Replica Skulls

Replica skulls come in several colors, sizes and species (deer and elk). They are easy to use, durable, and cost effective! Replica skulls have become a very popular choice of successful hunters for making European mounts with the bucks they harvest. They also provide a great option for those wanting to mount shed antlers on a deer skull. Easy, do it yourself replica (faux) skull kits are available to make the mounting process easy, even for beginners. This article will discuss the benefits of using replica skulls for euro mounts and the products available to those wanting to mount antlers on replica skulls.

Why Mount Deer & Elk Antlers on Replica Skulls?

1. Reduce exposure to possible disease Today, with the worry of CWD spreading, states are only getting stricter with regulations on the transportation of deer parts. They want to reduce everyone's exposure to brain tissue that harbors disease like Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), and rightfully so! Did you know that when you use a Skull Master replica european deer mount kit from Mountain Mike's, you do not have to ever open the brain cavity when removing antlers? That's right, you can remove each antler separately, just below the burr, without ever exposing yourself to brain matter.
2. Cleaner Using replica skulls is cleaner because you need not skin the head completely. There is no boiling or beetles necessary. This means the entire process is cleaner (and less smelly too)!
3. Faster With a Mountain Mike's do it yourself european mount kit, it's faster than ever to have a great looking euro mount on your wall. Hours and hours of stinking up the house with boiling skulls are a thing of the past. In about 10-20 minutes, you can have a great looking finished mount on your wall!
4. More Durable Go ahead, drop that real deer skull and see what happens...just kidding, don't do it! It will break, right! Replica skulls from Mountain Mike's are cast from real skulls in durable resin. They are extremely durable, so you'll have a mount that will last forever and won't fade or exhibit grease bleed like real skulls can.
5. Do-Over Let's face it, you probably already have a box of antlers in your garage just collecting dust! If you think it's too late to have nice looking euro mounts from those antlers, think again! The replica skull kits at Mountain Mike's allow you to mount antlers with old, new, harvested, broken skull plate, and shed antlers!

Connecting Deer Antlers to Replica Skulls

Mounting antlers on replica skulls involves a few simple steps. Detach the antlers from the skull plate (or use shed antlers!), drill up into each antler, screw the top section of the skull to each antler, attach the top section of the skull to the bottom, hang and enjoy! For detailed help, visit our how to page to watch instructional videos. Attaching antlers to faux deer skulls is accomplished in one of two ways; 1) connect each antler separately from underneath the replica skull’s pedicles, or 2) a notch in the top of the faux deer skull provides a space to attach a deer rack that’s still connected to its skull plate. Each method has its advantages.

Advantages of Connecting Antlers Separately to Replica Skulls

1. Faster When you connect antlers separately, there is no need to sculpt a transition between the real skull plate with epoxy. Painting is also not necessary. It's a much faster process!
2. Cleaner Separate antlers mean there's no skull plate to remove deer hair from, which can be a smelly, dirty, time consuming process. Just cut each antler off flush below the burr and they're pretty much ready to attach!
3. Easier Mounting antlers separately to a replica skull is easier than other methods of euro mounts.
4. Allows for mounting shed antlers Kits that allow separate antlers to be connected to the skull pedicles are shed hunters best friends! They're a perfect way of displaying "the one that got away".

Advantages of Using Antlers on Skull Plates with Replica Deer Skull Kits

1. Maintain Record Book Eligibility If you do wish to retain your antlers' real skull plate, you will maintain record book eligibility should you ever choose to have it scored for Pope & Young or Boone & Crockett. Mountain Mike's Record Keeper kit is the perfect choice for this.
2. Ensures consistent spread and angle is maintained Antlers connected to the original skull plate will ensure the original spread and antler angle is maintained throughout the mounting process.

Now you know why replica skulls are becoming the norm for hunters wanting to show off their buck's antlers! Their ease of use, durability, and cost effectiveness, combined with their ability to work with antlers either detached or attached to the skull plate make them a great choice for doing your own european mount with your buck!