wool is moistened with the bleaching agent and placed around the bone. In this way, you can keep the product close to the skull without submerging the antlers.

Another option is to carefully apply the product directly to the bone.

Regardless of the method, the coronets and antlers must be protected.

Allow the bleaching to work until the skull has achieved the desired result, and always follow the instructions for use on the specific product. Afterwards, the skull is rinsed as needed and allowed to dry completely.

Do not use chlorine bleach

The goal is not just to get the skull white as quickly as possible. A very aggressive agent can damage the bone and result in a poorer trophy in the long run.

Therefore, use a product intended or suitable for the purpose instead of ordinary chlorine bleach.

Hydrogen peroxide products should also be treated with respect. Wear gloves and eye protection, avoid contact with skin and eyes, and follow the product's safety instructions.

Step 7: Let the roebuck trophy dry

After cleaning and bleaching, the trophy should be allowed to dry properly.

The skull also becomes less fragile to work with than immediately after steaming or boiling. If you later need to cut the trophy to size, it is therefore an advantage not to start this work while the skull is still warm and wet.

For example, let it dry for a day or longer in a dry and ventilated place.

Sunlight can help to make an already cleaned and bleached skull even lighter, but the sun should be considered the finishing touch – not a substitute for cleaning and bleaching.

Step 8: Should the roebuck trophy be cut?

Now you need to choose the final expression.

Whole skull

If you preserve the entire skull, the trophy will have a more natural and distinct appearance. This naturally requires more space on the wall and a different type of mounting.

The advantage is also that there is no longer a risk of damaging the skull by incorrect cutting.

Traditional cutting

If you want the classic Danish roebuck trophy on a trophy plaque, part of the skull is cut away.

Here, precision is important.

First, draw the cutting line with a pencil on both sides of the skull. View the trophy from the front and check several times that the lines are symmetrical.

Then use a fine saw, trophy saw, or other suitable cutting tool.

The best advice is simple:

It is better to cut a little too little the first time than a little too much.

You can always adjust the cut afterwards.

The finished cut must also be flat if the skull is subsequently to lie neatly against the trophy plaque.

In traditional cutting, the cut is made around the lower part of the eye sockets, but if it is a trophy that may need to be measured, as mentioned, you should wait with cutting until you have clarified the requirements.

Step 9: Mount the roebuck trophy on a trophy plaque

When the skull is clean, white, dry, and possibly trimmed, only the presentation remains.

The traditional solution is a wooden trophy plaque, where the skull is attached so that the antlers are centered.

Before you mount anything permanently, you should place the trophy on the plaque and look at it from a distance.

Especially check:

• if the antlers are symmetrical in relation to the plaque
• if the skull lies completely flat
• if the size of the plaque matches the trophy
• if the trophy appears visually straight when hanging on the wall.

A crookedly mounted skull becomes very obvious when two long buck antlers point up from the wall.

Then securely attach the skull with the solution that fits the trophy plaque. Finally, the plaque itself must naturally be firmly mounted on the wall.

And then the work is done.

The most common mistakes in trophy preparation

The process itself is not complicated, but individual mistakes can be difficult or impossible to correct afterwards.

1. Insufficient cleaning before boiling

If you leave large amounts of skin, meat, and fat on the head, cleaning becomes more difficult, and fat can penetrate the bone. Therefore, spend a few extra minutes on the initial cleaning.

2. Boiling for too long

More is not necessarily better. Excessive heating can make fine bones and joints fragile. Therefore, check the trophy periodically.

3. The antlers get into the boiling water

The natural color of the antlers is part of the trophy. Therefore, keep the antlers out of the water and protect them during treatment.

4. Hydrogen peroxide on the antlers

Bleaching agent belongs on the white bone – not on the brown antlers and coronets.

5. The high-pressure cleaner comes too close

The delicate nasal bones do not necessarily tolerate a strong, concentrated jet of water. Spray with caution.

6. The skull is cut too early

Especially with larger bucks, this can be a costly mistake. If you are considering measurement, first clarify how the trophy should be treated.

7. Tissue is left in the skull

A skull can look clean from the outside and still contain remnants in the braincase or nasal cavity. Therefore, spend a little extra time on the final inspection.

Boiling or steaming – which is best?

Both methods work.

Boiling is the simplest solution because most people already have access to a pot and a heat source. The disadvantage is that it can be difficult to place the trophy correctly without also exposing the antlers to the boiling water.

Steaming requires a little more equipment, but it makes it easy to perform the work outdoors and keep the antlers separate from hot water. With foil around the coronets and the skull placed in a bag, the heat can be concentrated around the part that needs to be treated.

The best method is therefore the one you can control best. The result depends more on careful cleaning, appropriate heat treatment, and thorough cleaning than on whether the heat comes from water or steam.

Quick step-by-step guide to roe deer trophy preparation

If you have already read the entire guide and just need the workflow next time, the process can be summarized as follows:

1. Skin the head and remove as much meat and fat as possible.
2. Remove the lower jaw if it is not to be preserved with the skull.
3. Place the skull in cold water and allow it to soak.
4. Boil or steam the skull until the remaining tissue loosens.
5. Keep the antlers out of hot water and protect their natural color.
6. Remove all meat, cartilage, brain tissue, and other tissue.
7. Optionally, use a high-pressure cleaner with great caution for the final cleaning.
8. Bleach the skull – but never the antlers – with a suitable bleaching agent.
9. Let the trophy dry completely.
10. Clarify any measurement before the skull is cut.
11. Cut and adapt the skull if you want the traditional mounting.
12. Mount the roebuck trophy on a suitable trophy plaque and hang it up.

How long should a roebuck trophy boil?

There is no fixed number of minutes that suits all bucks. The size of the skull, the age of the animal, and how thoroughly the head has been cleaned beforehand all play a role.

Therefore, check the trophy regularly. When meat, membranes, and cartilage loosen relatively easily, the skull has received sufficient treatment. If the tissue is still stuck, it can be given further heat treatment.

It is better to give it a little extra in several stages than to overcook the skull from the beginning.

How do you get a buck trophy completely white?

The beautiful white result primarily comes from all organic material and fat being removed. After this, the skull itself can be bleached with a suitable product, typically based on hydrogen peroxide.

A skull that still contains fat and tissue will not necessarily look good in the long run, no matter how thoroughly the surface is bleached.

Should hydrogen peroxide be applied to the roebuck trophy antlers?

No. Protect the coronets and antlers during bleaching.

Hydrogen peroxide is used for the light skull. If it gets on the antlers themselves, you risk bleaching the brown, natural color that you want to preserve.

A trophy is more than the size of the antlers

It can be tempting to only put in the great effort for the largest bucks. But many hunters eventually discover that it's not necessarily the most powerful buck on the trophy wall that brings back the best memories.

The small six-pointer from the first buck hunt, the old cull buck from a long stalk, or the buck that finally showed itself after several fruitless mornings, each tells its own story.

Thorough trophy preparation ensures that the story can hang on the wall for many years to come.