I had a cruddy experience right before Christmas. I was at a good friend's ranch who has given me hunting rights. This is a ranch about an hour northwest of Houston, not prime Texas deer country by any means. This is only the second season he's had the ranch of about 150 acres. I went out for a casual late afternoon, as we were expecting friends over for dinner. Mostly I went out to watch wildlife, with no ambittion to shoot a deer as I'd already put two in the freezer from another friend,s ranch. At last shooting light, I saw a buck chasing a doe, with good rack for this part of Texas. I took the shot at about 75 yards. It took a while to find the buck as it was now completely dark. It was an 8 point atypical with the antler branching out from an apparent injury early in antler development. As my freezer was well stocked, I helped my friend butcher the deer for his freezer. When I got home, I put the antlers in the front garden in an ant bed to clean up the skull plate for a day or so.

Well, what a Christmas eve! When I got home from work, the antlers were gone. This was certainly not a trophy in a conventional sense, but taking a decent buck from a small ranch, without the usual Texas lease or guide arrangement was lots of fun. What a bummer to lose this rack, which I had planned to mount on a neat plank of mesquite to give to my friend to start a collection of deer from this ranch. I have never wounded and lost an animal, but I realize now how depressing that would be. I felt mostly angry at myself for not putting this rack in a safe place, not realizing that a scumbag would walk away with this rack. I have no reservations about taking a doe or goofy spike for the freezer, or taking a nice rack and displaying it with proper respect.

It was a real sense of loss to take the life of this deer only to lose it to a low life. Live and learn. Bob

bobc, maybe it was carried off by some hungry animal. Or maybe Rudolph took 'em!

bobc

Maybe those ants were hungrier than you thought?

I too would suspect a Dog or Coyote if you have them. My neighbors Chessy drug some moose antlers into his backyard from my garage.

Maybe it's Rudoph. No critters around in this neighborhood (other than our outside cat), so I think it's a 2 legged varmint. Bob

When things like this happen to me, I try to think cheerful thoughts. I try to think about the person dying slowly from a flesh-eating disease. I try to think about his family being killed by a drunk driver and he's left to live with it. I try to think about him getting divorced and the next day his (now) ex-wife wins the state lottery. I try to think about how those cigarettes he smoked when he was a teenager will give him cancer and he'll rot to death, slowly, without the aid of morphine because he's uninsured. I try to think happy thoughts like these and, suddenly, I begin to feel better.

Russ

The world is full of scumbags.

This particular rack theif is probably telling his buddies about the 500yd offhand shot he made as we speak.

Some ass-monkey climbed over the fence of a relative of mine right before Christmas and topped the spruce in his backyard. If the perp or perps is/are ever found - he/she/it/they will die a slow agonizing death let me tell you.

Russell E. Taylor,

Your post is.... SICK!

I can understand the flesh eating disease, drunk driver run'n over family and all, but the ex-wife winning the state lottery? Now that is a little on the harsh side! I would not even wish that on my enemies.

Daryl

Dog probably got um. Been there experienced that.

I agree that it was probably a dog. Look around. The antlers may be nearby.

My sympathies Bob. I had some a**hole steal a 56" moose rack out of the back of my truck a couple of years ago. Wouldn't have bothered me too much, but it was my first with a handgun. One time had a jerk steal two 30# king salmon out of the back of the truck - found out who it was from someone getting their license number. Was going to take revenge, but when I went to check on them saw they were poor and figured they needed them worse than I did. Just let it go.

Yukoner
I bet you made Russell's whole day!

My buddys dog brought him two racks of his neighbor's one fall.

bob,
you in houston? it is winter, pal... it was either 1 red (fox) squirrel, or 2 greys (cat)... seems the reds have been displacing the greys, lately, and they need the calcium for growing those "long, pointy, nasty sharp teeth"... you know, like a vorpal bunny.

jeffe

I also vote for it being a dog. I had the same thing happen a few years back. I left a skull/rack outside to be cleaned, a few days later it "disappeared". I was a bit peeved. The next day, my "neighbor" called and aid "Come on over, I have something for you". Seems he found his dog laying in his yard chewing it....

I now tie them down real good & put LOTS, did i mention LOTS of black pepper on them. I even spray the antlers themselves with some type of oil so the pepper will stick & spray them too. I also put black pepper on hides too & it keeps the flys from landing to lay eggs. No maggots guaranteed!

