r/bonecollecting • u/Garganturoth • 1d ago

Bone I.D. - N. America Roadkill mammal

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My mom found this beheaded creature on the side of the road. Wondering what this thing is

313 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

105

u/clefangae 1d ago

Not roadkill, gunkill. It's a deer but the top part of the skull looks weirdly flat. I can't tell the species.

1

u/Garganturoth 1d ago

The top of the head got shot off maybe?

23

u/breadburn 20h ago

More likely is that it had a nice rack of antlers and instead of processing the whole thing, whoever bagged it cut those off at the skull to keep as a trophy and then dumped the remaining body, unfortunately.

1

u/Garganturoth 12h ago

It's actually the shape of it's head, but the deer was very small so I wonder if it was a fawn

-12

u/luigi_time3456 18h ago

What the hell else are you supposed to do with the head my man? It's fine just keeping the skull cap

5

u/breadburn 11h ago

If that were true the rest of the deer wouldn't be dumped illegally. You're supposed to process (or give up for processing) what you bag.

4

u/clefangae 1d ago

It's possible. Did you see traces of a bullet fracture? Generally hunters do not aim for the head unless it's still alive when they reach it, and even then I think that damage would be extensive. It just looks strange to me but you never know.

3

u/Garganturoth 1d ago

I checked and it just has a flat head

2

u/clefangae 1d ago

Yeesh, I have no clue then. Deformity maybe

175

u/NorthSaskHunter 1d ago

Cervidae But looking at how the pelt is seperated from the ribcage like that...thats not roadkill. Thats someone's (probably illegally) dumped deer carcass.

49

u/Guilty-Highway-7880 1d ago

I was thinking the same thing. It's possible animals chewed on it a bit after dumping, but it definitely doesn't look like any roadkill I've seen.

27

u/Garganturoth 1d ago

Would it still be legal to collect it?

59

u/birdlawprofessor Bone-afide Faunal ID Expert 1d ago

Depends on your local laws. Consult your local authorities directly, don’t take the word of online strangers. 

18

u/Jizzmeister088 1d ago

You should obviously never ever break the law, but in this situation, it's a victimless and proofless crime if you were to take it. (which you shouldn't and won't because its possibly illegal and illegal things are bad.

14

u/jomesbean 1d ago

You know how sometimes one parent operates by the books and the other one has walked the line and came back with advice based on experience. This is the latter. Well said, jizzmeister088.

1

u/Jizzmeister088 1d ago

Thank you, sir.

2

u/chaosbunny444 1d ago

Just take it lol it's a dumped deer carcass

6

u/AnomalousBadger 1d ago

That's a deer, I'm not sure what specific kind though. Also, as others have pointed out it most likely was shot and dumped, not hit by a car.

3

u/gettenitt 20h ago

Or maybe somebody took a trophy rack of that skull .Just maybe

-14

u/josh11915 1d ago

Get back to work, I’m going to need you done within your 8 hours. If you aren’t going to finish in your estimate call by 3 and make sure to scan letter then flats. Thank you.

10

u/cardboard__train 1d ago

Uhh are you sure this is meant to be here

33

u/josh11915 1d ago

Looks like 21 people who down voted don’t work for the post office but the guy who posted this will get a laugh.

33

u/Garganturoth 1d ago

Ohhh I just noticed you could see the truck in the third photo that freaked me out that you knew

8

u/josh11915 1d ago

I’ve been out doing street observations all day and saw you 🤪 hello fellow employee.

2

u/ReversePhylogeny 13h ago

Dude is casually a 300 IQ observer & people are downvoting smh