shed hunting

[jkcmj]

I went out a 2nd time this year and finally had some success. I found an antler that sat a year with heavy chewing, and a long spike off a yearling. Both were recessed in the snow so I had to walk right past to find them. Luckily a squirrel dug the old one out for a little bone nourishment or it would have been under the snow pack. Good Luck out there with all this snow cover. On a positive note there were plenty of blood spots along trail edges indicating more have shed than I found. We have seen about half off already in SE MN where I have been hunting(at least the bucks we've seen). Wish I could find them!

[LOTWSvirgin]

IS that where the blood is coming from you think?? I have seen lots of blood spots this year but only one shed was actually layjng in a pool of blood. might need to look harder I guess. All I found today was a dead 3 pt buck.

[hockeybc69]

Why are you finding so many dead deer LOTWguy???

Crazy.

[stompinaround]

I did a 2 hour hike for sheds today, another goose egg for me. I to have seen some blood trails that looked like it came from a shed, I always seem to find the blood but never the shed. The one I saw today trailed for about 35 yards with single drops then about five drops at the end and nothing more. Whoever sees the football field area of snow that I dug up, looking for the supposed shed will think "what the hell?". Man I was a hundred percent sure there would be a shed there, oh well it was a nice day for a hike and its still really early.

How much do they bleed after they drop a shed?

[LOTWSvirgin]

Why are you finding so many dead deer LOTWguy???

Crazy.

I sure wish I new why I found a dead 3pter today kinda sad there not coyote kills either my guess is just a stressful winter for the fawns and there haveing trouble finding food dunno but I hope the weather stays nice like it is

[shedfreak]

i have found a TON of blood this year as well... well heres my theory... i too would like to assume its shed blood... but what I come up with it..( where im at anyway) we had the big snowfall,and then freezing rain, which made the snow rock hard.. I think the blood we are seeing is from the deers legs and hooves... I know when i took my dog out in it, she was bleedin on all 4 paws within minutes...Some of it maybe from sheds, yeah, and again, its just my theory... I mean i was seein it on virtually every trail I was walking... What do you guys think? Makes sense to me, i guess.

[buckhunter21]

Never thought of that, makes a lot of sense to me too.

[hockeybc69]

I dont buy that theory.

Hooves on deer that live 7x24 in the wild compared to the tender paws of a dog?

Nope. I dont buy it.

[jkcmj]

I to find blood every year, especially when the snow crust is so hard. Likely will be worse after this next batch of wet stuff coming up this week. I am talking about the drips along the edge of the trails, where some of the bucks will drip blood from the pedicle soon after sheds have dropped. It is usually easy to tell if it is a foot by the way it gets smeared along the side of the hoof marks and is almost always centered in the trail. Pedical blood usually drips off along the side of the trail and is usually in heavy drips in the trail. Frequently found around the beds as well, not smeared and melted in the ice in the middle the way the foot injury blood is.

[LOTWSvirgin]

Well if thats the case I am going back to a spot 2maro cause I seen a lot of blood on the ground the way you explained it we will see.

[stompinaround]

The reason I thought it ws a shed is because i have found them at the end of a good blood trail. This one couldn't have been a shed though, I turned the place upside down looking for it. I think their hooves and what not bleed but those blood trails usually go on for a very long time. Word of caution don't get in the habit of looking for blood instead of sheds. When I was out I kind of forgot I was looking for deers sheds instead of the next blood spot.

Jeez Shedfreak you should be giving seminars on how to shed hunt!

nice collection!

[Musky Buck]

stompin, I'm in Central MN as well, things vary greatly, but in my area the shedding takes place mainly in mid-march or at least that's what 30 years of doing it has taught me, I always hope and wish for early sheds but it rarely happens. Now my trail cams are proving what we thought, all the bucks are full racked yet in our 3 areas we shed hunt in. It's way too early.

[jkcmj]

I find it strange that Western MN would be so far behind what we are seeing in other areas. Duluth clearly is well along with Shedfreak and company finds, those I talk to in SE find about half the bucks seen are shed already, Southern WI folks are finding significant numbers on the ground already, and even friends in far Southern Iowa are seeing about 50% off on trailcam photos. I usually don't see neer this many shed so early, but it looks like most of those I talk with are seeing numbers similar to me this year.

[Musky Buck]

I know every year I see shed freak I think I got to get out, I do, I grab my t-cams on the way, get home and there's the reason I can't find any. It's just the way it has been for the 30 years of shed hunting in my area(s). Last year found a set on March 16th and the bases had way fresh blood on them, got home and had 11 bucks on trailcam, 1 was shed and 1 had 1 horn and 9 had full racks yet. Makes it tough because the window is short in those swamps, some years it starts thawing too soon and they leave the wintering area with their rack, I like it better if they are still confined through early April. Maybe some biologist kind of guy can chime in. My uncle has about 30 bucks or so that winter each year on his river bottom land, he finds a lot of antlers, he hasn't found any yet this year and he's been at this for a lot longer than I. Mid-March on is prime time for him.

