Build it and they will come. Awesome story and great deer, congrats!!
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First buck in 100 years…
- Thread starter IkemanTX
- Start date
IkemanTX
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Well… I did a poor job of prepping those two skulls for boil, and ended up boiling the heads too hot/long. The nose came apart on my family farm buck. I turned the head upside down on the antler tips and nose to try and scrape away some meat on the back of the skull and the bone gave way. Frustrated to say the least.
This is the second nose I have lost in the last few years, so I angrily went to Lowe’s for a pressure washer so it hopefully doesn’t happen to the second skull, and definitely doesn’t happen in the future.
Asked an associate to unlock the cage so I could grab one, and he said “let me check, I think we had one come in yesterday that the guy returned because he couldn’t figure out how to assemble it.” YEP!!!
And to top it off, they assembled it, filled it with oil, and put a little gas in it to verify that it would operate properly. So, I got an assembled and ready to go pressure washer (started on the first pull) for 55% off!
Things to remember in the future…
1.) do a MUCH better job trimming BEFORE boiling.
2.) remember to pop out the bone in the back of each side of the skull (below the ear connection) to make the meat in the back easier to remove and make cleaning inside the skull a breeze.
3.) DO NOT over boil
4.) empty the brain cavity first
And also, I will NEVER macerate before boiling again. The stench is unbearable. Either make space in the freezer, or buy as much ices as necessary to keep it fresh until you can boil. These heads have spent the last 2 weeks macerating in water because I had no freezer space and went straight from butchering to a large house project. Boiling a head with all that bacteria is indescribable.
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This is the second nose I have lost in the last few years, so I angrily went to Lowe’s for a pressure washer so it hopefully doesn’t happen to the second skull, and definitely doesn’t happen in the future.
Asked an associate to unlock the cage so I could grab one, and he said “let me check, I think we had one come in yesterday that the guy returned because he couldn’t figure out how to assemble it.” YEP!!!
And to top it off, they assembled it, filled it with oil, and put a little gas in it to verify that it would operate properly. So, I got an assembled and ready to go pressure washer (started on the first pull) for 55% off!
Things to remember in the future…
1.) do a MUCH better job trimming BEFORE boiling.
2.) remember to pop out the bone in the back of each side of the skull (below the ear connection) to make the meat in the back easier to remove and make cleaning inside the skull a breeze.
3.) DO NOT over boil
4.) empty the brain cavity first
And also, I will NEVER macerate before boiling again. The stench is unbearable. Either make space in the freezer, or buy as much ices as necessary to keep it fresh until you can boil. These heads have spent the last 2 weeks macerating in water because I had no freezer space and went straight from butchering to a large house project. Boiling a head with all that bacteria is indescribable.
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Hey buddy, I'm sure you are aware but you can superglue those nose bones back in and noone will ever be able to tell the difference! I just finished my 5th or 6th diy euro and I'm pretty happy with most of them!Well… I did a poor job of prepping those two skulls for boil, and ended up boiling the heads too hot/long. The nose came apart on my family farm buck. I turned the head upside down on the antler tips and nose to try and scrape away some meat on the back of the skull and the bone gave way. Frustrated to say the least.
This is the second nose I have lost in the last few years, so I angrily went to Lowe’s for a pressure washer so it hopefully doesn’t happen to the second skull, and definitely doesn’t happen in the future.
Asked an associate to unlock the cage so I could grab one, and he said “let me check, I think we had one come in yesterday that the guy returned because he couldn’t figure out how to assemble it.” YEP!!!
And to top it off, they assembled it, filled it with oil, and put a little gas in it to verify that it would operate properly. So, I got an assembled and ready to go pressure washer (started on the first pull) for 55% off!
Things to remember in the future…
1.) do a MUCH better job trimming BEFORE boiling.
2.) remember to pop out the bone in the back of each side of the skull (below the ear connection) to make the meat in the back easier to remove and make cleaning inside the skull a breeze.
