Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Early antler shedding

Curious to hear your thoughts on early antler shedding? Nutrition deficiencies, testosterone, other stress, weather, what?

Do you believe it is a sign of heard stress?

I think you hit the nail on the head. Stress from any and all of things you've listed above. Ive never seen this many bucks shed this early as I have this year in ky. I accidentally killed a shed buck on the 17th of December which was the last day of our muzzleloader season. Blew my mind.

Talked to a DNR game manager one time about that. I had shot a late bow season buck that shed its antlers on its death run. He told me that breeding stress caused the active bucks to lose their antlers early. Explains why I see small bucks with antlers into the spring.

Here in northeast MT I started finding little whitetail sheds in mid December.

These are welfare deer that live off of our haystacks and feed piles.

Some years they don't start dropping until Valentines day but in last 40 days I've found around a dozen sheds.

In the Eastern UP i shot a 8 point December 30 horns fell off on its death run.....saw several years ago in the Southern LP 8 bucks all 6 to 10 point March 28....

They are shedding early in Western Kentucky too.

I shot one mid Dec. on an antlerless tag one year that had already shed both antlers. Obviously just a short time before I killed it as it's pedicles were still raw/bloody.

I thought we were having an early mule deer (Jan) drop here in SE Oregon. Following a closer examination, however, it turns out my initial sightings around the house were broken antlers. Did see one out of a group of 4 in mid-Jan though that had shed. Pretty obvious in the pic.

Here in Utah...

Still seeing bucks with antlers

Our mega snow pack may limit some shed hunters access

Have two local area wintering grounds closed to motorized till April 15th

Northern Ohio is still sporting Antlers!

HS 58

Friend found his first antlers the middle of Dec this year. Yesterday saw three smaller bucks still fully racked.

Starting to see some Half Racks.

HS 58

Found half rack in December in Floyd Co. VA

Took a nice walk after work and Nada!
60 degrees and and enjoyable and scared up a dozen whitetails including a nice 8 point we've been watching for a few months now.

HS 58