3 buck skulls in 5 mins

[Tsmola]

It always happens when I least expect it. Today I'm out geocaching in a park about 20 miles from home, and find this cache hidden near this big, abandonded barn standing in the middle of the woods in this park. Well, me loving to explore abandonded structures, I automatically went over to check it out. I found more than I was expecting! As I walked up I looked down and saw a small buck skull and little stub of antler, smaller than the one I found back in winter this year. I thought....wow must be my lucky day, as I'm getting set to take the as it was found photo, I catch the glimpse of a main beam about 15 ft in front of me, a second, larger skull and antlers! Not much larger, but still a skull and antlers, then I realized what I had found, this was an old deer dumping spot. The bones of dozens of whitetails were scattered about, a few were bucks with antlers sawed off, but most were does. Why they left these two laying right out in the open I have no idea. Since I wanted to explore the barn more, I left them and entered the nearest door. Inside I found a third buck, this one mummified with an 11-year old archery tag attached to it.

Needless to say, since it appeared to be abandonded I took all 3. I sawed off the antlers of the mummified buck, I don't feel like trying to save it's skull. I broke them off individually at the skull plate. The largest buck I've got him soaking in water with baking soda and soap to whiten the skull up a bit.

The fact that this was in a public park and there was sign of people partying back here, I was shocked these were still there!

The first one I found

the second and largest

the third, mummified one

I'm gonna go back there sometime in the future and scrounge around and see if there are anymore, at least then the antlers can be admired and enjoyed rather than sit in the woods and rot.

I almost didn't take the mummified one, but then I thought, what am I thinking?!!? The fact the tag was 11 years old was enough to convince me the previous owner didn't want it anyway. I've found sites like this before, but never one with this many bones, and never before have I found one where someone left antlers behind.

Anyone else ever come across a dumping site like this where even antlers were left behind? I don't get it.

 

[deershed]

Congrats on a good day!!

There's a few spots around here guys like to get rid of ribs and hides.Mostly you'll find doe and buck that have the antlers sawed off.Every now and then you'll find a small buck with antlers still attached.
There's a farm I shed hunt on that dumps the unwanted remains of the deer they harvest on the back side of the property.The first time I came across these dumping grounds there were 6 buck skulls with the antlers still on.In the bunch there was a small 8 and 10 pointer.

btw-have I been banned from shedanters.net?

I go to log-in and it's says I need a valid username or something like that??

 

[Tsmola]

thanks deershed, no you haven't been banned, there seems to be some problems with the message board, it's been up since around 2001 on a free tripod account, it might be time to finally get a new board if these problems don't clear up. I wasn't even aware there was any trouble, I don't hit the hunting sites too much this time of year.

 

[fossilman]

When I lived in Montana I became friends with a guy that drove the state dump truck,it was his job to pick up roadkill..
Let me tell you my friends,he told me were to find the disposal place,what a find...
Deer of every class and size........Whitetail,mulie,antelope and a few elk once in awhile....Stunk to high heaven though......but did take home some prized horn's of all sizes...

 

[Tsmola]

yup thanks, here's some better photos, I'm trying to whiten up the largest one as much as I can, it must be a more recent kill than the others because it has an odor to it still so I'm using lots of dish soap and baking powder to try and whiten it up and clean it. The photo below is after 1 night soak and drying, it went right back into soaking in new water and with the baking soda piled on after this:

My mom's comment was what are you going to do with that? Well, I don't have an answer....sit it on my dresser I guess...you can't understand if you don't do it I guess. Anyway, of the 3 this little guy is my favorite, I don't know why, I guess it's because I've seen so many bucks that look just like this guy, I've passed a lot like this up actually, I dunno, I just like the look of it. I'm going to try to whiten this up more than the 9 pointer I did a few years ago.

These are the other two, the half spike has it's right antler completely eaten away, the opposite of the buck I found in the winter that had most of it's left antler eaten away. I did nothing to that skull except rinse the mud off it in the hose, this one has been out there a while, and the stains and chew marks on it add to it's character, so I'm gonna leave this one as is. The other 2 antlers are off the mummified buck, I accidentally broke the skull plate sawing it off, oh well...

This makes 4 dead buck finds in 2006 for me, which is a record in my case. My previous best year, counting every piece of antler I found was 3. 2 on the 9 point and the broken piece of shed.

Now if I can just find some that are NOT attached!!

fossilman, I've heard of places like that before, not quite so sure I would go in there though.....

 

[MULIES4EVER]

Try hydrogen peroxide. I use this after cleaning skulls. submerge skull but not antlers. It will look great after soaking over night.