Today, I finally went back to collect the deer bones I discovered a few months ago. The deer was completely decomposed, and it was surprisingly challenging to retrieve the bones due to the thick brush and debris covering them. I was thrilled to find the skull fully intact and with a complete set of teeth. However, locating the hooves was incredibly difficult—they had completely detached from the bones they were originally connected to.
Looking back, I wish I had taken the leg when I first found it and placed it in silica beads to dry out; having a fully preserved deer leg would have been fascinating. I collected the pieces I wanted and brought them home to degrease in my designated bone bucket filled with soapy water. I’ll let them sit for a few weeks before checking on their progress.
I completely forgot about the bear claw I cut off a decomposing bear on my friend’s property. I had sealed it in a jar of water as an experiment to see how it would decompose. When I finally remembered it the other day and checked on it, I noticed the jar’s lid was under a huge amount of pressure, looking like it might pop off at any moment. There was also a very unpleasant smell near the seal.
To be honest, I didn’t so much forget about it as I avoided opening it—mostly because I was worried it might explode all over me and, if it smelled that bad while sealed, I couldn’t imagine how horrendous it would be when opened.
Today, when I went to pick up the deer bones, I decided to bring the claw along to finally deal with it. I can genuinely say I’ve never smelled anything as disgusting as the bear claw decomposition water. My sister came with me but kept her distance—she could still smell it strongly even from far away. It was nearly impossible not to gag.
I dumped the putrid water and rinsed the claw bones, but I’ll definitely be throwing out the jar. I’ve also decided I will never attempt defleshing bones like that again. Even as I write this, I can’t get the smell out of my head—it’s making me nauseous just thinking about it.
That said, I’m glad I finally got it over with. The claw is now in my bone bin to degrease along with the rest of the bones, though I’m worried the smell might never go away.
I was hoping to pin some bugs today. I had placed a few moths into a container with damp paper towels to soften their wings for pinning, but I think I didn’t use enough water. After two days, the wings still haven’t softened enough to work with. I added more water to the paper towels and will check on them again tomorrow.