Shed Hunting

[buckgtr]

Just curious when those of you that shed hunt usually start looking and has anyone found any this of this years sheds yet? I know of two already found. A friend of mine checked his trail camera recently and had pics of two bucks that had already shed and one with only one antler.

Thanks,
Buckgtr

[Luckybill]

Well that explains the spike I saw on saturday with half his head gear just dangling, should have put a bum rush on him to drop the antler, eh?
gonna be bummer for the guys w/ the cow tags still. :shocked: like my buddy who has the East Trask cow hunt for 45 days!!! :grin:

[Steeliehunter]

The earliest I have gone is late March and April. We mostly look for elk drops on the east side so we have to wait for the snow to melt.

[nitrobass]

Deer shedding already?!?!!? Thats early..really early

Elk will keep theirs until sometimes late March-early April. The elk at Deans Creek do anyways, but they arent exactly tromping through thick reprod each day.

I find most of my sheds either in June/July, or during the season

[mcknerkneykak]

This is one of last December's hunts(three of us--about a three hour hunt). Left the smaller sheds there. Weren't looking for horns-just bird hunting. Out of Vale-low elevation. Every time we have gone to this particular area we find lots. Been threatening to make a special shed hunt'n trip this spring.

[periwinkle]

Mcnerk,,,,,,,,,, Is that a 'wirehair shed hunter' dog?? Looks like one of those GWP's from Bend..I've forgotten the breeders name.... :grin:

[mcknerkneykak]

Picture is a little rough. This my first attempt at taking one off my scanner.--Usually use my digital cam(with which I'm not much better at). The dog is actually a GSP out of Lemschlog Kennels--Sela Wash. You are not far off though, as Charles Brown lives in Bend and is involved with the Sela "operation". You might have seen his dogs out and about. By the way, one of my hunting partners has a GWP that you would swear was a Shorthair. He had to show us the papers before we would believe him.

[buckgtr]

Update!
On Sat. the 17th my hunting partner went shed hunting in our secret spot hoping to get some blacktail bucks on film and with any luck a new shed or two. Due to the fog he was unable to get any video but did find 3 sheds, all fresh within a week or so of detachment. I believe that this last cold snap we had sped things up a little. What do you guys think? I am pretty excited about his find, all 3 sheds were from diff. mature bucks and they as far as we can tell are not from any of the many many good blacktail bucks we saw this past bow season. If anyone is interested, I will start posting pics of the sheds we find as soon as I figure how. I myself am obsessed with blacktails and would love to see any blacktail buck pics new, old, pick ups and sheds. I recently heard of a absolute hog found dead somewhere around Kings Valley this year, anyone know anything about it?

Buckgtr

[ 01-22-2004, 03:43 PM: Message edited by: buckgtr ]

[fishuntr2]

The bucks in my area are still sporting headgear. Timber area. Are you shedding way east or what? Just general info wanted....no honeyholes needed.

[buckgtr]

FH2,
West side, Alsea unit-Valsetz/ Kings Valley area.

[shedster]

I've been shed hunting for blacktail drops for about 6 yrs.I have a few honey holes that are pretty good.We have two big boxes,and antlers hanging all over the shop.If we can figure out how to post some pics ill show you the biggest bt shed I have found its a 4pt with double eye guards,only one side though. Also have matched set of huge 3pt I mounted on a bt skull.Havent found any new sheds yet.Any help on how to post pics would be a big help. buckgtr find any elk sheds in your area?

[Silver Eagle]

Shedster they have posted a lot of info on putting pictures on here just search the archives and you come across some its really not to bad, if you run into a problem give me a call and I'll walk you thru it. Ray

[SafetyChain]

Please pardon my ignorance, but why do you hunt for these? IS there any value to them or do you just want them to rattle next fall?

[buckgtr]

Shedster,

The area we hunt does have a pretty good herd of elk wander through from time to time. As of finding elk sheds none so far. Maybe this year!

Buckgtr

[buckgtr]

SC,
Really don't know where to start. Any hunter that spends lots of time hunting blacktails knows how magical and elusive mature blacktail bucks are to. It is just something about the antlers. It is a great way to scout for next year, what caliber of bucks are still in your area etc. etc. I started two years ago and am angry I didn't start shed hunting earlier. Those who hunt for sheds know the magic when finding that freshly fallen antler. Your mind starts to wander what was he doing when he shed?, where was he going?, how old is he?, have I found a shed from him before? what's his other side look like?, is he one I saw this past season on and on. Just a great reason to hike/scout year round.

