I shot an axis spike last year and I kinda wanted the skull but didn't want to pay a lot of money for a spike skull euro mount. I was going to boil it but I let the head sit for about four days and the hide turned to rubber. I tried to strip the ears and hide but after an hour and not much headway I decided to try burying the head and just see what happens. This was around the last week of December and I left the head outside for a few hours and let the flies land all over it. I then buried it on the side of my house, I laid the head on its side in the hole to where the side of the skull and horn were about 3 inches deep. Fast forward to today when I got around to digging it up. There was a fire ant hill about three feet away which may have helped. I very carefully dug it up and the skull was picked clean completely. No prep went into it I sawed off the head after quartering and threw it in the hole as is. Broke off a small piece at the very top of the nose that a little super glue will fix. I am thinking about bleaching but maybe leaving it as it is. Also it does not smell, except like dirt.
Climate and soil is Austin area and somewhat clay, very hard pack soil. I wasn't even sure the bugs would make it down there.
Climate and soil is Austin area and somewhat clay, very hard pack soil. I wasn't even sure the bugs would make it down there.
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