How to Make Your Own DIY European Mount For Under $30

So you just harvested a trophy animal but do not want to spend over $500 for a shoulder mount? Roll up your sleeves and make your own European Mount to preserve your hunt on the cheap!

A DIY european mount can be a very satisfying and budget friendly way to proudly display your trophy animals. Follow these steps to create a mount you can admire for years to come.

I strongly suggest you complete this project outside. There are some unpleasant odors that are associated with making a european mount. I use the side burner on my grill to boil my skulls. You could do all the work in your kitchen, if your marriage is strong enough. I'll pass on that.

Start Clean

The best way to start your european mount is with the least amount of meat and hide as possible. Use a sharp knife or scalpel to cut away as much flesh as you can. This will reduce the amount of time you need to boil your skull. While you are removing excess meat, you can begin to prep the "bath water" for your head. I use a 21 quart stock pot, filled 3/4 with water. Mix in some Palmolive dish soap, or any other degreasing agent to aid in the cleaning process.

Bath Time

Once the water has reached a rolling boil, reduce your heat and submerge your skull. The water should come up to the bases of the antlers. I will use a stick if needed to keep the antlers above water. This step takes the longest. I have finished boiling a skull in as little as six hours, and have also taken up to 17 hours. I will change the water every 3-4 hours. I will also pull out the skull periodically and scrub it gently with a wire brush or brillo pad. You can also use a hose to push water through the nasal cavities and eye sockets. Use an unsharpened #2 pencil to poke those hard to reach areas. I like to cut off the base of the skull where it meets the first vertebra. This allows me to remove brain matter quickly, and provides for an easier base for your mount to rest on. Be careful not to over boil your skull, you can damage brittle nasal bones. If they break, set them aside to glue back later. Once all the flesh is removed, set your skull out in the sun to dry for an hour.

Dye It

Once dry, wrap the bases of the antlers with painters or electrical tape. To get that stark white finish that will make your skull pop, use 40 Volume Creme Developer. This is available at any beauty supply shop for less than $4 a bottle. I use an old paintbrush and coat the skull with the creme generously. Once covered inside and out, I wrap the head in saran wrap. Place the wrapped head under an intense light to activate the creme. I use a 500 watt work light. After 30 minutes, unwrap and rinse the head. If you want your skull lighter, simply repeat the process. I usually only need to do it once, as the skull will continue to whiten after the product is rinsed off. Once completely dry, glue on any small bones that broke off during the process. Your DIY european mount is complete and ready to be displayed!

The initial investment for the european mount was:

• Granite Ware 21 Quart Steel Stock Pot $20.83 Walmart
• Salon Care 40 Volume Creme Developer 16 oz. $3.69 Sally Beauty
• Palmolive Oxy Dish Liquid, Ultra Concentrated 25 oz. $2.99 Walgreens

Everything else I had laying around the garage. Once the pot was purchased, every mount afterwards will cost under $10. When you want to preserve the memory of your next hunt, give this DIY european mount a try.

Archery 365

As the final days peel off the calendar in the 2016 whitetail season, an unimaginable fate looms for countless compound bows. The bow case. Far too many bows are tucked away at season's’ end, not to see the light of day until school busses crowd the streets and antlers are neatly wrapped in velvet. I, for one, cannot imagine going 8 months without shooting my bow. I find it therapeutic.  Every shot taken while practicing brings me 1 shot closer to making an ethical shot when the moment of truth presents itself in the fall. If that’s not reason enough, how about the fact that we all enjoy hunting, don’t we all enjoy shooting as well? Here’s a few ways to keep your bow active when you are not able to chase those monster bucks.

Join a League

Some diehard bowhunters will scoff at the idea of lining up elbow to elbow with “target archers” to fling three arrows 20 yards down range, wait for it, indoors. I get it, we do not hunt indoors, but an indoor spot league has its advantages. With a lack of daylight and much of the country engulfed in the icy grip of Old Man Winter, I seek refuge at my local archery clubs indoor range. Most leagues are cheap (about $10 a week) and run from January till April. I find it a great way to work on my shot mechanics, form, and develop more muscle memory. Plus, you can always pick up some pointers from other archers that may help you in the woods. The friendly competition and camaraderie of a spot league is a sure fire way to navigate through the winter doldrums.  

