This story was originally published in January 2023. After a long, tiring hunting season and with the holidays behind us, I was looking forward to a break. Our shotguns and rifles were cleaned, oiled and tucked in for their long winter’s nap.
Totes of hunting clothes and gear were stacked neatly in the basement and tree stands leaned up against the shed in orderly fashion, ready for next year’s deployments. While a break in action is necessary, the “in between” is always a bit depressing for a passionate hunter, myself included. Though preparations for the next season have already begun in the form of scouting, procurement of new equipment and dreaming of things to come, I often find myself grasping for ways to squeeze the last few drops from the most recent one.
A cast iron pan filled with deer steak and onions usually does the trick for me, but as I opened the freezer door, I was reminded that I still had a bit of work to do that could scratch my itch. From the second shelf of our stand-up freezer, two deer heads stared blankly at me — a beautiful eight-point buck taken by a family member and a cool-looking, five-point, first buck taken by a friend. Often, heads and hides are relegated to a frozen limbo until well after the season, waiting on their owners to figure out how to memorialize them.
In the last few years, I began dabbling in skull work and have turned out a few decent European mounts. It’s dirty, stinky and tedious, but I enjoy it and welcome most opp.
