Almost ran over a dink 3 point shed this morning.

Seems early but I guess there is no set time.


Anyone else find any yet?

Some were dropping around here a month ago. There was a pair of yearling bucks slurping up spillage from the bird feeders this evening and both had dropped their horns.

I have 16 different bucks on camera in the last week. Not one has dropped as of yesterday when I pulled sd cards.

I have seen people posting pics of recent finds.

Must be the heavy acorn crop and mild winter so far in my area.

Ive seen some BIG muleys sporting racks at the first of April in West Texas in years past.

I read years ago the healthiest dropped theirs first. Dont know if i believe it. I think the WT rut is going strong in South Texas.

Be nice to hear from Rio on that though.

About time to scout some up

I think our hard winter has caused them to drop earlier because there are quite a few losing them here and it's way earlier than normal

Don't it just screw your day beyond anything when you find sheds with a tractor tire ?!!

I thought most of ours have dropped already....but then I saw this guy out the cabin window Sunday......



Northern Lower MI

Saw a whitetail in late December missing one side. Shot one 2 years ago in a hurry, for a big doe... Jan 1... both sides missing, yeah I'm a dummy.. I should have waited for a frontal view...

But I"ve also seen bucks here with antlers as late as first week of April. The funny thing in April, its not uncommon to see hard antlers, generally larger bucks, no antlers and ones with 4-6 inches of new growth all in the same group at the same time.

I'd have thougth in snowy regions mother nature would reserve the hard antlers longer, for defense? until closer to spring?

It's funny, one place where I hunt, they lose their racks right around the end of the first week of January, around the 6th or the 7th. 8 or 10 miles away where my father used to live and I bow hunted for about 20 years, they lose them right around the 31st of January. With that said, I've seen them while driving around, still have them into late February or even March. Go figure.

I have heard that some bucks will lose their antlers early due to the stress of the rut.

Thanks for all the reports and input.


I saw a dink 4 point this morning and he still both antlers so it must be in the very early stages here.

Very similar to S Ark. IMO the majority of bucks have shed...but I've seen the same as rost in April.

Jerry

Rut is just starting here.....

Shot an ugly old three legged buck a couple years back in the middle of December. When he fell one side popped off, when I grabbed the other to turn him over it came off in my hand!

I had that exact same experience back in 19-never-mind when I shot my first buck, a 5-point. Still have those antlers.

Steve.

Early shedding of antlers is an indicator of an unhealthy or injured deer.

Used to cull sick or seriously injured deer quite a bit. Those that still had antlers lots of times shed them in handling or when shot.

I've read that if there is a doe(s)that have not been bred yet and are still cycling, it will cause the bucks to keep producing testosterone and this keeps their antlers on their melons.

This is also why you sometimes see little spotted fawns in November.

The rut is still going on here. According to the biologists the peak of the rut in this area of east Mississippi is around 9 Jan. Our season runs to the end of the month.

Almost ran over a slightly larger dink horn this morning so it must be drop time.

He could be a nice one this coming fall.

I haven't checked in here in a couple of days and just now read this post. I dug threw my records because I knew I made note of this unusual -for me- event.

Nov 20, 2004 I saw a 'small' spotted fawn following 2 - 3 deer. When it came out of a pine plantation it was so small compared to the other deer my FIRST thot was rabbit (seriously). It was NOT real steady on its feet.

That's the latest I've ever seen a spotted fawn and it was NOT very old.

Jerry

I have one friend who found 4 last week. He found them about an hour from where I hunt.

I pulled a trail camera yesterday, had 1 spike that dropped 1 side 7 other buck still carrying both sides.

My dad ALMOST backed over(in a tractor) the matching side to the 5 point I found the other day.

Kinda dark/cloudy this morning and he didn't see it laying in front of the silage pile until he went to grab another bucket load.

I was bowhunting an old over grown fence line in the middle of November one year. It was COLD and stormy. There was a thicket to my right and the wind switched just long enough to blow my scent in to it. A doe ran out and 2 tiny fawns followed her. I felt bad because I don't think they made it through that day as cold as it was.

Rooster -

Yes, they might not have made it--in Minnesota.

I don't remember the particulars of the Winter 04-05 but normally a Doe could feed/raise a little fawn in Ark. Don't know for certain.

Jerry

Nothing down here yet, camera shows them all to still have antlers. Most of the big ones are busted up really bad from fights, but still holding on...

bucks still carrying horns here; nothing dropping as of last week when i checked cameras....have been watching because we've had some pretty good ones on camera & i'd really like the sheds off the ones that are on our hit list for next fall.

On the second weekend of November in 1998 We found a matched set from an 11pt buck on the edge of a horse pasture. They were clearly fresh as they still had a bit of blood on the bases.

I'd sure like to know why they dropped so early. They're screwed to a plaque in the garage at that spot.

a biologist should chime in, but IIRC, sometimes body injury or even infection IIRC can cause em to drop early.

That's what we figured. He was sick or hurt or both.

another week gone by pulled trail cams. Only 2 bucks have dropped 1 antler each. Both are spike bucks.

All others still carying both sides.