Shoot 3-D

I am lucky enough to live in an area where I can shoot a 3-D archery course every Sunday from March till November. The mistake I see made by most bowhunters is that they wait until August to dust off their bows. Bows are not bears. They do not need to hibernate. As soon as the local clubs open their outdoor courses I am there. After being cooped up for the last few months it feels great to walk through the woods again. Most courses consist of 30 foam targets laid out at varying distances. It is a great way to practice kill shots on life like animal targets, while shooting at different intervals, elevations, and terrain. If it is competition that drives you, than you may want to check out organized IBO or ASA shoot to test your skills against your fellow bowhunter. Either way, I cannot think of a better cure for cabin fever.

Techno Hunt

Still too cold outside and the thought of punching paper targets is sacrilegious? Find a Techno Hunt to have the comfort of the indoors, with the adrenaline rush of a true hunting experience. Most of these hunting simulators will place you in a dark room with a projector screen at the opposite end. A computer will load countless images of game animals walking through their natural habitat. You are provided mushroom blunt tips for your arrows that you fire at the screen. After the shot, the screen will inform you if your shot hit vitals, was non-lethal, or a clean miss. Some archery shops also offer Techno Hunts leagues if you are up for the challenge.

Turkey Hunting

Half way between the completion and the opening of whitetail season lies a magical time of year known as turkey season. Although most hunters will take their shotgun into the woods, why not take your bow instead? Some will say the challenge involved with harvesting a spring gobbler with a bow is second to none. The keen eyesight of a turkey makes drawing on a bird a feat in its own right. Plus, with the decreased range of a bow compared to a shotgun, it forces you to wait for a close encounter. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we crave as bowhunters?       

There are also less organized reasons to get out and shoot your bow. I have shot my bow because; it’s Tuesday, I don’t want to go grocery shopping, I fixed the faucet last week, or there is nothing on TV. The point being is that everything can become a reason to shoot your bow. Shooting year round gives you a more intimate feel for your bows’ overall performance and tuning. As bowhunters, we place a season’s worth of goals and anticipation on a single shot. Wouldn’t you want to be 100% confident that you can make it?

Crunch Time...

What started out as an endless string of weekends covering more than a quarter of the calendar, has dwindled down to the final three. Long gone are the "chilly" evening sits where a hoodie would be warm enough. Today's high temperature struggled to get out of the teens, factor in the wind, and we are talking serious cold temperatures encountered during late season. By this time of year, the deer have smartened up. They have been chased, bumped, driven, and shot at for the last four months. The only reason they need to leave the safety of their bedding area is to feed. Extremely cold temperatures get the deer on their feet earlier in search of food. Seems like an easy equation for a late season whitetail, Food + Cold = Deer. Well things in the woods are rarely that elementary, I throw in a variable x for weather condition, such as post front, high pressure, wind direction, ect. For those of you who still remember Algebra 101, the revised equation would read F + C(x) = D. Time to sharpen your pencil and figure this one out.

This doe knows where she can get a free meal.

Food is the easy part to figure out. If you have been in tune with your deer herd all season, you know what is left, and where it is. Food sources are less abundant this time of year, so deer tend to congregate around remaining feeding areas with regularity. It may be a cut cornfield, a food plot full of sugar beets, or a timed feeder. The deer know where to go, so should you.

Right Temp, Wrong Pressure

Cold is good, the colder the better. The deer will get on their feet earlier to feed the lower the mercury drops. Unfortunately it needs to be the right cold, that's the "x" factor. Last night I had the food source and cold temperature in my favor. The problem was I found myself in the middle of a front passing through, with snow falling and a swirling NNE wind. To go along with the winds, was a falling barometer in the 29" range. My experience told me it would be a long sit, but with limited time to fill tags, I put in my time in, in vain. My friend several states away was telling me that he was seeing deer all over, feeding in places he had not seen before. That's because he was on the other side of the front, cold temperatures around 13 degrees, with a rising barometer into the 30"'s. That "x" variable of pressure is very important in the late season. Deer will feed before, and after a storm, but if I had my choice, it would be to hunt post storm with rising pressure.

