Well, this did not work out quite like I planned.
Last year, I went deer hunting for the first time ever. My first morning out, I shot a nice buck.
Not that I'm all about bragging or things like that, but I figured I might as well at least try to preserve the antlers. To do so, I decided just to do a "skull mount." Basically, this is the probably the cheapest and easiest way to do it.
MY ATTEMPT
I thought that just by hanging the head up in a tree, I would be able to get the desired effect. Once everything dried or rotted, I planned on removing the rest and just having the skull with the antlers on it, but there was one thing that I did not account for...
This is the culprit... well, not the exact one, but I know that squirrels are behind it. Since they are rodents, they need to gnaw to keep their teeth trimmed. Also, antlers and bones contain Calcium, which they need. Often, they will dispose of the bones after the scavengers eat the flesh and the bugs remove the rest when an animal dies in the forest. Mice, rabbits, and other rodents join in as well, but since mine was up in a tree, I'm not going to blame the wild rabbits.
Thankfully, none of the antlers were chewed all the through. They are nibbled up to be sure, but still basically "intact." In the end, maybe it just adds more character to the skull mount.
Sure, some of it's "former glory" has been removed, but now there is even more of a story to tell, and a lesson to be learned as well. I think that one day it'll hang on a wall of our house, we will just have to build it first. The mount should look similar to the cover image, which is of a skull I found in the wild, but the rack will be bigger and more gnawed up! Lesson learned guys, learn from my mistakes.!
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-gnawed-antlers
Until next time…
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What I've been doing, that a buddy taught me when I first started hunting a couple years ago, is burying the head for several months. The first one I dug up late the following spring and still had some brain goo to clean up. The second one, well, I keep forgetting to dig up, and should probably do that soon...
So I dug it up yesterday, and probably should have dug all the way around where the skull was first. Instead when I hit the antlers I used them to wriggle the rest out of the ground, and it looks like most of the skull broke away, which is disappointing, but not a huge deal. Now it just needs a little cleaning up.
I like hunting
Next time you could try the proper way: you cut off as much of the flesh as possible, remove the brain and then boil the skull, until the remaining tissue falls off. That takes a while, but at least no squirrels will jump into the boiling water to get to the skull. :)
Good point, might have to be proper next time.
It may be worth concidering it, even if its a bit more work. But it also prevents that the thing gets smelly if you hang it up inside the house. Its how the pros do it.
We've gone a slightly different route on head mounts.
We (wife, father-in-law and I) place the skull in a bucket of water for a few weeks (antlers out of the water of course)
Still a bit of a mess to clean out the vicera (eyes, skin, etc) but its fairly quick and efficient at cleaning off the skull.
Merry Christmas!
Might try that next time, as long as there are no squirrels on the bucket.
The case of the -gnawed-antlers! Thanks for sharing @pappa-pepper have a great holiday season ;)
Hey@road2wisdom hope all is well with you and Merry Christmas!
I congratulate you on catching very sweet pose
Good hunting! I think that way that skull looks more unique. It’s probably better this way don’t you think?
I can think it's better this way.
Those bushy tailed rodents are vicious, with sharp pointy teeth that will bite clear through your finger (through the leather glove)
And they will nibble on all sorts of things you wouldn't expect them to.
Yeah, from garden hoses to just about anything else. I once saw a lag cabin where a squirrel spent the winter... A real disaster.
Or you could put it back in the tree for other squirrels etc to gnaw on and swing the next one between two trees.
Isn't critters so awesome, they clean and use everything on this blue planet ;-)
At least there is lesson to learn . thanks for sharing @papa-pepper
That's cute....I had a pet rabbit once who used to bite into my phone chargers :D
hmmmm....never hunted, dont know what its like to kill an animal besides a roach or something
awesome animal blog post you sharing for steemit user @papa-pepper
we hang our from the clothes line
the deer I shot with a bow.
Cool, looks nice and good idea.
Thanks and Merry Christmas Eve to you and your wonderful family!
I recently watched this video on using an ant hill to clean a skull. It sounds like despite the squirrels, your method probably worked better.
I learned something today. I would not have thought of that either but it makes sense. I had an ex who sucked the marrow out of chicken bones. I can relate.
It was worth a shot doing it this way. However, you are right it provides a bit more to the story when people ask about it. It also gives the buck skull a bit for character and uniqueness.
Myself, on the other hand, would have had no idea on how to go about this project. Learn something new everyday!
Thank you.
That was a nice buck, sorry to hear the antlers got chewed on. Just goes to show you cant trust a squirrel.
I'll get over it, but you're right about those fuzzy tailed tree rats.
My brother-in-law and I hung pronghorn heads from trees in his yard and had a better outcome. Maybe cause we hung them from nylon cord? Not sure, but we ended up with good “English mounts.”
Nice!
Sometimes the coincidences often look unique. But if something is not so. Congratulations and success for you friend 😎😎😎
Papa, I noticed you are chillin out there in Arkansas. I've been noticing a few homesteaders I've been running across have been moving out there. Is the land and law structure a great deal in the state?
I think that it fit well with our goals, and seems to be working for us.
Good post! I like hunting expendition too, wish you good hunting outing. I follow and upvote you.
Have some squirrel stew ;)
thanks for sharing this papa pepper
I think the damage can be readjusted using plaster of paris
its gonna make it look much more better
What little brats!!
Glad you caught the culprit.(one of them anyway)
peace |/,,
So nice