In this study we tested the efficiency of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to assess the water content in roe deer skulls, which are used as hunting trophies, as their weight is an important entry for the calculation of their value (also the price paid by hunters). The omission of water content is one of the main problems in evaluation of game trophies. Three female roe deer skulls were periodically analysed by a conventional method and scanned using the Nicolet Antaris spectrometer. Calibration was performed by partial least squares regression. The initial water content of the skulls ranged from 21.6 to 22.6%. NIR calibrations corresponded well to the conventionally estimated water content. The water content was best determined from the occipital bone (R² = 0.99; SECV = 0.11%), less reliably from the frontal and temporal bones, while the poorest results were obtained from the upper jaw. The results are sufficiently accurate to recommend NIR spectroscopy for estimating the water content in game trophies.

Keywords: bone, NIR spectroscopy, roe deer, moisture