3.) DO NOT over boil
4.) empty the brain cavity first
And also, I will NEVER macerate before boiling again. The stench is unbearable. Either make space in the freezer, or buy as much ices as necessary to keep it fresh until you can boil. These heads have spent the last 2 weeks macerating in water because I had no freezer space and went straight from butchering to a large house project. Boiling a head with all that bacteria is indescribable.
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IkemanTX
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Ya, the bone took a good bit is damage when it broke. I’m going to give it a go at piecing it back together, but if it looks too janky I will just own the mistake.
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Alright… not too bad on the repair. This is before whitening.
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Fixed up real nice Clark!
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The antlers on all your deer are SO dark. Are there not many hardwood trees in your hunting area for bucks to rub on?
IkemanTX
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They basically won’t touch the hardwoods. We have LOTS of eastern red cedar, and it stains the antlers up pretty good. I love a dark chocolate rack.
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Homebrew454
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I think the cedar is rubbed due to it leaves more scent behind. It's just my hypothesis based upon what I see where I hunt. I could be wrong though.
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IkemanTX
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Deer definitely chose aromatic woods when given the chance.
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IkemanTX
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I made it out to the farm today to mow the fire breaks for the burn I have planned later this winter. I was able to get the entire perimeter mowed, plus cut and remove some cedars from an interior fence corner that I cut through to extend the fire break through.
The red perimeter below is the fire unit.
My younger brother came out with his drone and took some pictures and videos while we were out there. It sure is nice being able to get such a different perspective.
This is about half way through cutting and removing cedars from this corner. That were by far the largest we have cut on the place so far.
The cut through ended up nicer than I could have hoped. I still need to take the trunks down to the dirt, but I will let my dad do that. It is his chainsaw, after all, and he has much more experience taking a flush cut that low without destroying the edge on a chain.
From the high perspective of the drone, the game trails REALLY pop. And I expect them to be even more obvious after the burn. It is nice to have the cattle off enough to know what actually is a game trail or not.
This is the area I am most focused on this year. The red area is where I am planting all of the native grass seed I have collected (from both the farm, and public land pieces I hunt). I have several gallons of tightly packed seed. Mostly Bluegrass, but several other species as well. The green is where I have planted 12 or so pounds of white oak acorns. That is several hundred, so even if I only end up with 1 or 2 percent success rate, I will have to thin to my liking.
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The red perimeter below is the fire unit.
My younger brother came out with his drone and took some pictures and videos while we were out there. It sure is nice being able to get such a different perspective.
This is about half way through cutting and removing cedars from this corner. That were by far the largest we have cut on the place so far.
The cut through ended up nicer than I could have hoped. I still need to take the trunks down to the dirt, but I will let my dad do that. It is his chainsaw, after all, and he has much more experience taking a flush cut that low without destroying the edge on a chain.
From the high perspective of the drone, the game trails REALLY pop. And I expect them to be even more obvious after the burn. It is nice to have the cattle off enough to know what actually is a game trail or not.
This is the area I am most focused on this year. The red area is where I am planting all of the native grass seed I have collected (from both the farm, and public land pieces I hunt). I have several gallons of tightly packed seed. Mostly Bluegrass, but several other species as well. The green is where I have planted 12 or so pounds of white oak acorns. That is several hundred, so even if I only end up with 1 or 2 percent success rate, I will have to thin to my liking.
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IkemanTX
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Well, I think I may have a target buck for next year if he can make a couple more weeks. This 8 has been pretty regular on the farm this fall. Almost all night time, or very near night time activity. Hopefully I can coax him into the daylight. I can’t imagine how nice he could be next year. That is a HECK of a buck for this area!
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Great write up on the restoration. I do some restoration work on public land, and restoring an entire vegetation community is really satisfying. Congratulations on the deer and vegetation.
IkemanTX
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That video I posted earlier had some footage of a hole I cut through an interior fence, and a video of a couple of the 9 or 10 cedar trees I removed to get equipment and a fire break through. The resident doe group wasted no time using it. This video is 12 hours after cutting the gap. They came through it to a ridge with white oaks, hit the feeder for about 10 minutes, and then passed back through it back to bed.
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