Now that I have the whitetails figured out, will I wait to hunt the perfect equation for the late season? Not exactly. Limited time to hunt makes any available time to sit in the woods a good time. If I do not have all of the F + C(x) ingredients in my favor I could still harvest a deer. If I plan on taking a day off of work to hunt, I will make sure that all the components are in place. Remember, this is crunch time, not couch time. The sofa will be there for you all winter long, now's the time to get after those whitetails one last time!

View from the blind on a snowy evening.

  

   

The Blind Leading The Blind

The Hoyt is ready to eat!

A light rain began to pepper the vinyl roof of the ground blind as I nestled in for my afternoon hunt. The second season of Pennsylvania's archery season had begun the same way as the September opener had, from the ground. I would much rather hunt from an elevated tree stand, but this year I committed myself to hunting from ground blinds in an attempt to add another dimension to my growing outdoor resume. Earlier in the year I would begrudgingly make my way to the blind, but on this rainy, dreary day, I welcomed the idea of being protected from the elements. I affixed my Hawk Hookster 360 from the blind's support beam and hung up my Hoyt Nitrum 34. As I watched the rain fall, I had high hopes that I would be able to harvest my first deer from a ground blind.

Early season view

Back in September, I took a shot at a doe that was quartering to me at twelve yards, about fifty minutes into the 2016 season. Although I felt confident about the shot, I could not find my arrow, any blood, and subsequently the deer. I spent more time practicing from a seated position, and vowed to only shoot if I was presented with a broadside shot. I had spent countless hours in a blind since then without any opportunities. This changed around 4:30 pm. The first doe made her way in, followed closely by a second, than a third. They all looked back in unison, as a fourth and fifth doe made their way in to feed on the dwindling browse. I drew back, but the large doe I had selected turned, and would not give me a broadside shot. After holding on her for over a minute, I was able to let down without any of the deer taking notice. I regrouped, and waited for her to turn around. When she finally did, I drew again, laid my top pin behind her shoulder and squeezed off an arrow. With that the five deer raced out of sight, unaware of what had just transpired. I felt like it was an accomplishment to be able to draw my bow back without being detected by five sets of eyes once, let alone twice. I waited a half hour before emerging from the blind to inspect the arrow. There was a mix of pink and deep red blood, so I figured she must of quartered slightly, resulting in a single lung / liver shot. I packed up my gear and waited 90 minutes before tracking the blood.

Late season, no cover is left on most trees

I had loaned my flashlight to my wife a week prior and had forgotten about the exchange. Luckily, I enlisted the help of my friend Jonathan to help track, who always has a couple lights handy. We picked up the trail pretty quick which led us across a field to an oak flat. That's when things went south. We tracked her making a figure 8 pattern, about 40 yards long, and 25 yards wide. After two and a half hours in steady drizzle, we decided to suspend the search until morning. When I entered the woods as the sun crept up, I went back to the last blood. The droplets were preserved under the trees, but the fields were washed clean from the overnight rain. Another friend, Mike, picked up a fresh set of tracks that led deeper into the forest. We walked another 70 yards with no blood when we decided we went too far and would go back to the last blood and start over. As we turned around, Mike glanced to his left and said, "There she is!" and just like that, my quest for a ground blind kill was fulfilled. Unfortunately, foxes had already found her and I could not salvage the meat. Upon inspecting the shot, we figured the height was good, but about an inch and a half too far back. That distance was the difference between a 30 yard track job and a full freezer and about 200 yards of tracking and and regret.

Foxes found her first

There are two things that I have taken away from my ground blind experiences so far. First, it is a lot harder to draw on an animal at eye level. You have to be statuesque, and when you move to draw, be slow and methodical. You do not realize what an advantage it is to be twenty feet up in a tree, until you are eye to eye with your quarry. Second, after the shot you need to listen hard to get an idea of where the animal has ran to. If the deer runs left or right, they are out of sight in a flash. I had to depend on listening to which way the deer ran to help lead me to blood. I have another month, and a few more doe tags left to work on my ground blind skills. With some more practice, and a little patience I should be able not to just kill, but to harvest a deer from the blind.                

