How to Label Euro Skulls

[Sabre]

Over the last few years I have often thought that I should start to label my Euro mounts with a few things like: Hunter name, date, location

At this time I can easily place each euro mentally. However, as the number of euros build, and as I age and my memory gets worse, I can imagine a time where this could become more of an issue. Especially on some predators where maybe there aren't big identifying marks. Like if a person has 10 bear skulls of bears that all weighed around 300-400lbs and that person gets to be up there in age, it might get hard to be certain which is which.

Anyway. At first I thought about writing on the underside with sharpie, but over time permanent marker has a tendency to bleed and become unsightly.

I also thought about getting small brass plaques and gluing them to the underside. This idea, or an alternative of it, where I get brass plaques put on leather and tie through the eye socket are the front runners in my mind currently. Although the leather could leach color onto the skull, so that is a consideration.

Other Ideas I have had were cattle ear tags. Or maybe very thick white zip ties you could write on, again tied around an eye socket.

I'd be very open to hearing other ideas.

 

[rdog]

I mount mine on wood shields, with stainless steel engraved tags.

 

[Sarg]

Good post, yes I sort of collect skulls & getting older now my buddy told me a few yes ago "No one but you knows what these are" put names on them.

So I got a note Book marked "Skulls" & wrote a number on each skull in indelible Sharpie & a corresponding number in the book with the details, Sex - Score - from where !

Here are three of my Leopard skulls.

 

[Sabre]

I mount mine on wood shields, with stainless steel engraved tags.

I have many sitting on shelves or table tops where the shield would take up too much space for each one and don't want to epoxy the upper and lower jaws together on many of them.

But I did consider this as well, because this is sort of the most classic way to label them and have them look nice.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Pay them the due respect with engraved silver plaques. it isn't expensive and looks good. There is nothing sadder than a discarded or 'lost' trophy and conversely a real treasure to find out a bit of the history.

 

[Red Leg]

Most of mine do not have anything. However, all the animals I have taken in Spain were done as Euros by a Spanish taxidermist. Each of those was completed with a small brass plaque stating region, date, and my initials. It is a nice touch, and were I starting over again, I think I would do something similar on all.

 

[Wyfox]

I write in permanent marker date/location/name under the skull and stick the kill tag in the brain cavity.

 

[Sabre]

Pay them the due respect with engraved silver plaques. it isn't expensive and looks good. There is nothing sadder than a discarded or 'lost' trophy and conversely a real treasure to find out a bit of the history.
View attachment 705449

I do like skulls on wood plaques for some animals. And I have some that way. But I have some that I don't want mounted to a wood plaque and want to label them well for myself and future generations. I don't think it's disrespectful to not mount every one to a wood plaque, and finding a tasteful alternative method of labeling them though.

 

[Boone66]

Not to sabotage the thread, but when did the euro mont change? When I was stationed in Germany, the scull was cut in a jig, from the back, through the middle of the eyes and nasal cavity. A really nice looking mount, without teeth in it. Oh, and yes either a permanent marker inside the bottom of the scull, or a nice plack.

 

[Russ16]

This has me thinking. It would be cool to have a small silver or brass disk with the information engraved on it and a matching small chain that attaches it to the skull.

 

[Muskox]

Not to sabotage the thread, but when did the euro mont change? When I was stationed in Germany, the scull was cut in a jig, from the back, through the middle of the eyes and nasal cavity. A really nice looking mount, without teeth in it. Oh, and yes either a permanent marker inside the bottom of the scull, or a nice plack.

I am currently living in Germany both are still done.

I have that saw fixture for roe deer, but I prefer whole skulls.

 

[Kalthoff]

I print "the long story" on labels stuck to the rear of the plates.

Eventually I will fit tiny plates to the front of the plates, as shown by several posters above.

Not to sabotage the thread, but when did the euro mont change?

There is a Southern/Central European tradition for mounting with upper jaw and teeth included and a Northern European tradition to saw in a very specific way according to the rules of a point system for grading trophies.

 

[Philip Glass]

Over the last few years I have often thought that I should start to label my Euro mounts with a few things like: Hunter name, date, location

At this time I can easily place each euro mentally. However, as the number of euros build, and as I age and my memory gets worse, I can imagine a time where this could become more of an issue. Especially on some predators where maybe there aren't big identifying marks. Like if a person has 10 bear skulls of bears that all weighed around 300-400lbs and that person gets to be up there in age, it might get hard to be certain which is which.

Anyway. At first I thought about writing on the underside with sharpie, but over time permanent marker has a tendency to bleed and become unsightly.

I also thought about getting small brass plaques and gluing them to the underside. This idea, or an alternative of it, where I get brass plaques put on leather and tie through the eye socket are the front runners in my mind currently. Although the leather could leach color onto the skull, so that is a consideration.

Other Ideas I have had were cattle ear tags. Or maybe very thick white zip ties you could write on, again tied around an eye socket.

I'd be very open to hearing other ideas.

I've been thinking the same thing lately. The Sharpie felt tip pen might be the best option as it is not messy and very permanent. The cattle ear tag idea is good but you would want fairly small ones so they don't show easily.

 

[NoStepOnSnek]

Personally I don’t like the plaques, so I just stick a manilla tag in the brain cavity. I’m debating making small wooden tags and using UV resin or gorilla glue to attach to the underside. Or if where you hunt uses actual tags, just use those

 

[Phil Giordano]

This is an Oryx my Grandfather hunted in his youth. Latin name of the animal, and lenght of each horn in cm.
The writing is done with black India ink, and to me, this is the most elegant way to label them.
One day I will be brave enough to try and write something like that - date, place or so - on my euro skulls.
But I keep putting it off from season to season...

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I will use a fine tip permanent Sharpie to number the skulls. Splash on a bit of satin Diamond Varathane first if concerned about Sharpie bleeding.

I'm still in the process of writing recollections. I use WordPerfect word processor because it incorporates images better than Word or MS Publisher. Then convert to pdf to ensure no clandestine editing in the future. Several online outfits offer free conversion of pdf to jpg for attaching pages to forums, etc. Here's an example.

So far most of my trophies are easily identified by individual characteristics but some may need indexing for reference in written recollections (e.g. three similar gemsbuck skulls).