[ 01-04-2003, 17:59: Message edited by: Bear Claw ]

That deer who owned the rack in the first place is saying the same thing.
wort

Years ago I had a 8pt head hanging in a tree from a rope. Heard a noise that night and found a opossum trying his damnest to make off with the head.
A .22 hp ended that egg suckers attempt to steal anymore deer heads,,,, forever.

Quote R.E.Taylor
"your probably a bit nicer to your enemies than I am to mine."

Maybe so, but then you don't know my ex-wife!

Daryl

Good point.

I had some antlers stolen by a farmer next door once. I had them tied up in a tree for the birds to pick at and they had been there since fall. On the day that the farmer did his spring plowing (and drove by the antlers multiple times) the antlers turned up missing.

He obviously needed a boost in his life, and I hope the antlers did it for him.

In 1948 our family dog, an American Water Spaniel, came zig-zagging up the driveway with a deer skull over his head. He must have tried to get at the brains and his head got stuck. The really puzzling part was the fact we lived in the city and ol' Toodums would have had to travel many miles to reach a woodland.

My mother wrestled the skull loose and tossed it in the trash can. Teddy hung around that can for three days until the garbage man came and emptied it. From that day forward Mr. Sorely was his arch enemy.

In those days garbage collectors ACTUALLY WALKED UP THE DRIVEWAYS TO THE REAR OF THE HOUSE AND CARRIED THE CANS OUT TO THE TRUCK IN THE STREET! This is not an urban legend! At any rate, Mr. Sorely had to run this gauntlet at our house, and one day unforgiving Teddy nailed him good. Mr. Sorely bang-bang-banged at the back door and announced to my mother that our dog had ripped one pant leg to shreds (as was plain to see) and what was she going to do about it.? In short, Mr. Sorely was sore as hell.

Mother called the dog in the house, went upstairs and came back down with a pair of charcoal Chippewa Woolen pants and gave them to Mr. Sorely, who went behind the garage, shed his torn trousers and came out adorned in his new attire. With a great flourish he dropped the old pair in the garbage can and proceeded down the driveway, a big smile on his face.

My Dad didn't smile. Those were his favorite hunting britches. I can still hear him saying: "Chrissakes, Bea, at least you coulda kept the suspenders!"

Tough luck, I hope a dog got 'em and that they turn up.

I left my van overnight at a boat landing while I was hunting downstream. They broke out awindow and stole my climbing deer stand and a case of root beer. I think the petty theft of my soft drinks pissed me off more than the stand.

Russel's thoughts were purely Christian in comparison to mine.

That stand cost enough to make the crime grand theft. Breaking the window made it breaking and entering and malicious mischef. Just think, that lowlife risked YEARS in prison for something that would only get him about $50 when he fenced it.

Hell, I have had them to take the whole deer.

An update: I guess there are a few dogs roaming my neighborhood. I was helping my daughter with her treehouse at our fence line, look into the neighbors yard and what do I see but my antlers! My neighbors so to speak keep their yard in its 'natural state', so in the leaves and brush are the horns, tag on and everything, only minus the hide on the skull plate. Whatever critters took the antlers cleaned them up pretty well. A happy ending to the story. bob

I have been reading this thread with a bit of a smile on my face as it seemed pretty likely from the outset that a 4-legged neighborhood critter stole the antlers. There is a trick to this gentlemen. I routinely let the maggots clean skulls in my yard and here is how it is done.

1) put about 3" of dirt in a plastic bushel basket to hold moisture.
2) thoroughly moisten the soil
3) place the skull in the bushel basket
4) securely tie down a second (well ventialted) bushel basket (opening to opening) on top of the first to ensure that no critters make off with the actual skull
5) if necessary, tie both bushel baskets to a nearby fence thus securing the whole biological experiment to your property.
6) moisten the smelly mess every couple of days and within a week you will have a completely clean skull (assuming it is summer).

Granted your neighbors will hate you for the smell but who the hell cares what they think

Regards,

JohnTheGreek

>>There is a trick to this gentlemen. I routinely let the maggots clean skulls in my yard and here is how it is done<<

This seems to be the environment-friendly, low-impact alternative to boiling and bleaching...