# Processing shark jaw



## jnjplus6 (May 25, 2007)

It wasn't a spectactular weekend, but did catch a couple of good size shark...was wondering on what is the best way to process the jaw cartilage to save them....tried boiling and it was ugly. It would be great to head how to do them the right way!!! My kids would love to see the jaws on the wall after we had worked so hard to see them in our boat. Thanks in advance!!!!!!!


Jen in Sealy


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## Batboy0068 (Oct 10, 2006)

Pics we need pics


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## jnjplus6 (May 25, 2007)

Haven't down loaded yet, but since they were legal size, let me kiddo keep it. Just thought we'd start collecting the jaws on the wall for the to see how they grow with the kids. Hope no one is angry about that.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Please don't keep too many of certain species, just keep a few blacktips or sharpnose for eating per year and maybe a bull here and there. Many of these toothy critters have some high pressure on their populations. It's OK to keep some but please don't do it excessively. 

Having said that, yes please post up the pictures.


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## lunkerbrad (Feb 17, 2007)

justletmein said:


> Please don't keep too many of certain species, just keep a few blacktips or sharpnose for eating per year and maybe a bull here and there. Many of these toothy critters have some high pressure on their populations. It's OK to keep some but please don't do it excessively.
> 
> Having said that, yes please post up the pictures.


 no pictures of dead sharks heads please.


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## TMWTim (Jan 20, 2007)

*Mayor Vaughn*: Any special questions? 
*Denherder*: Uh, is that $3000 bounty on the shark in cash or check? 
[_the townspeople laugh_] 
*Mrs. Taft*: I don't think that's funny. I don't think that's funny at all, I'm sorry


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## Ckill (Mar 9, 2007)

lunkerbrad said:


> no pictures of dead sharks heads please.


What are you doing on a fishing site? Seriously, these comments are ridiculous. Its like a bunch of city boys come here and thinking they are fisherman but don't want to hurt anything. This is a fishing site things get killed, bloody, eaten ect. If this upsets your sensitive stomach, maybe another hobie is in order? I have no clue if you are from the city or country it does not matter. I call you that because it just sounds like you don't know any better. Things die it happens.

Congrats on your sharks I wish I could give you some tips about the jaws.


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## bullfishin (Apr 26, 2007)

Lunkerbrad love Sharkheads


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## lunkerbrad (Feb 17, 2007)

Ckill said:


> What are you doing on a fishing site? Seriously, these comments are ridiculous. Its like a bunch of city boys come here and thinking they are fisherman but don't want to hurt anything. This is a fishing site things get killed, bloody, eaten ect. If this upsets your sensitive stomach, maybe another hobie is in order? I have no clue if you are from the city or country it does not matter. I call you that because it just sounds like you don't know any better. Things die it happens.
> 
> Congrats on your sharks I wish I could give you some tips about the jaws.


it was a joke for justletmein . he got mad at me lastweek for posting a pic of a 170 pound 7foot 2 bull shark..dead . im with you brother


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## rodwade (Feb 13, 2007)

The bull sharks are not endangered and the research I've read states they are actually doing quite well.


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## Ckill (Mar 9, 2007)

Dang it I keep getting so freaking annoyed with all the people that complain and moan and I never say anything......then I do and its to the wrong person. LOL Sorry to 'call you out' all you other 'sissies' read my post. LOL


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## FISHGUTS (Jun 5, 2007)

can somebody pass the popcorn?


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

congrats on your catch. Dont know how to do the jaws either messed up a good set last year.


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## Fish-a-mon (May 21, 2004)

I would take the Jaws and put something between the teeth to open them. Then place them in an ant bed. They will clean it for you. Then take it and put in some proxide and then let it dry out. They should be white after this. Mount to a board and be done with it.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

Put them in a container with water and out in the sun, let it sit so bacteria will eat off all the meat. After a week or so take them out and hose away all the excess. Buy concentrated proxide and cover the jaw and let it sit for about a day. Then rinse off the proxide and put the jaw in a water baking soda mix to neutralize the proxide. If you dont do the last part, the proxide will eat the bone and teeth.


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## bullfishin (Apr 26, 2007)

I got these before I discovered forums, couldn't find out nothing. Not even from the taxidermists I know. What i did was cut off as much as I could, put em in a bucket, salted them a little and hung the bucket from a tree and let the flies and maggots go at them for about a month. Took them out and cut off some more. Only a few maggots left by then. Put them back and repeated till I got enough off they quit stinking. The bucket rained full twice in the middle of all this. I just poured it out, put the stick back(too hold em open) and they dried out real fast each time. The whole time I just knew I'd ruined them. As you can see in the close up there's alot of hide still on them. Every now and then I used too hack at them while I was fishing but now I like em just like they are.BTW they're from a 6'0 105# BULL caught at MOB almost 3 yrs ago.

