whitetail skull mounts

European Skull Mounts

Stehling’s Taxidermy creates clean, whitened European-style skull mounts in Wisconsin. From our Jefferson and New Franken (Green Bay area) showrooms, we beetle-clean and finish each skull for a striking, modern display. We are once again accepting European skull mounts starting this fall. Request a free skull mount quote today.

All of our skulls are beetle cleaned on site. We manage our own beetle colonies so we have complete control of the process. Your trophy never leaves our shop. Some of the benefits of our skull service:

  • On site beetle cleaning ( Your trophy never leaves our shop)
  • All skulls are degreased
  • All skulls are whitened/bleached
  • Many custom panel and display options available  

Basic Pricing:

Whitetails/Mule Deer: $275
Black Bear: $275
Small Game: $150
Pronghorn Antelope: $275
Wild Boar/ Domestic Hog: $350

Add $50 if lower jaw is included

We do not offer European mounts for elk or moose.

Quick Links:

Whitetail Skull Mounts

Bear Skull Mounts

Full Pricing Guide

Contact Us

What is a European mount?

A European mount is the animal’s skull, cleaned of all tissue and whitened, with the antlers or horns still attached — mounted on a plaque, a panel or a stand rather than on a form. No cape, no hide, no glass eyes. Just bone and antler. It is sometimes called a skull mount, a bone mount or a Euro mount; they all mean the same thing.

The difference from a shoulder mount comes down to what is preserved. A shoulder mount recreates the animal’s head, neck and shoulders over a sculpted form, using the tanned cape. A European mount keeps only the skull. That makes it smaller on the wall, considerably less expensive, and a different look — spare and modern rather than lifelike.

Hunters usually choose one for one of three reasons: the cape was damaged or spoiled and a shoulder mount is no longer possible; the budget is not there this season; or they simply prefer the look. It is also the common choice when someone already has several shoulder mounts and wants to display another animal without giving up another four feet of wall.

How your skull is cleaned and finished

Every European mount we finish goes through the same stages, and all of them happen at our own shop. Your trophy never leaves the building.

  1. Rough preparation. The cape is removed and bulk tissue taken off by hand before the skull goes anywhere near the beetle colony.
  2. Beetle cleaning. Our dermestid colonies clean the remaining tissue away without boiling. Because we run the colonies ourselves, we control the timing rather than waiting on an outside service.
  3. Degreasing. Bone holds oil, and oil is what turns a skull yellow a year or two down the road. Every skull we do is degreased before it is whitened.
  4. Whitening. Skulls are whitened after degreasing, with antlers protected so their colour stays natural.
  5. Mounting. Custom panel and display options are available if you want the skull finished on something other than a plain hanger.

What we take, and what we don’t

We handle whitetail and mule deer, black bear, pronghorn antelope, wild boar and domestic hog, and small game. We do not offer European mounts for elk or moose. Pricing is listed above; add $50 if you want the lower jaw included.

Getting your skull to us

both locations take walk-ins during business hours and no appointment is needed. Bring the head in fresh or frozen — the sooner it reaches us the better the result, particularly in warm weather.

Out-of-state hunters ship specimens to us regularly. Read our shipping instructions before you send anything, or our pre-hunt planning guide if the hunt hasn’t happened yet.

European skull mounts near you in Wisconsin

Stehling’s has been doing this since 1978 and now runs two Wisconsin locations. Our Jefferson flagship at 913 North Parkway Street is convenient for hunters around Jefferson, Dodge, Waukesha, Dane, Rock and Walworth counties — Watertown, Fort Atkinson, Whitewater, Johnson Creek, Madison and the Milwaukee suburbs. Our New Franken showroom at 3861 Algoma Road sits just east of Green Bay and serves Brown, Kewaunee, Door, Oconto and Outagamie counties.

Either studio can take your skull. If you are not sure which is closer or what your project will cost, get in touch for a free quote.


Euro Mount vs. Boil vs. Beetles: Why It Matters

Hunters ask us every fall whether they should do their own euro mount. You can: bury the head, submerge the skull in a simmering pot for hours, or use a maceration bucket. All of those work sometimes. Boiling shrinks and cracks thin bone around the nose and eye sockets, burying loses teeth and small bones, and a home whitening job usually yellows within a year because the skull was never degreased. Our dermestid beetles clean without heat, the skull is degreased before it is whitened, and the finished European mount stays white. For a $275 whitetail euro mount, most hunters decide the trophy is worth doing once, properly.

European Mount Pricing by Species

Species Price
Whitetail or mule deer European mount $275
Antelope $275
Bear $275
Wild boar or domestic hog $350
Small game (coyote, fox, bobcat, mountain lion) $150
Lower jaw included +$50
Plaques, panels, camo dip, hydro-dip finishes Quote on request

We do not offer European mounts for elk or moose. Pay in full, 50/50, three installments, or monthly through our Easy 8 Payment Plan. See the full price list.

European Mount FAQ

How much does a European mount cost?

$275 for a whitetail, mule deer, antelope, or bear skull at Stehling’s Taxidermy, $350 for a boar, and $150 for small game. Add $50 to include the lower jaw.

How long does a euro mount take?

European mounts run faster than full mounts because there is no tanning. Ask when you drop off; they are often ready in a few months.

Can I bring a skull that I already boiled or buried?

Yes. We can usually degrease and whiten a skull you started, and repair minor cracks. Bring it in and we will take a look.

Do you do European mounts for whitetail bucks in velvet?

Yes. We can preserve the velvet on the antlers while the skull is cleaned, or strip it if you prefer a hard-antler look. Velvet-antler freeze-drying is available only as part of a mount completed by our studio. We do not offer standalone freeze-drying services.

Related Mounts