I'd like to hear a few informed or experienced opinions regarding a couple of questions, if I may.

First, warthog tusks. I am planning on filling the cavity in my tusks with epoxy resin, as suggested on several threads here, to protect them and hopefully prevent splitting. Once this is done, should I glue them in place on the skull, or is it advisable to leave them loose and removable for future maintenance?

Second, horns...specifically, horns on Euro skull mounts. Do they require any periodic maintenance or application of protectant? These Euros were professionally done, and they are my first experience with horns as opposed to antlers.

Thanks for any and all ideas!

It is up to you regarding the warthog tusks. If you ever want to take them out and show them to anyone, do not glue them in. If you want to secure them use Elmers glue and you can most likely break that bond if you ever wanted to. If you use epoxy they will likely never come out.

Dust your horns every now and then. If they look good now, do not put anything on them. Be warned that any oil will turn them dark black in color. If they are already black, a little oil or wax will not hurt them and will brighten them up a bit. Research Manikins sells a horn/antler conditioner cream that adds a nice luster.

Thanks, Grafton. After filling the tusks with resin, I fastened them into their sockets with a small glob of ductseal in the bottom of each one. You can pull them right out if need be, but they aren't flopping, wiggling and clicking in the meantime.

The horns look good, although some of them are quite black. I only realized it after reading your post and then looking at the trophy pics. I knew there was something a bit "off" about them, and your post makes me think that at some point they were oiled. It's only the two wildebeest skulls. The rest look very natural.

Thanks for your input!

Yeah, wildebeest horns are always blackened by the boiling process when they soak up the grease/fat in the pot. They tend to have a lot of fine cracks in them when they dry out too. Taxidermists that want to make the horns look more life like on shoulder/full mounts can restore and re color the horns using a variety of techniques (some do this, some do not). I almost never see it done with skull mounts as they are a different kind of trophy. I think the goals change from making it look like it did on the hoof, or "natural" to making it look nice.

As a side note, I have seen a number of horns spray painted black by the dip and pack company!