I've seen lots of bucks that have dropped, some as early as late Dec. but no sheds yet I am always anxious to start looking but want to have the best chance by waiting later. I saw a big buck with both sides last week and a buck with one antler hit by a car. The latest I've seen a buck carrying both sides here was April 11th, and have found fresh drops before Christmas. Go figure.
Snow and ice a problem here. Been out on snowshoes hunting, but no luck. We had a two day January thaw. The spring thaw is probably the earliest I will be finding the sheds.
Took a stroll today, nothing fresh but found a dead 6 point skeleton and a year old 4pt on one side that had been chewed pretty good. Ran into a game warden and he said they are shedding right now.
Sometimes the spikes and such loose em towards end of January.
Pretty common for ours not to drop until mid march.
Have seen all 3 though, in mid to end of April, that is velvet stubs, no antlers, and hard antlers. Kinda weird seeing a bachelor group looking like that.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
We had a poor acorn crop this past year. Not sure if that's why but most of the bucks I saw lost antlers before the end of Dec. Do you have any tips on finding them? Sure seems like looking for a needle in a haystack. I guess I have never found any sheds because I have never gone looking for them. I have an idea, the wife wants to go walking....
I find the most of them along trails or where they feed at night. there's no real formula to it, they can fall at any time really. I always thought along fences would be good because when they jump them it would jar the antlers loose right? nope, least not in my experience. they can be anywhere. I have noticed I find big sets in a on a high point or ridge. not with enough consistency to seek those spots first here where I live now, but in other areas, yeah. I'm really thinking of training my dog to hunt for sheds, I guess it's pretty easy.
Beware of any old man in a profession where one usually dies young.
Several years ago I invited a fanatical shed hunter to speak at my hunter education class and he said the greatest probability of discovery were he hunts sheds in the drifless area of Wisconsin were ranked as follows:
1) A bucks winter bedding area. (He explained it was generally different terrain than warm weather bedding area with wind being the deciding factor.) In addition, he has witnessed deer standing up from their bed and shake their body like a dog,
2) Runways through thickets.
3) Fencelines.
My personal experience is I am most likely to find a shed in #2. Here in the hilly farm country the woodlots are becoming infested with Multi-flora rose bushes. That is some nasty stuff. I have found at least a dozen sheds hanging in those bushes.
I would love to get out but here in Pennsylvania we are buried in snow with more coming. Maybe by mid March if the weather changes, they are predicting a warm up later this upcoming week.
We don't have a winter bedding area. Hell we don't have winter.
All the locals are bitching this year since we have had a bit of ice 3 times already... Whoopee...
But I digress, since our deer live the same areas year round, of course just follow deer trails, look in feeding areas and yes, we find quite a few around fence lines where they crawl or jump.
Some folks setup cattle panels around protein feeders to try to knock em loose.
One of the best places to find them is in the tire on teh tractor.. unfortunately its also one of the worst places to find them.
I've actually found more antlers in lower spots on our places than on higher spots. Dunno why though.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
i saw bucks in late december that had already shed.also saw some in late january that hadn't shed. i guess lack of mass crop has them all screwed up. i'm guessing that with no food the tree rats were following the deer around waiting for them to drop.i bet most are chewed up by now.this 20in of snow may save a few.
Found these on Monday. First time I've ever found a matched pair. These were literally laying together - right by one of his scrapes and a rub line from this past year. I didn't hunt that area last year, looks like I should have.............
Note the blood on the burr. We had rain/snow over the weekend so guessing he dropped Sunday or Monday AM.
I found a single side as big as these last week. There's a few big ones made it through the season.
A week or so ago, I saw the neighbor�s dog (we are pack members too) go past the window with an antler in her mouth just after I had stepped into the house. I recognized that antler. I grabbed a cheese stick and went hustling out to make a trade! Naturally I dropped what I was doing to hunt for the match. After a futile search along the river, I found it at a fence crossing behind our own house. These are nice and heavy. Several bucks have shed in the last week. I see a spike x fork with the spike missing right now.
Just saw 3 small bucks behind the house still carrying antlers. Spike with one side only, 2 small 6s with both sides. Odd year, nearly to april and they still haven't shed.
Finally saw a buck without antlers a week ago here. Thought it looked strange for a doe as it crossed the road one morning. Then saw the white spots on the head.
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
But the fruits of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, Gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5: 22&23
They seem to be doing well here! Was going to go to a friends place, but someone uninvited beat me there. They took there keys.LOL Found out when they showed up at the house looking for their keys, they knew them. They just did not call or ask to come out. They had probably 15 muley horns with them. I told him go out on the pony and see if you can spot some more and I will come up. Plus, I get first dibbs next year behind family off course. Old college buddy and I make him lamps and stuff out of the horn. I say horn knowing they are antlers, just too old to change my vocab.....or ways I guess!!! Maybe some whitetails this week or next. I always do well there. Just coming off 2 level fusion, so I do not get around well. May be another on the Ranger horn hunt. On private!!! Just so I don't get yelled at!!
I'm not much of a shed hunter either, but have found several over the years. Elk, mulies, whitetail and moose. I get bored and start looking for bunnies to shoot.
I did come across this scene a few years ago. Too bad they were a couple years old.