My fishing partner has done two smaller ones since and he used a fillet knife (while the shark was still fresh)to remove as much as possible. Then he used a single blade razor and let me tell you he shined them up clean as a whistle. No bleach no nothing, hung em up and let em dry. Only took him a couple of days. He just scraped and cut untill all the unwanted hide was gone. I highly recommend his method over mine.

They ended up on my rearview mirror about a year ago and there they'll stay. The chicks dig em,especially good conversation piece at drive thrus.

Hope this helps


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## mrs puddle shuttle (May 4, 2007)

I would not recommend leaving them in water (or peroxide) for any extended period of time. All I did with mine was to cut as much of the red meat away as possible (I use a scalpel) and propped them open with a stick then lay them out on a board to dry. I would also not recommend putting them in an ant pile. If you end up with maggots, you left too much meat on them. Good Luck. 

Not sure that I would use them as a chick magnet like 'bullfishin' does.


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## CypressTexas (Jan 2, 2005)

mrs puddle shuttle said:


> Not sure that I would use them as a chick magnet like 'bullfishin' does.


LMAO.......now that's hardcore :biggrin:


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

lunkerbrad said:


> it was a joke for justletmein . he got mad at me lastweek for posting a pic of a 170 pound 7foot 2 bull shark..dead . im with you brother


No I absolutely did not! Some others maybe, but not me.

This was my *only* post in your shark thread: 


justletmein said:


> Usually lemon juice concoction, but I'd like to hear what he does also for reference. Most important thing is to bleed them out properly and clean them immediately.


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## CypressTexas (Jan 2, 2005)

I saw this on one of the sites awhile back. Maybe this will work. :question: :question: :question: :question: 

Cleaning shark jaws

1. Get as much of the meat off that you can.
2. Place it in a freezer bag and fill it with hydrogen peroxide.
3. Place it into the frig for a week.
4. Take it out pry it as far apart as you can and place a stick in between the jaws.
(make sure the stick want fall out)
5. Hang it out to dry in the sun for about a week or so.
6. After that you can clean it up and spray it with a sealer if you like.


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## TomCat (Jan 6, 2006)

I haven't cut out a shark jaw in years. 

All I ever did was clean it as best I could with a sharp pocket knife and prop it open with a stick. Then throw it on top of the house and leave it in the sun for a month or so. The sun will bleach it and dry it out. 
Good luck.


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## CrazyYak (Mar 16, 2005)

Ckill said:


> Dang it I keep getting so freaking annoyed with all the people that complain and moan and I never say anything......then I do and its to the wrong person. LOL Sorry to 'call you out' all you other 'sissies' read my post. LOL


There's nothing wrong with being a good steward of our fishing resources. Public display of Shark Heads / Jaws may send the wrong message to other fisherman or anyone for that matter. There's pleanty of Sharks in the GOM and some would just like to keep it that way. Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with keeping a Shark as long as it's not wasted. But if / when you do keep a Shark I wouldn't recommend strapping it or the head to the hood of your vehicle and parading it down main street...


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## galvetraz (Nov 29, 2005)

I knew that head pic would cause controversy...

I boiled mine (mistake) then put a stick in the jaws and put it in a ant pile. Put a bucket over the pile to discourage local rodents. wait a week or two then remove and trim undesirable areas. Then burry it in salt filled container for a week or two. I've preserved snake skins and heads with salt.


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## mrs puddle shuttle (May 4, 2007)

jnjplus6- Here you go. Finally figured out how to post a picture.


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## Viking48 (Jan 24, 2006)

lunkerbrad said:


> it was a joke for justletmein . he got mad at me lastweek for posting a pic of a 170 pound 7foot 2 bull shark..dead . im with you brother


So are you holding up a 170# shark unassisted *SIR*??? Don't think I'd call you sissified.


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## Cylinder (Oct 8, 2006)

Very nice set there, Mrs. PS. And the Jaws look great too! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Like you said, clean them as thoroughtly as you can when they are fresh with a filet knife or razor blade. Use two sticks to hold the jaws in the position that you want. The jaws will get too narrow if you don't reinforce the sides. Let them hang outside from a tree branch, swing set or anything that some varmit can't get to. And make sure it's as far away from where you spend any time because they will stink!! I've done many sets that way with no problems. The only set I every ruined was a 9'+ Lemon that I left in a bucket of water.


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## Jameyk (Dec 26, 2005)

I'm a taxidermist and this how I do it. Please read all these directions before you try following them, and whether or not you use this method, dont stick it in an antpile and ruin your jaws

First remove the jaws and as much meat and fat as possible. Be care full around the joint where the top and lower jaw connect. That fat will remain there and hold the jaws together

Then place the jaws in a large pot with plenty of water to cover them. Toss in a hand full of salt and half a scoop of dry laundry detergent, and bring to a boil. AS SOON AS YOUR WATER IS BOILING TAKE IT OFF THE HEAT. There seems to be a nationwide misconseption that if you boil something long enough the meat will all magically fall off. This is not true with skulls and it is not true with jaws. 