Buckgtr

[ 01-23-2004, 08:37 AM: Message edited by: buckgtr ]

[shedster]

thanks silver eagle, im still a young fry on this weegie board thingiemabob.Ill figure this thing out someday.Have not found any fresh deer drops yet. The last elk drop I found was an old one but it was a DANDYYY.I think you might know where I was?Blew a tire last time out,spent all day getting rescued..... no lug wrench{go figure}.

[Silver Eagle]

Shedster heard about that - went beer hunting with Jim the other day, no luck, yes it was beer, anyway glad to see you aboard. Will talk later, been butchering Hogs thats something different. At least were getting some shooting in. Ray

[rainrshine]

Here is a picture of a shed I found while out hunting this year. Funny how when you find one you kind of really want to find the other half, better yet, I'd really of liked to find this guy while they were still attached... rainrshine

[shedster]

buckgtr couldnt have said that any better my self. Theres just something about being outdoors.

[shedster]

rainrshine..... nice find,a lot of times you can find the other shed within a 200yrd radius if the deer was feeding or at least not on the run. Looks like last years drop,you may this years in the same area. good luck.

[fishuntr2]

This year during deer season i found a nice 3-pt w/eyeguard BT shed. I looked all over but couldn't find the mate. The very next week my son was in the same area and found the mate, a 4-pt w/eyeguard. We had them mounted as a set and it looks good on the wall. Kind of special to my son and I. B + C has a category for Oregon shed antlers, I have an elk shed listed.

[TonTo]

During extended buck this year,last year(2003) I found one of last years elk drops,a nice thick 4 point,but the squirles had beat me to it and had been gnawing the tip.I tucked an eye gard into the bacck of my belt and started the long hike back to the truck.When I got there I noticed it was bleeding from where the tip had been chewed off,and had ran all down the back of my leg.Is that normal for a shed to bleed? I hung it up and it bled for quite a while,all day and into the night.

[periwinkle]

Pack 'Heat'!!! My son is an avid shed collector. Sacks and sacks full in my basement. It's a obsession----- He is now a biologist for FWS in MN and was at a seminar in Missoula 5 years ago.. During the 2 hour lunch break he went up on one of the nearby mtns. to hunt for sheds.. Well he came face to face with another hunter (Mr. Cougar).. So he made lots of noise, picked up a dead pine bough, and slammed it on the ground as he backed up.. The bough broke into many pieces, and the cat didn't attack. (maybe he thought --that's one strong dude).. So after my son told me about this experience, I said "where was the Glock I gave you?" (under the truck seat)

So you never know who you will meet shed hunting!! Pack you pistoli.......... [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

[fishuntr2]

Tonto...My big elk shed bled for awhile. I had taken it in to work to show it off and noticed drops of blood on the end. So stood the antler up against a wall and a small pool of blood collected on the floor by days end. I had found this shed above Hagg lake during an elk hunt so that antler had to have been shed that spring and it still had blood in it months later. Probably cause of the way it landed when dropped, the blood remained in the antler?

[shedster]

tonto.........once the velvet comes off the anlter there is no blood to or in the bones,they are done growing. I have found elk sheds that seem to bleed but I think its moisture absorbed after it came off the head.Laying in damp place rain,ferns or snow. Just a guess though,I have found other ones in dry conditions that didnt {bleed} or smell bad. wet horns kinda smell like they do when you cut them. Hope this helps..

[B.J. Lilly Hunter]

I saw a group of five bucks last Thursday. They all had their antlers still, including a really big 3-point. He isn't the one who's sheds I want though. One of the other bucks was a freak non typical. It wasn't huge, but it had two main beams on its right antler each with three or four points. For height and width it was only the size of an average 3-point, but it also had alot of points on it's left side. I got to watch the big guy and this buck spar for a while across the street from the house I was working on.

[buckgtr]

UPDATE!

Sat. the 31st, I was again unable to make the hike into our honey hole but my parter was. He found a nice 3 pt. and a fork shed from within the last day. That makes 6 fresh sheds and a number of older sheds so far this year. He also saw 3 bucks from a distance that had shed their antlers, he could see the bloody disks on their heads. I will start posting pics soon.

Buckgtr