Burying Heads

[Klenchblaize]

I’ve seen a few Germanic roe heads (skulls) that for all the world appear to have been polished and exhibit an ivory-like finish. Is this actually a result of spraying with a resin-like solution?

K

 

[VSS]

I’ve seen a few Germanic roe heads (skulls) that for all the world appear to have been polished and exhibit an ivory-like finish. Is this actually a result of spraying with a resin-like solution?

K

Were they actually real heads, or prosthetics used for displaying cast antlers? They're made from some kind of resin I guess, so might explain the unnatural finish you observed?
I'm only speculating here, as I've never really had a look at them close up.

 

[hendrix's rifle]

The biggest challenge when burying a head is to find a way to avoid damaging the antler patina.

K

I found the biggest challenge when burying a very nice CWD head was stopping something running away with the bloody thing after it dug it out

 

[dryan]

Whilst living back at my home house I buried a fallow prickett (1st I ever shot) in the suburban garden.

Went out 6 months later to dig it up to find a hole and no skull. I can only imagine the horror on the face of some Bramhall housewife as she opened the curtains one morning to find a rotten deer head on her lawn.

These days I just hang them on a tree, I put a large fallow on top of the tin wood shed and he cleaned out nicely over a year. Not many foxes out the back of my house though

 

[martin-stalker]

How long do people normally bury them for?
I buried a couple as an experiment a fair few
Months ago and still not clean on brain ect.

 

[pete evans]

It’s so easy to skin boil pressure wash and bleach. Not sure buried head any advantage and probably not as white at the end

 

[teflon]

I just boiled the head of a roe i shot last week, first one i've done. It had been in water since i shot it ( changed 3 times) and i gave it 40 minutes simmer with some soda crystals and a little washing up liquid to help with the fat/grease & the smell. The skin came off quite easily before boiling it and then another 20 mins with a knife and the pressure washer when it came out. Theres a couple of tiny bits of flesh left that im struggling to pick out so ive buried it in the garden for a week to completely clean it for a week. I've read about the bacteria thats in the water before, so i ended up with a full apron on, arm length rubber gloves, glasses & a face mask on for the process. Straight under a piping hot shower afterwards made me feel clean again, blown my nose a dozen times but im getting the occasional funky whiff . Is this a smell that i'm supposed to get used to?

 

[VSS]

, so i ended up with a full apron on, arm length rubber gloves, glasses & a face mask on for the process.

Is that bit of your story actually true, or are you winding us up?

 

[teflon]

Is that bit of your story actually true, or are you winding us up?

No, twas merely an attempt at humour. Although I'm deadly serious about the smell.

 

[VSS]

No, twas merely an attempt at humour. Although I'm deadly serious about the smell.

The smell is fine if you add a couple of carrots, an onion, a pinch of mixed herbs and quarter of a teaspoon of salt.

 

[tonyshooter]

A pal used to bury deer heads in ant hills, this was his way of getting them rapidly prepared for mounting !

 

[Sol]

I’ve seen a few Germanic roe heads (skulls) that for all the world appear to have been polished and exhibit an ivory-like finish. Is this actually a result of spraying with a resin-like solution?

K

Paraloid b-72 resin if I were to guess, Its a popular suggestion for skulls that have had bleach (NaClO) used on them to stabilize bone, though same time It gives them a really nice 'premium' shine too.

 

[Overlay]

I found the biggest challenge when burying a very nice CWD head was stopping something running away with the bloody thing after it dug it out

You must be the proud owner of a teckle or two

 

[Antonyweeks]

I bury the heads I take that I find interesting. The skinning, boiling then pressure washing (during which I cover myself and everything around me with inordinate amounts of gore) drove me mad - and my wife when she'd find the patio table covered in millions of specs of deer oomsk.
I bury the heads in normal soil for about 3-4 months (quicker in the summer) and then remove, wash off and that's it. I always leave the antlers sticking out of the soil as it helps me find the blighters later on. Anyway, I quite like the brownish patina that develops. I've bleached a few but prefer the 'natural' look. The antler colour usually stays the same. Occasionally I forget how long a head has been in there and dig it up early at which point it looks like something from The Walking Dead....

 

[Brittany boy]

I have tried hanging the heads from trees and let the flies do their thing, if left long enough they get reasonably clean and the foxes etc can’t run off with them.