September sunset from the ground

Stocking Stuffers We Actually Want

It's that time of year again where family and friends alike rack their brains to come up with the perfect Christmas gift for the bowhunter in their life. Although the department stores have had their fake trees and tinsel up for over a month, and I have heard every Christmas song over 600 times, we are now getting down to the wire for making a purchase. There are many hunting related tools and gadgets to choose from, and to the non-hunter (without the aid of a wishlist) this can be quite an intimidating task. Here's a list of items that won't break the bank (all items are under $20) and you can rest assured knowing that the gift you are giving will be put to good use for many hunting seasons that follow.



Tactical Duo Tree Hook - Hawk
Everything about this hook is great. It comes with a rubber tipped carabiner that clips on your pack for easy storage, no more stab wounds on your hands from fishing around in back packs and pockets. It's beefy, it is rated for 60 pounds, and has 2 rubber coated hooks that screw easily into most trees. It also curls up at the ends to prevent your gear from sliding off.
Suggested Retail Price $9







Hookster 360 - Hawk
For those of us that hunt public land, screwing a hook directly into a tree is frowned upon. The Hookster solves this problem. The hook is the same high quality construction of the standard Hawk hook, but is attached to a heavy duty twist tie. Just wrap it around a a limb and hunt. This hook is also great for hanging your bow in a ground blind.
Suggested Retail Price $10








Cinch Deer Drag - Hawk
I was sceptical of this product at first, but I'm a believer now. I first tried it on a 270 pound buck and did not get very far. Since then I've dragged out a handful of does with relative ease. It's light, compact, and easy to use. It enables the deer's head and shoulders to be elevated during the drag to prevent getting caught up on stumps and brush. Holding onto the pvc handle gives you a solid grip, unlike a deer's leg.
Suggested Retail Price $10






Twist Tie Hoist Line - Hawk
I have pulled my bow up to my stand on some suspect pull strings. I have also watched in horror as said pull strings have snapped mid pull. Never again do I worry about my gear when I'm using the Twist Tie Hoist Line. It's thick, silent, and does not tangle. It has a rubber coated twist tie on both ends for securing your gear. A 40 pound rating is more than enough.
Suggested Retail Price $13









Grime Boss Unscented Hand Wipes
Hunting is messy. Period. These unscented wipes are perfect for cleaning up after field dressing a deer. You can also use them to wipe away human odors before entering the woods after work, if taking a scent free shower isn't an option. Lastly, when you're in nature, and nature calls... Grime Boss has the answer.
Suggested Retail Price $12




Game Face Camo FX
Too warm for a face mask? Paint your own! Game Face Camo FX comes in a variety of color options, with 3 colors to a stick. Just pop the cap and apply to your face. The one piece stick means no missing applicators, and you never have to touch the paint its' self. It won't sweat off, and removes easily with a hand wipe. Best part is its not glossy, which I believe can spook a weary animal.
Suggested Retail Price $10




PhoneREAD'R - Whitetail'R
This card reader is a must for checking your trail cameras. Just attach it to your smart phone, pop in your SD card, and check your pics. The only draw back is that it only is compatible with android phones, although they do have an apple compatible version that is more expensive. This is easily my most used hunting accessory.
Suggested Retail Price $20

Cover Scent Comparison

The Whitetail Deer's best natural defense is his nose. Nothing will end a hunt faster than having a mature buck get down wind of you and catch a whiff of human odor, or gasoline, or something else not native to his natural habitat. To give you an idea of how keen a deer's sense of smell is, a human has 5 million olfactory scent receptors in their nose. A dog will have 220 million. A whitetail deer is equipped with 297 million, which will bust you before you even lay eyes on your quarry. Over the last six years I have used various different products to try to mask my scent, with varying results. I'll lay out my top 3, and give you unbiased opinions for each.

Hunters Specialties Fresh Earth
Hunters Specialties Scent-A-Way Max line has two options, odorless and fresh earth. I prefer the fresh earth, just because I would like to smell like something, rather than nothing. The fresh earth scent smells like hunting to me. I can take a whiff of a scent wafer in July, and instantly I'm taken back to the woods on a crisp autumn morning. The Scent-A-Way line has you covered for all facets of scent control. I use their laundry detergent and dryer sheets for all my hunting clothes. Before I enter the woods, I will generously spray down with their field spray. I also keep their scent wafers hanging from my tree stands, pack, and rear view mirror all season long, just remember to freshen them up every hunt to maximize their effectiveness. Hunters Specialties Fresh Earth is my go to product for scent elimination and control.