Now you will need a bucket of warm tap water, a sharp knife, a sheet pan and a board. Remove the jaws and proceed with removing the remaining meat and flesh. You will notice that as the jaws start to dry they will become incredibly sticky. Keep wetting your hands and tools in the warm water to keep from having the jaws and teeth stick to you. Again leave a small amount of fat in the joints to hold the jaws together. Also be carefull scrapingthe fat near the teeth. The teeth sit in a fatty membrane and can come out very easily when the jaws are in this condition.

Once you feel they are clean enough, place them on the sheet pan using a board or aluminum foil to prop up the jaws in the right shape. At this point the jaws are so flimsy from being cooked that they need to be proped up in their desired shape. If any joints have broken apart just make sure they are touching at this point and they will dry back together.When the jaws are all proped in place, place them in a 150 degree oven ( if your oven has a warm setting that works well too) for a while to dry them out. When they are dry they will be a solid white instead of translucent and they should no longer be sticky. If you want, let them cool and spray with a sealer.

Hope this works out for you, and let me know if you need any more help.

JameyK


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## chum bucket (Feb 22, 2007)

hey thanks for the info jameyk I would not try thr ant bed thing becauce you want have nothing but teeth left. and that is a nice set PS


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## mrs puddle shuttle (May 4, 2007)

Dang, Cylinder. I told my husband I thought that picture was too racy to post on this forum! He insisted. You don't know how hard it is in life to be taken seriously when you have a package like that! That is all men pay attention to! LOL.


Jameyk- I too have been in taxidermy (for almost 20 years) and I would never recommend boiling or baking. No offense, just needed to put in my 2 cents.


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## manihaack (Mar 12, 2007)

Spoken like a true sportsman!


Ckill said:


> What are you doing on a fishing site? Seriously, these comments are ridiculous. Its like a bunch of city boys come here and thinking they are fisherman but don't want to hurt anything. This is a fishing site things get killed, bloody, eaten ect. If this upsets your sensitive stomach, maybe another hobie is in order? I have no clue if you are from the city or country it does not matter. I call you that because it just sounds like you don't know any better. Things die it happens.
> 
> Congrats on your sharks I wish I could give you some tips about the jaws.


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## texan52 (Sep 7, 2004)

Mrs. P..........I noticed the package! Nice set of teeth also.......


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## joe martin (Jun 13, 2006)

Alot of good ideas there, I will try one or two of them in the future. How ever all I do is trim all the meat you can and drop them in a large jar of peroxide for 1 to 2 days and pull them out. then I lay them out, teeth down and open on an old towel, let them dry and you have hard and white teeth. I have some sets that are 5 years old and they are still white and hard.


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## big_zugie (Mar 14, 2006)

eh i work in taxidermy also we use some of our reptile stuff for the jaws. theres many different ways to do it. and if i do remember in jaws they are boiling them haha. i dont see anything wrong with boiling the jaws at all.


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## mrs puddle shuttle (May 4, 2007)

Then, by all means....boil away!


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## Jameyk (Dec 26, 2005)

The boiling can diffinitely be tricky stuff. And it takes some delicate hands and a lot of getting used to to work with jaws when they are in a sticky and flimsy state like that. First time I tryed it I left it on the heat to long. I think a had a jaw in 4 pieces and teeth stuck to me everywhere, so just remember as soon as that water bubbles take it off the heat. As far as baking, all 100 to 150 degrees can do is toast bread but not brown it. I just use the oven to what the sun would do for me, but that way I don't have to worry about bugs, rats, or racoons messing with my trophy. But this is just my method. As with any thing in taxidermy theres about a thousand ways to get the same end result, and I have enjoyed hearing all these proceedures. I've tryed a lot of the methods discussed earlier and didn't like the results I got so I developed my own that works for me, but if you've got something you've perfected and works for you I say stick with it.


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## big_zugie (Mar 14, 2006)

weve got about 600 differnt ways to try it now ha they all work just depends on how you much patience and quality you want to have with it


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## mrs puddle shuttle (May 4, 2007)

*Appolgies to Jameyk*

Jameyk...My appologies to you sir for my stubborness. After discussing with my husband, I realize that I was being a bit closed minded and that your idea isn't such a bad one. When I first got into taxidermy, I used to laugh at the old farts that thought that there was only ONE WAY to do things. There was no way some young whipper-snapper was going to come into his business and try to tell him that there was more that one way to skin a cat...literallly. Well, I realize now that I am that "old fart" (lol) and that there is more than one way to skin a cat and process shark jaws. So, I am sorry for jumping the gun. I am woman enough to admit when I am wrong. Now, if you will excuse me, my husband just passed out from laughing too hard. Someone call a medic...LOL.


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## Jameyk (Dec 26, 2005)

Oh, no harm done


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