Opening Day of Deer Season!

[BrisHermies]

So I'm always thinking of things to add to my habitat, and have been waiting for rifle season with more than a bit of excitement. I've seen a lot of people give their hermits antlers and bones, as well as turkey feathers. But I've been pondering...

I already planned on cooking up the small scrap pieces and freezing them for the hermits. Venison is on the safe list, and I know its healthy and safe if we harvest it from the farm. We usually don't end up with much waste, but I'm sure I can get a baggie of tiny cuts for my shelled cuties.

A whole skull in my habitat would be just about the neatest thing. I usually preserve and mount them for people I know, and I can do it without any chemicals involved. It would make a neat hide, and they could nibble away at it. (But probably not one with any antlers Those are pretty well spoken for.) The worst thing that could happen is that it gets gross and I have to clean it up or boil it again, or put it outside for the squirrels. (Squirrels love bone for calcium too.)

I have also wanted to try small pieces of hide. I tanned a small one years ago with salt, and its still looking pretty good. (Outside. Mom would've freaked if I brought it in the house.) It doesn't need chemicals either. Especially if I soak it in their salt water mix for preservation after its scraped and sun dried. I boil it to remove any parasites, and brush out the loose hair. It would make just about anything, especially if I stitched it to a wood frame with an awl and hemp twine. A climbing wall would be easy, and a cave or hammock wouldn't be too much harder. I don't know how long it would last, but the image of a hermit sleeping in a fur bed is pretty hilarious.

I know it can seem...gruesome, but deer hunting is a big deal in the Midwest. It's sort of a rule in my family that we don't waste any parts of a kill that there's a use for, and my hermits have a use for the parts that we don't. I know a lot of people that hunt, so hopefully I can beg some scraps when I'm helping dress, clean, and process. Any other ideas would be welcome!

[wodesorel]

I'd never hunt myself, but I hold a lot of respect for anyone who does and doesn't waste anything.

I think you have some great ideas. My only concern is that anything organic tends to rot in high humidity, so while the hide might be safe, it might end up smelling horribly after a few days in 80%, especially if you accidentally spray it.

A friend of mine would send me pieces of things as play toys for our cats. I loved getting packages from her! She sent this tanned piece of something once - we never did figure out what, maybe a mink? I named it Morty. The cats shredded it in about a week and I never saw the Pieces of Morty after that again. I'm assuming they ate it? Good times....

[BrisHermies]

Yeah, I'm REALLY rethinking the fur idea... The main thing I was most interested in was the bone and meat scraps. I was considering the hide like wood: soaked in salt water to reduce mold. But wet fur? Bad. Lol, that's why I wanted to toss the idea at someone a little more experienced. I only thought of it this evening, and didn't work the plan all the way through.

I'm really wanting to try a skull, but it takes a long time to get it ready. I put it in the creek for all the little fishies and crayfish to clean up, then boil it in a big pot and scrub every nook and cranny with a stiff toothbrush. After that, it gets sunbleached until its good and white and then boiled and scrubbed again to kill off any remaining nasties. I usually use peroxide to whiten and clean, but I don't know if its hermit safe, so that'll get skipped. Once its done, it should work in the habitat for hiding and nibbling.

Thanks for probably saving me from a fiasco. Wet fur would be terrible! Blech! On the other hand, my kitty might love a few strips to maul. I couldn't use the salt, but it might be worth a try. Wonder why I never considered it for him...

[wodesorel]

You could speed the process of cleaning the bones up considerably with a colony of dermestid beetles - and the crabs will eat them, too. Not sure if it's worth it for once a year though! Places and people sell the beetles for exactly that purpose, and also as a clean-up crew for people who breed other insects (superworms, crickets, roaches) since they eat dead things but don't smell, carry disease or fly away. The beetles take care of any of the dead insects before they rot or attract things like flies, so it makes having colonies of feeders a whole lot more pleasant, and it also keeps them healthier as well. In any case, when cleaning bones with the dermestids it bypasses needing to scrub and boil, you can go straight to sanitizing/bleaching.