Nose Jammer
The theory behind Nose Jammer is to overload the deer's olfactory receptors with natural scents in an effort to confuse the deer into thinking you are not there. The main ingredient, Vanillin, is found naturally in deer habitat. The spray its self smells great, and reminds me of vanilla. They direct you to spray for 10 seconds on your boots, and while in your stand, apply an "X" on your tree behind you to mask any lingering odors. I used this product solely for the 2015 season and had great initial results. Deer would come in down wind constantly and pass by me without hesitation, even mature animals. Nose Jammer had one of my hit list bucks, "The 9" come within 17 yards of me dead down wind where I made a non fatal shot. That's when things got interesting. The 9 never would come within 50 yards of the tree if I was using Nose Jammer. After a good soaking rain would wash the Nose Jammer "X" off of my tree, I would see "The 9" at the base of the tree on trail cam pictures. I did a little research and found out that deer will associate smells with danger, more than location. It's my assumption that The 9 associated the strong smell of Nose Jammer with danger, thus eluding me for the remainder of the season. I know the poor shot was my fault, but I feel that Nose Jammer prevented him from giving me another opportunity. Nose Jammer will give you a shot opportunity, but you better make it count cause it won't happen again.

Evercalm
Conquest Scent's Evercalm is the real deal. It is harvested from pen raised deer to give you the most realistic cover scent on the market. When deer smell the Evercalm, they are relaxed, thinking that they are in a deer bedding area. I have watched as deer would smell a branch that I applied Evercalm to and dropped their ears from an alert position to a relaxed position and graze. I have harvested multiple deer from the same tree on consecutive days that has been treated with Evercalm. It comes in a deodorant style stick, and I apply it to my boots and surrounding trees. It is in a solid form, which is nice because it will still be effective on windy and rainy days. I have heard that if you are allergic to deer dander, you could have a reaction to Evercalm. Also, it is more expensive, I paid $19.99 for mine and I am on my second stick of the 2016 season. That being said, there is no way I am heading into the woods without a stick of Evercalm in my pack.

There are literally dozens upon dozens of cover scent products out there, and probably millions of opinions on which product is best. I like to pick a product and use it till I feel like it is no longer going to put me in the best position to take a mature deer. I am not paid by any company, so this is based on my successes with each product. I do not have unlimited time in the whitetail woods, so I want to get the most out of each sit. For my money, prep your camouflage with Hunters Specialties Fresh Earth, treat your boots and trees with Conquest's Evercalm, and leave the Nose Jammer at home.  


 

2016 Southern Illinois Trip

Everything was different heading into this years hunt. Sure I was going to be hunting the same farms, but this time I would be traveling solo for part of the trip. As we get older, priorities change, and most of my friends found themselves tied up with family obligations which kept them grounded for this years trip. There are very few things that will keep me out of the whitetail woods, so when I woke up on November the 6th, I loaded up the truck with two bags of gear and my Hoyt 34 Nitrum and headed to Philadelphia International Airport by myself.

Two hours later I was picked up in Nashville by my friend Cornell, and after taking care of a few of his family obligations, we headed west to Zeigler, Illinois. The drive to camp was full of deer talk and speculations. We didn't have a great weather forecast for the first half of the week, but what we did have was options. Two guys, two farms, over twenty stand locations, and six days to fill two tags. I felt like I would miss out on the camaraderie that goes along with a large hunting party, but having only two guys gave me confidence that I could really focus in on harvesting a mature whitetail.

Johnson County Sunset

The first morning was interrupted by a phone call only an hour into the hunt. My friend had wasted no time and sent an arrow down range, and I was on my way to help him search for it. By the time I reached him, he had already recovered his buck, which didn't even make it out of the food plot. At first, Cornell was upset at his harvest because it fell short of his expectations. After standing over the deer for a while he came to terms with his kill. This was the first time in the woods in two years for him, and the first buck he shot in the last four. As we loaded up the truck with the buck he began to realize that a stocked freezer beats tag soup every time.

