How to Clean the Carcass of a Buffalo Head

Remove Tissue

• 1

  Skin the buffalo's head and remove most of the flesh on the outside of the skull. You may use any one of a variety of knives or scalpels, including dental instruments, to pull the tissue from the skull. You do not need to remove all of the tissue. However, the more you can remove the faster you will be able to complete the cleaning process of the buffalo head. Do not scrape against the skull with too much force as you skin the flesh.

• 2

  Soak the skinned head in warm water overnight. The water will soften the brain and other tissue inside the buffalo's head in preparation for removal.

• 3

  Remove as much of the animal's brain as possible by scrambling it with a wire that has a loop on the end. Insert the wire into the brain cavity and begin moving it around in the brain with a mixing or stirring motion to break up the water soaked matter and pull it out of the skull.

Clean the Head

• 4

  Soak the skull in water until the flesh has entirely been removed from the head. The water will loosen the flesh and tissue still remaining after you have skinned the outside and removed the inside matter of the skull. The time required to remove all of the flesh will vary depending on the size of the skull and the temperature of the water. The ideal water temperature to remove all remaining flesh is 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This process may take anywhere from several days to several weeks. Add two tablespoons of enzyme laundry detergent per gallon of water used to de-grease the skull and replace the water periodically by pouring it through a sieve or wire screen to catch any teeth that have come loose periodically in the cleaning process.

• 5

  Cook the skull in hot water to clean off any remaining flesh. Place the skull on a metal rack where possible to hold it stable and avoid it changing shape by leaning on an edge of the metal container it is being held in. Add enzyme laundry detergent to the water to degrease it. The amount of time it takes to boil the flesh from the head depends on the size of the skull. For larger and heavier skulls should be boiled while smaller skulls should only be simmered. When using this method, consider boiling the head for a period of time, removing any loose flesh and then repeating the process until the head is totally cleaned.

• 6

  Insert the head into a box full of beetles that belong to the genus Dermestes. These beetles feed on dried flesh and can effectively clean a skull. You can collect these bugs from a local university etymology lab, through an Internet search or from the decaying body of the buffalo you are cleaning. The bugs are most effective when they are in an environment that has a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The "bug box" used for this method can be any steel container you have available, including a steel drum, bucket or coffee can.