[bobbymalone]

Not that this means much, but I saw a 6 pointer with both his antlers rooting around in the snow in my backyard last night. South metro area, near the MN river.

[Musky Buck]

I'm not certain as to why it's so varied, all I can figure out is maybe, maybe it's their condition going into winter, maybe it's soil/nutrition related, I don't know. Cmon experts tell us.

[WaveWacker]

Found one in the Benson, MN area yesterday.

[Musky Buck]

Wacker you gave me an idea. Anyone find any yet between Hewitt to Henning to Ottertail to south of Wadena ? That's the main area I have searched for 30 years and they must like hanging onto them. You could do a musket hunt in that area up until Valentines Day and 90 some % would still have a full rack according to our analysis.

[buckhunter21]

Im not too far away from you MB and its the same thing for me. I might get lucky and find one or 2 in January but I will have alot of trail cam pics in late Feb and into March with bucks still holding both sides of their racks. I dont even plan on getting out until March, as long as the mice and squirrels dont beat me to them they are not going anywhere. I dont like bumping deer either in case they still have their horns, even though they more than likely wont go far it might make the difference instead of dropping them on my land they might drop on the neighbors. But if our area was like Shedfreaks and some other guys who are finding them I dont know if I would be able to resist!

[00rowe]

I've seen them with white antlers in March around Bertha, 2 nice bucks in the past 5 years, never seen any little ones that late though.

Mike

[certified jumbo]

Interesting conversations guys!!! I'm no expert but i will tell you what i have seen through 5 years of tons of hours of shed hunting.

First, I primarily look in the carlton, Mn area. I have about 5 or 6 very good wintering area's where i have great luck. Most years the deer drop their antlers in January or late December. Occasionnaly as late as February. Never later than February though. Our biggest bucks always drop first, always. The reason I know this is because we track our deer by trail cams and always have them out.

Secondly, I look in the cambridge isanti area. The deer here usually drop in february to march, sometimes even april. Why, i don't know.

My friends that feed deer in the cities area (mounds view), the deer will almost always carry antlers till march and april. Why, i don't know.

All i know for sure is that if we get the snow thats forcasted this wkd, i won't find another antler in carlton until april!!!! That sucks.

As far as the blood thing goes. When i look for antlers i find blood all the time. No doubt some comes off when antlers fall off, but no doubt deer are also bleeding from hoofs and other parts of the body as well. Anybody that shed hunts a lots see's lots of blood. I'm sure there are many reasons for this.

As stated before on this thread, i don't think we have any conclusive reason why some deer in some area's drop early and some drop late. But no doubt, it differs drastically pending on your location.

Good luck, get out before the snow and look!!!

CJ

[shedfreak]

In my area, its always the same.... some early, alot in the middle, and some late.. I mean ive picked up fresh sheds before mid december. And ive also been shed hunting in the same chunk of woods I have picked them up in December in say, April, and Ive seen bucks with both sides even then... Last year up here, I saw a 150 class buck in May with both sides....I wish it was something that could be explained, but as much as I try to figure it out, its almost pointless. I just know I like pickin em up, and enjoy walking in the woods. So its December to June 1st for me every year. Havent gotten around to uploading my last 3 yet.... and im due for a dry spell here, Ive taken on a side job, and my wife has kind of put her foot down on my shed hunting :-( So i gotta patch that up and Ill be good to go. ive only got 18 hours in, i dont think its much, but she just doesnt understand it... oh well...Hopefully I can get out before this next storm!

[stompinaround]

It is definitely early, checked the cam this evening six bucks full racks. Buck your right, I think I'm in your area and I too dont start finding them until way late like march and april, have found them in dec. and jan. though so its really varied.

Found something really strange that I forgot to post before, three scrapes! First I thought they were beds but the sign of broken branches above them and flung dirt and urine everywhere it was clear too me. There was alot of traffic to these scrapes, ive heard of second rut but never this late before. No wonder there not dropping here, when their done with the rut sometime in February maybe they'll drop them in May!

[hockeybc69]

Rutting wouldnt have anything to do with holding antlers or dropping them.

There is no question there are some does that come into a 3rd cycle. Not many probably, but surely some. So a 3rd "rut" isnt that surprising.

[lungdeflator]

Rutting might have everything to do with dropping antlers. Unless there concrete 100% evidence that they drop when .... happens then its any bodys guess. That idea about the rut is actually interesting. There should be a study done to see if rutting activity has correlations to when deer drop there antlers. Think about it, if the rut is still on, the bucks will still be competeing with each other and the ones without headgear lose