Here is my process for making plaques to mount my mule deer and elk European mount skulls.
After the skull is cleaned (view skull cleaning process) and bleached, I like to make my own plaques to mount them to the wall.
With mule deer and elk I like to place the skull at an angle to the wall. Using a piece of 2x6 lumber, I cut a wedge for the skull to rest upon. Below are some PDF files of the wedge templates (Elk and Mule Deer) I use to angle the mount away from the plaque on the wall. These templates should give you a good start on the wedge but might require a little tweaking to the angles and rounding of the edges to fit your unique skull.
Attaching the skull to the plaque.
There is a really solid piece of bone on the underside of the brain cavity that I drill hole(s) into to mount the skull to the plaque. I drill two small holes for elk and one hole for deer. These hole(s) line-up with four-inch grabber screws that I place through the mounting plate. Once I get the hole(s) in the plaque to line up with the skull, I screw the skull in place with the long grabber screws and I'm done.
Where the four inch screws are holding this elk skull on the plaque.
Where I drill a single hole through the skull of a deer for the screw to anchor the skull to the plaque. I drill a hole a little smaller than the outer diameter of the screw threads.
Elk European Skull Mount Wedge Angle Template. Click the image above to download the elk template.
Mule Deer European Skull Mount Wedge Angle Template. Click the image above to download the mule deer template.
Below are some of the mounts I have on these handmade plaques.
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