Hours: Weekdays 8am - 5pm || Weekends by Appointment
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Dakota Skulls

The Process

Detailed and Meticulous

About Our Process

At Dakota Skulls, our process is designed to ensure that your trophy is handled with the utmost care and precision. We begin by using Dermestid beetles, nature's perfect cleaners, to meticulously remove every bit of flesh and tissue from the skull, preserving the bone structure without damage. Once the skull is fully cleaned, we carefully prepare it for display, ensuring that every detail is flawless. Our step-by-step approach combines traditional methods with modern techniques to create a stunning, natural mount that honors your hunt and stands the test of time.
Expert Care at Every Stage

The Process

Using Dermestid beetles, we clean every skull with precision, removing all flesh and tissue while maintaining the integrity of the bone. Our step-by-step process guarantees a clean, flawless result that honors your trophy and the hunt behind it.
How we do a 
European Skull Mount
To begin the process we skin the skull and remove the neck vertebrae. Next we clean the skull of any tissue or muscle and remove the eyes and brains. Next step is to dry the remaining tissue overnight.
Flesh Eating Beetles 
at work
Natures way of cleaning up after itself . Dermestid beetles go to work removing all of the flesh. It is amazing how efficient these little critters are. After just a few days a complete skull will come out spotless of any flesh or tissue.
Degreasing 
European skulls
Degreasing is accomplished using solvents and degreasers. This is very important as bone will leach grease and yellow for years to come if not properly degreased.
Whitening Skull Mounts
Next the skull is whitened using hydrogen peroxide combined with special whitening agents. This industrial grade peroxide is a very powerful, potent product and will produce permanent deep whitening throughout the skull. It can be done easier and faster but the years will show on your trophy if a quality degreasing and whitening was done.
Display Panels
The last step is to mount the skull on a panel for display. We offer a wide variety of woods and display styles for wall or desk. Panels are protected with a matte lacquer finish and polished individually by hand.
Let's Get Started
Ready to preserve your hunting memories with a stunning skull mount?  Whether it's your latest trophy or a cherished past hunt, we're here to provide expert care and precision. Let us help you turn your trophy into a timeless piece of art.
Learn More
See the Beatles at Work

Check out Our Recent Time Lapse

Experience the process firsthand with our time lapse, where you can watch Dermestid beetles at work, meticulously cleaning and preserving skulls. See the natural transformation as we turn your trophy into a stunning mount, all in real time.
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