[purpleperson]

I give my crabs scap meat and also part of the liver. I cut them up and packaged then in tiny little packs and then put them in a Baggie in the freezer, that way I can just take what I need as I need it.

With my last deer, I didn't put the skull in the tank.. (I thought it would take up too much room! I only have 40 gallons) however, I did save the ribs, some vertebrae and scapula for the crabs. All I did what cut off most of the meat so that just little pieces where left on. Then I left them in a cool, dry place (my garage) so that they would dry out. The meat dried into little hard pieces stuck to the bones that the crabs can nibble on. I will be putting some in the tank today to see how long it holds up! Will let you know.


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[BrisHermies]

All very good ideas! I'll have to ask around about the beetles. I have a 75 gal that I'm trying to get going, so I hope I have room for the skull. I might also try some ribs, or even leg bones. I have a dremel tool, and with a little work I might be able to carve little shelves into them for climbing, or just wrap places on them with hemp twine. They would make great sturdy bridges for the second level.

The liver is also a great idea, I hadn't considered that. I know its packed with nutrients, hopefully the hermits will eat it. I usually wrap stuff in wax paper in baggies so that they're easily separated after they're frozen. It helps.

[purpleperson]

Yeah mind love the liver. My dad eats it too :p just watch for spots!! we keep a few organs from out deer so when we go to eat the heart and stuff I will try some of that out too.


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[wodesorel]

Don't forget fat chunks! I've been leaning more towards them eating skin, fat and everything else that isn't trimmed off of dead things they would find in the wild. Raw beef fat is an insane hit in my tanks - just make sure they don't run off with it because it will draw flies.

[BrisHermies]

That will work great for me. I cut the bone rings out of pork chops that we buy, and they love those, but I hadn't considered fat. That would be just as easy.

A deer doesn't have a lot of fat on it most of the time, definitely nothing like you see on a grocery store cut of meat. They are very lean, and the muscle is very developed, which is why its supposed to be so good for you. And also is why some people find them tough or chewy. I'll just have to see what I can get.

[purpleperson]

Oh yes I forgot that the fat is good too! It's odd, deer must be different in certain areas. What kind of deer do you have there? The ones here can get a little fatty depending on the type of year we have.


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[BrisHermies]

Oh wow! Your profile says you're from Canada. I'm from right in the middle of the US. We have Whitetail Deer, probably a LOT smaller than what you have up north. Here in Missouri we haven't had elk for maybe a century (don't quote me on that), and even our Whitetail population was slim at one point. I think you might find Mule Deer up north toward Iowa, and they dwarf our little guys, but I've never seen one. The deer we get here are pretty small, and almost always lean. I couldn't guess a size or weight, but one person can usually lift their kill into a truck if that gives a general idea.

[wodesorel]

We have Elk in Ohio now and then. Don't laugh at me, but when I saw one from behind in the bushes while driving the backroads by my house one night right after we first moved down here, I thought it was a Bigfoot for YEARS. (I mean, I knew it wasn't, but I couldn't explain what I saw - a big hairy rump that was not a bear, deer or horse. It was either that or a moose - and we really don't have those here!) I was reading something not long ago where they were talking about how elk are making their way into the state more often, and sure enough a hunter bagged one right in my area not long after I saw it! Made me feel so much better. I had been trying to explain that sighting without sounding like a nutter for the longest time.

[BrisHermies]

Trust me, I'm not going to laugh at you. I don't particularly believe in Bigfoot, but when I see a big hairy something in the woods at night its "Better safe than sorry."

Out here, everybody's seen a Bigfoot at some point. Its just a question of how much alcohol is involved to decide whether you believe them or not. Or if the story involves going to Bigfoot's condo for tea. At least you seem sober AND sane.

[jasonmom]

A full grown adult dear here in WV can range from 110lb to 250lb depending on habitat. We have some areas that people can not hunt so the dear a sad looking. They opened up Pipestem State Park for a controlled hunt next week for the first time ever. People think it's cool to drive through the park and see the deer. There are so many of them that there is too much competition for resources. A few years back many of them starved over a winter. I hope I never see that again.

[me n my hermikids]

Ok come on ppl! Bigfoot is real

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