Wasn't a good day to walk today we had a pretty good snow storm blow through. Got about a foot of snow where I was going to walk. That's alot for this year as we've not had much snow at all. Like almost everyone else I guess. I was able to check the camera and found one buck who lost one of his antlers.
well i havent walked that far around my property but ive found 2 skulls..one from 2 years ago (buck in low 90s had real good potential) and a doe skull behind my foodplot... i like going in the morning because i have 2 ponds and got to see 10 geese pitch in this morning..real cool..i will take camera next time i go and will post pick of buck skull tommorow
Spot on, Tim. Very good info. I like you after many years of hunting for sheds, I instinctively gravitate towards any type of edge leading to and from hot "shedding" time food sources, edges steer deer movement. Find those natural edges and you find heavily used trails. I have to laugh a bit as I read about what you observed with Tyler and I and your right. We did beat feet for those edges. I think one thing that really sucked me into that edge running while I was in ND with you guys shedding was that I could glass and see for such great distances and those "sheddy" areas looked much closer than they really were. Often by the time I got to them I would look back and sense that I missed some sheds if I would have gridded (especially) some of those CRP spots better. Even though the edges produced very well! On the other hand out here in the mountains, where I cant see very far, 50 yrds at best on average, I devote a lot of boot leather to gridding hot winter/native feed food sources. If I had to pick 1 terrain feature/habitat combo here in the mountains it would be an inside edge within cover that boasts southern exposure, benches, covered in heavy red stemmed cenoseous close to a grown up clear cut or ag field down off the mountain.
Most of the deer here still have theirs on. I saw group of 15 or so deer last nite in pasture, and there were several bucks in the group with racks. Be patient. They will drop eventually. Lots easier to find when they're on the ground LOL
shed hunting is alot of fun and can be great when you find some some years are better then others for me but it's also a great time to scout and look over the land you hunt and locate new stand site area's etc with you the best and never give up good luck to you headed out in the morning myself to do some looking we are to have a little snow sometimes that helps to see them a little better and after the snow melts is another great time cause things are smashed down makes seeing them much easier check where you think the deer are bedding this is where over the years I've found most of my sheds also area's they have to jump and cross fences of creek crossings good luck with you the best never give up they are out there
Depending on where you are some of the bucks may have not dropped, here are some pictures of bucks in the last 2 weeks.... I'll put up a pic of a big old yote as well.
While on my run Saturday morning, I saw 3 young bucks in the tree line. One was still holding both sides and the other two were hanging onto half their racks.
I've resorted to cheating to find my sheds. I go to the local county park where there is no or at least extremely limited hunting. So a higher % of bucks can actually live long enough to shed. I walk the areas where there is the most concentrated deer sign. These places are highly pressured by other shed hunters, they get picked pretty clean in the more common locations.
My brother and I went out yesterday to a neighbors woods. We ended up at a remote field watching about 40 deer in a corn field. There were 4 real monsters, we could tell because they all still had horns. We just turned around and went right back in. Try again in a few weeks. (i'm not saying they aren't shedding, just not all yet)
Tim (TJF) and Troy (shed), have provided some great information. One of the top 5 things for me while shed hunting is covering rub lines. Many times you will find these naturally on the edge. I find that these rub lines are not to far off from natural travel routes. Running edges vs Gridding..... For me its hard not to grid a nasty thick area, a cedar thicket or if I am searching for a particular bucks shed I "know" is there. When it comes to open timber or CRP fields, I find myself running the edge. Dont over look the blow downs and double check in the fallen tree tops.
