No sheds but on my hike I found a large blood spray on a single deer track. He took me on a mile zigzag zagging trek across our place . Dropping blood every 7 to 20 yards. Not much and to one side. I NEVER find shed, skulls no sheds so I don't know if they bleed at drop. I followed him forward and did not back track. Can't today, sitting on a log trying to recover. Heavy wet snow and I walked myself into a mess ..see pics So could the spray have been from a head shake? Oh God another 1/4 mile home...
I've seen others that find blood in the snow with sheds but I would assume it was after the antler fell so you would need to back track from the first spot of blood in my opinion but I could be wrong. May have also been cut on the leg crunching through ice or something too and not antler related at all? Only one way to find out
Thanks for the reply. As I followed him I could see the blood was from his head area and clearly to on one side. He did bed once just past the spray area, which I think was a head shake due to distance on either side of tracks. I followed him because I wanted to see his movement. Glad to see mostly on our place. He walked in range of 8 stands and 6 towers and ground blinds. Made me feel like I was in a "shoots and ladder game. Back and forth, this way and that. It looked like he was checking spots out. Big storm coming tomorrow so I'll hit the track area and back track. That area isn't as deep as what I got into today. Oh boy ! Sore right now,pretty deep and up hill. Thanks again for replying.
Carefully mark the location of the first blood drop and go back at the thaw. Good luck on finding the shed.
There can be some blood when shed but typically there isn't that much UNLESS the deer has a cranial abscess. I had a nice buck whom I have a few years of sheds on as well as 100's of trail cam pics. Each year he shed you could see the abscess was growing. There would be a larger portion of the skull attached to the pedicle and my cam pics showed more blood loss with each passing year when he shed. He also shed a bit earlier each year as the abscess became worse. By year 3 of the abscess he had shed just a couple days after Christmas, significant skull on the pedicle and lots of blood loss, blood trailing down his face / head and enough to leave a trail for the first time. Within days he was dead.
Ive been out looking and no sign of a shed any where. Thoign not more than a hundred yards from the neighbors sancuary so could be there. Just now I watched 2 healthy buck run across the farmers WWfield past the house. One that will be a year and a half and the other a Two and a half come fall. No racks but clearly male parts. They headed straight across road to that sancuary. Every night they filter out of there right at dusk to the WW usually 8-12 doe and fawn.
Here is a couple pics.. first pic, bottom shed is 3.5 yr old top is 4 you can see he had a bit more mass but lost some length on the affected left side second pic shows the bloody pedicle with some skull attached last pic is right after he shed his left side for the last time... he mighta hit 150 gross at his peak, not a giant
I had this happen this year and it took me a week or so to connect the dots. I found lots of blood starting near an alfalfa bail and thought one of the bucks might have shed near by followed the trail with no luck. A week later I checked the trail camera and saw two does standing on their back legs fighting I think one took a shot to the ear and it was cut and it was the one that was bleeding Sent from my iPad using Bowhunting.com Forums