With all the pressure on me now, I hunted the same farm for the next two days pretty hard. After only a small fork horn buck and a spike to show for it, I decided to make a move. I changed farms for Wednesday night and immediately had an up tick in activity. In three hours I saw five deer, including my first does of the trip. There was a small cold front in the forecast over night, so I figured I'd give the stand another sit in the morning.

When I woke up Thursday I was greeted with the coldest temps of the trip. I loaded my pack with snacks and hand warmers in preparation for an all day sit, and walked along the crunchy frost covered grass to my stand. As dawn crept through the timber, I saw the same two doe approach me from the night before. The doe was down wind of me and tried her best to pick me out. She knew something was wrong, but could not see me. After a brief stand off, she and the other doe continued to make their way to the adjacent field. The next thirty minutes were eerily quiet. I kept a vigilant watch for a trailing buck, but one never followed the script. I began to settle in for what I thought was going to be a long sit.

Before the sun had broken past the horizon the two doe came racing back towards my stand. I hastily grabbed by bow and focused past them. A young five pointer had chased them from the field directly under me. As I took a quick head count I noticed the true reason why the does were running for their lives. A tall tined, grizzled buck was thirty yards behind the five pointer and closing fast. He was coming out of the reeds and I was staring directly into the sun. I could tell by his face he was a mature buck, but had no idea how big his rack was. I wasted no time in preparing for the shot. He was far and away the largest buck I had seen in four days, and I knew if he presented me with a shot, I had to act on it. As he focused all his attention on the smaller buck, the two doe blew and took off running. I came to full draw and waited for him to step into a shooting lane. The larger buck took another glance at the five pointer and lowered his head to charge him. There was my window, 25 yards broadside, and I let the Easton Axis fly. I watched the arrow connect with the buck perfectly, as he ran about sixty yards and crashed into a sapling. Not fully knowing what I had just shot, I said a brief prayer and calmly sat back down.

The next thirty minutes were equally as surreal as the previous thirty. I figured it was a good buck, and I was almost positive he had expired a half football field away. It was that time of the morning when the woods comes alive, squirrels chasing each other, a few ducks landed in the creek, and then there was me, sitting twenty feet up in a tree trying to piece together what had just transpired. By now I had felt enough time had passed. I made a few calls to my friends, it was time to see my deer.

When Cornell and Mike showed up we first inspected the arrow. I explained the shot, and we all agreed we were going to find a dead buck at the end of the blood trail. As my friends tracked the blood, I lagged a few yards behind. This was all matter of fact to me, I didn't have to anticipate finding the deer, I just wanted to enjoy the moment and hoped it would last for days. I'll never forget Cornell's reaction when he first walked up on the buck. "Yo Cuz, you shot a monster!" Cornell never exaggerates size on a deer. if he thinks it's big, It must be big. I slowly approached the group, it was time to finally see what I shot.

Love at first sight

When I first saw the mass on the left beam I was overcome by joy. I had no words, or actions, for this moment. I hugged them both, than took a knee and gently took hold of the bucks G3 and inspected his massive rack. I thought he was good, but never did I think he was this good. After an impromptu photo shoot we grabbed a tape and scored him out. A touch over 155 inches of pure Illinois whitetail buck.

Mike and Myself

The whole experience has been extremely humbling, and I could not feel more blessed with being able to harvest such a beautiful animal. I know there are larger bucks in the woods, but for me, after only hunting for six years, this is a huge accomplishment. This buck is vindication for all the countless hours spent shooting twelve months out of the year, and all the times spent in a tree stand, with nothing to show for it but experience and sunsets. This buck also gives me validation as a hunter, that I can take my bow into the woods and drag out a mid 150's class buck based solely on the fact that I did it before. It has been almost two weeks since the shot, and I still do not think it has fully set in. People hunt their whole life trying to take an animal of this caliber and never get the chance. It may be a long time before I ever get a deer like this again, but I'm going to try again next year, and the year after that. My 2016 Southern Illinois trip is over, but it is one that I will never, ever, forget.