Wesley Littlefield 12.31.24
Deer are crazy tough. I’ve watched them run on broken legs, fight off rams, and survive when the odds were stacked against them, but one deer has stood out above all the rest, and I didn’t get to watch him do it.
One day, while helping a buddy conduct controlled burns on his property, I stumbled across a deadhead that many people claimed was fake.
I walked up to the brush pile to set it ablaze, but thankfully, the skull caught my eye. I snatched it from the brush and quickly looked it over, noticing the rodent chew marks on the antlers and broken tines. It was an excellent find, so I showed my buddy and handed the skull to his kids sitting in the back of the John Deer Gator.
The property bordered public land, and my buddy wasn’t a hunter, so I knew he wouldn’t have a problem with me taking the 9-pointer home.
After handing off the skull to the kids, I began watching the fires again to ensure they remained under our control, but the kids started screaming as I walked back toward the fire.
“There’s a blade in its head!” they exclaimed.
Confused, I ran over to see what they were talking about. They handed the skull back to me, and sure enough, a broadhead was embedded in the back of the skull. The craziest part is that the initial shot didn’t immediately kill the deer. The skull showed signs of healing, which meant the buck ran around with a broadhead in its skull for a while. I’m guessing at least several months because it cannot be removed without breaking the skull, and the antlers were still securely attached.
Just as I thought, my buddy told me to keep it, as he had no use for it. So I took it home and used it as a terrific conversation starter for several years until I had the genius idea to make a video about finding the skull and posting it on YouTube.
A Broadhead Is Stuck In This Deer Skull! – YouTube
Surprisingly, the video did very well, but many people claimed it was fake because the skull was too white and the broadhead wasn’t corroded. This is one of those classic instances when people claim to know everything about anything, but they clearly hadn’t even Googled what broadheads are made out of—stainless steel or aluminum alloy, two metals that rust very slowly.
I decided to have a little more fun with the naysayers and created another video calling them out and explaining why the broadhead hadn’t rusted.
Everyone Says This Deer Skull Is Fake! – YouTube
While many commenters claimed it was fake, I must admit that I had a few with similar stories, which truly amazed me by confirming just how tough these animals are.
I don’t condone headshots; aiming for the vitals is much more effective, whether you’re using a bow or rifle, but it’s crazy to think about a deer surviving for so long after getting shot in the head with an arrow.
While you shouldn’t believe everything on the internet, and I understand why those individuals would be suspicious, this deer skull is one of the craziest finds I’ll ever make.
