I'm going to keep this open all sheddin' season long. A "log" if you will of my shed finding season complete with stats and pics of every shed I find. So check back whenever to see my updated progress or UN-progress. Because you ask? Cause sheddin' like pimpin'... ain't easy. 2009 Hours searching: 102 2009 Shed total:26 2009 Matched sets:4 2009 Dead whitetail:30 (5 with bone)
I like your log idea. I keep a log of all my hunts but never thought of keeping one for shedding. Good luck!
Good luck Duke !! Seems a bit early... well not real early but I've only seen one half rack so far. Bucks for the most part are still very attached to their racks here. Might sneak out at dinner break to check an area for the hell of it. Like the log idea. Tim
It's real early here too Tim.. about 3 weeks away from the real bone starting. But I've been hitting up the food sources lately looking. You know how it is.. can't keep a shedder down.:d
Finally... some bone! Although not what I would have liked to have found. But antler none the less. Even more impressive is that I spotted this fork from about 60 yards out. Left the skull.. but took the antler.. will serve the future pup as a chew toy.
It is amazing how you can train your eye to pick stuff out like that. Great find and I think that counts as getting on the board for the year.....
The more you look the better you get at it! I hunt morels in the spring and for years I had trouble finding them, now I usually get em by the hundreds. You form a mental picture in you mind of what you're looking for and then ignore everyting else in the woods.
Nice first find. I found a yearling 8 point about a month ago. I wasn't shedin when I found it though.
January 26th.. went scouting for deer groups. Watching the fields for bucks to get some info. on how many have dropped. Not many. A couple smaller bucks.. but majority is still carrying.. probably 90%. I hate waiting.
question for ya wiaxle, I know your area gets pounded with tough winters. do you feel that the extra stress from that makes yours start dropping earlier?? We are just now getting bad winter effects here in southern Indiana,,its been mild up until now. Most are still wearing racks.. just curious on your opinion.
I don't know, not being a biologist or even anything close to that. But I can try and wing it...... I only started keeping a log last year. I didn't find my first shed last until 1/28/08, so I am finding sheds a couple weeks earlier this year, but I also didn't get out for the first time until 1/28/08 so that is not alot of empirical evidence. Outside of breaking a new trail, the deer trails are huge in the area this year, so there shouldn't be much of a struggle, we have several large fields of standing corn for the 2nd year in a row. (and you don't have to walk that far into the field to find corn on the stalks) So there is easily accessible food in the area. The weather has been pretty harsh so far this year, it has been cold lately, but once again, I have nothing to compare it to, just feels like it has been colder. I am still seeing a significant amount of bucks with both antlers, a few with just one, and some that look like they are bucks without antlers (flat head, lot bigger body than a doe) Just a couple weeks ago, we were still seeing bucks chasing does. So what does that all add up to? I am not really sure if harder conditions equal earlier drops. I guess it depends on the particular buck, hormone levels, diet, etc....but outside of the dead buck we found, I don't think the conditions have accelerated the drop rate. sorry for the thread hijack DM. will stop now......
Feb. 2nd.. decided to hit a GIANT swamp area in hopes of finding either something new or old. I came across this about 1.5 miles in.. and oldie but a good one.
February 8th.. hit mostly food sources looking for the first few freshies of the year.. didn't find any.. but did come away with a much anticipated old antler of a buck I had some familiarity with. Funny thing was.. JZ and I probably passed this antler.. in it's awkward position at least 3 times apiece last year. Found the same side of this buck in 2006.. but never found him in '07 (until now) despite the constant looking for him. In 2006 at 2 yrs he would have ran 100-105"... by age 3 in 2007 he pushes 130-135".. I can't wait to look for him this shed season at age 4.. Justin or I should hopefully be able to pick it up. Here's where he lay. And the 2 antlers together.. 2006 in front.. 2007 behind..
