why build a cage for those deer ulnas

[iowabow]

I did not make an argument about trying to separate them. 
I simply asked why leave the skin on, delaying the results, or the joint for that matter, when they are very easy to remove, making the natural clean up take much less time.  I also let mother nature eat the membranes and tissue or use water soaks to separate bone when needed.  I tend to do as others have said, and hang them in a tree for the insects and the birds when I do need to let nature separate them. 
Just asking, not an implied criticism of any kind.

Ok I understand your point. What I have observed and seems to be the issue is moisture.  When the bones are hung in tree as is, the process takes a long time and yes removing the hide and flesh in that case would speed the hanging in the tree method up.  What I am seeing with my method (conducted last year on the ground) is a rapid decay of the hide and flesh. After having cleaned and hung bones I think this ground method will produce good results with the least amount of effort.  I have a friend that butchers deer and can provide me piles of legs. I did exactly what you stated with a set last year but the sets that were on the ground were ready first.

[iowabow]

     You must have awful small mice in your neck of the woods, to get through that small of a mesh.
As for mice, wouldn't they damage the ulna?  As they will gnaw on the bone.  the beetles are a good idea, but the mice I would not want to have them gnawing on the bones.  Like Parnell said, down here, a Fire Ant mound will take care of them in a few days.  There won't be much of anything attached to the bone after those little mini piranhas get through with them.  Good for cow horns too.  Or any bones, or such you want to remove meat, and such from.  But if this works for you, go for it.  I was just wondering how the mice were going to get into the cage.  Though I have found mice in half inch emt pipe with 14 gauge wire in it.  I have found two, when I was working as an Electrician's helper years ago.

                                                                                Wayne

Wayne I was looking for a wire size small enough to prevent the small bones from being carried off. It is very amazing how small of a hole that mice can fit through. A mouse can fit through a 1/4 inch crevice which in my mind is very small. Below is a link to a report on mice and hole size. http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/3206//
the hole size on this cage is 1/2 inch.
They will start on the bone but first they will work on the ends. I hope to remove the bones before they are chewed all up. This process will duplicate the method of bone recovery of naturally decaying deer that  provided my first set of ulna tools.

[iowabow]

Might be interesting if we put a trail cam on the cage

[TRACY]

 I like the research side of this John , keep posting results please. I've cleaned hide and meet off and hung in the tree various bones and tend to get rid of most of the unwanted and get stained moldy bones. Gnomon have to raise some dermestids

[bowtarist]

I'd love to have some of them dermestids, but it would be like having another pet. have to feed um and in the winter would have to bring um inside. Don't think the wife would enjoy the aquarium of dead stuff and beetles on the the counter. 

[TRACY]

I'd love to have some of them dermestids, but it would be like having another pet. have to feed um and in the winter would have to bring um inside. Don't think the wife would enjoy the aquarium of dead stuff and beetles on the the counter. 

Derik you drive past a lot of road kill to keep those derrmestids  fat and happy !

[stickbender]

     From the initial pictures, I was thinking it was a smaller mesh size.  Those mice are like an Octopus!   They can squeeze into anything they can get a tentacle  into.   yeah, like I said before, I have found two in the metal electrical pipes, that were half inch diameter, with three 14 gauge wires in them.  One was fried in the light switch, and the other couldn't make it pass the entrance to the switch box.  These were in an expensive golf community.  They were in the garage.  Yeah, a trail cam would be cool.  Might catch ol sasquatch, trying to get some bones for supper.

                                                                               Wayne

[iowabow]

In addition to all of the other projects I was able to get the legs in the cage and cover yesterday.