Dead Head Restoration

[robie]

A little background. My family has about 75 acres that I've been feeding deer on over the last 8 years. I had this guy on trail cameras up until August when he stopped coming in. I was worried that something happened to him but hopeful he changed his patters early. This weekend I found his deadhead.

I am contemplating trying to get a taxi to restore him. Not sure what that would cost or if it would be worth it. This is by far the biggest deer I've ever caught on camera and was more than little sad to see him end up this way.

Anyone ever had a taxi to do this big of a restoration job?

Here is one of the last living pictures I have of him and whats left of him.

[DTala]

I'l bet it died of EHD given the time of year.

You will have to fin a taxidermist that can do that type of work, not all can do it. Good luck.

[Mac5dawg]

Me personally, I would not do anything to it besides euro mount him. I shot a nice 10 with a broken G2 and thought about having a taxi replicate the horn but decided that it needed to stay the way it was when I killed it. My BIL ran over his buck while we were trailing it in high grass and broke off a horn and he had it fixed, to me in his scenario it made sense to fix it since it happened after the kill. Just my 2 cents, good luck with the project.

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[Dry Bones]

That deer had been dead a while, not sure the EHD has anything to do with it. Could have been an early season bad hit. The mice, and squirrels have done a job on his rack for sure. I don't know what it would cost, but I bet it could be done if you really wanted it.

[flywise]

I think that skull is his daddy
Looks years old to me

[Tony Pic]

The Texas sun can really beat up bone laying out in the open. I'd let it soak wrapped in a peroxide solution for a few days. Get a piece of barn wood and mount.

[Uncle Saggy]

I would definitely euro as is

[buckfan50]

I have a taxidermist that I do hydrographics for. He's out of Tomball and he does fix horns but I don't know the cost. PM me and I'll send you his number. You could also have the skull dipped!

[robie]

I think that skull is his daddy
Looks years old to me

Its the same deer. Split G2 on one side. Long odd looking brow tines and a very wide G3 on the drivers side.

[Big pig]

Shame. I would just frame a nice 8x10 of your best trail cam photo.
If they weren’t chewed I would restore.
Amazing how many of the biggest bucks are found dead.
Long gauntlet of Long extended seasons, poachers, coyotes, rut, other bucks, and cars.

BP

[robie]

That deer had been dead a while, not sure the EHD has anything to do with it. Could have been an early season bad hit. The mice, and squirrels have done a job on his rack for sure. I don't know what it would cost, but I bet it could be done if you really wanted it.

I'm guessing he's been laying there since August. If it was a bad hit it was an illegal one, which is possible. Not many deer this size in my area.

Also could have been a car, found him somewhat close to a road.

[macguyverberry]

I think that skull is his daddy
Looks years old to me

I have to agree here. The wear and tear on the dead head you found seems excessive for a deer that has been dead for 6 months max.

OP what time of year did your bucks shed their velvet this year? The skull you found implies that velvet was mostly likely stripped prior to death, that may help establish a timeline.

Regardless, I think your "original deer" per your photo is still alive or dead somewhere else. I found a dead head in south Texas this past spring that still had some flesh and color in the antlers in it. Based off of that I can't see your dead head and your pictured deer are the same.

[BobbyJoe]

I think that skull is his daddy
Looks years old to me

^^this.

[robie]

I would like to believe they are different deer. But I've only ever seen one deer on my cameras that looked anywhere close to this and I've walked the property this summer and he was laying in a very obvious open spot. He has a small amount of meat bits attached to his skull and the coloration of the bones is similar to what I see from a Hog i shot in Sept/Oct. I'm assuming he's been dead since middle/late August which is about when they shed their velvet.

The head was found below a tank near a wash. With the high amount of rainfall this year he could have had running water over the top of him several times.


Sad to find him this way but I think i will just hang him in my garage the way I found him and hope he bred a few does along the way.

[louieagarcia]

I agree with others saying that those look quite "weathered".
Would it be possible they are sheds from a previous season?