Deer Sheds

[Jim Sr]

No Deer Sheds today!
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Got home from the woods, only to find them in my frount yard.​

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[Mikeyworks]

Saw a young buck on APG today still with antlers. Wonder if the winter treated them differently this year?

 

[bmidd31]

Out Sunday night doing some crop damage in Carroll County and saw 3 bucks with antlers still. There were 3-5 others fighting and head butting but no antlers...

 

[CHUNKERMD]

Nice pics.

 

[jmiller320]

I saw a nice 8 point yesterday in Cecil County. Also saw a small flock of 18 Turkeys scratching in the snow.

 

[Diesel Kinevel]

I have been out shed hunting once this year. No luck yet. I think it will be another few weeks.

-Z

 

[MikeTF]

I've not found anything.

 

[foxtrapper]

I've never been able to find sheds. Thinking of trying to train my yellow lab mix to look for them. He's a smart dog with an excellent nose. I've got some sheds that I bought from places years ago, would these work to train him with? Any training tips? Though he is smart, he doesn't always "listen", it took me about a week to train him to give me his paw after he sits.

 

[jmiller320]

I always found them stuck in the tractor tire while I mowing the ranges at APG.

 

[marko12]

Beautifuy pictures, thanks for sharing.

 

[deerslayer79]

I found two sets of matchin sheds this week so far,what sucks they were still attached to the damn deer,found two dead bucks both were wall hangers

 

[foxtrapper]

I always found them stuck in the tractor tire while I mowing the ranges at APG.

I'll correct myself. I did find part of an antler in the spring after planting was just done, it was broken into 3 sections that fit together, however I could not find the base end which would have told me if it was a shed or not. I suppose the base piece was stuck in a tractor tire tread. I found it out back of where I live.

I think it's nuts I have never found a full shed antler after so many years of water trapping late feb and first 2 weeks of march. I walk on deer trails and field edges and have always glanced into the fields. The one place I spent alot of time on had monster bucks and everything else according to the locals. I'd see some huge deer tracks in muddy ground too- all the time. I'd sooner find otter poop than a shed antler.

 

[foxtrapper]

I found two sets of matchin sheds this week so far,what sucks they were still attached to the damn deer,found two dead bucks both were wall hangers

I once found a fairly decent 8 pt waaaaay down in some woods near a creek. It made up for the stupid a$$hole "hunters" who shot the beavers that I was waiting for the season to open on so I could trap them. There were 2 seperate beaver dams down there. If you are going to be an a$$hole and shoot beavers, at least wait till after march 15, cuz there might be a trapper who had their eye on them but wished to follow the law unlike you a$$holes, and said trapper would use the fur or sell it. The beavers in north central MD are actually quite nicely furred and grade above "southern", going in with the NY/PA grade. I have a tanned hide of a Jarretsville beaver that is plain gorgeous.

Anyway the 8 pt skull was about 19" wide, but didn't have mass, was still nice. I let an e-pal at the time in NYC have the skull. She loved it.

I've also found smaller racked skulls while trapping- 4's and 6's.

 

[b&csumday]

I've never been able to find sheds. Thinking of trying to train my yellow lab mix to look for them. He's a smart dog with an excellent nose. I've got some sheds that I bought from places years ago, would these work to train him with? Any training tips? Though he is smart, he doesn't always "listen", it took me about a week to train him to give me his paw after he sits.

I have been trying to do so with my lab - 9 months old. a buddy of mine has worked with his black lab, 8 yrs old, and had some great luck with her. think she has found half dozen deer sheds and an elk or 2 also! he said he started with her by letting her play with a deer shed he had found, then started playing fetch with it. then he had her sit and would start 'placing' it in plain sight and telling her to get it. he got to the point where he could have her sit and walk around the corner of the house and toss it out and have her go get it. that is where i am at with my pup, he loves doing that, even started putting it in some brush and he has found it. unfortunately, his ADD/ADHD significantly inhibits his endurance he plays for a good ten minutes then is more interested in smelling the ground and eating sticks. i hope to continue with this and would LOVE for him to finally find one on his own. I am not sure how dependent he is on his nose (and i wish he would be more) but he is getting there. I am worried that when i take him to a new area he will be so wowed at all the new smells and things to munch on that he will pass by any sheds!!! not quite sure how to get through to him that it is time to work, not play. but maybe age will help with that...

that is just my experience... would love to know if anyone else has input... and if you, foxtrapper, have any luck!! good luck!

 

[b&csumday]

2 from this year i found during late archery...

 

[foxtrapper]

I was reading tips from some shed hunters in PA, so I scoured the 10 acres here in all the bedding areas the deer use, as well as all their trails, plus glanced at the open meadow. All I found was enough deer poop to seriously use for fertilizer, thousands of hoof prints, an old box turtle shell rodents had gnawed on, and golf balls.

Now I have some other ground I wish to scour, and will be bringing the binos with me to scan over open fields. I actually saw bucks in these places, including 1 nice looking wide 8 pt type on 3 different occasions in the same patch of woods when it was late bow season. He was with a bunch of does, and I think there was a smaller buck in there too.

 

[Jim Sr]

I found the Deer today. Now, to be able to find sheds.?
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[foxtrapper]

Go looking for the sheds! Watch out, the poison ivy will be leafing real soon. And there might be ticks.

I wasted another 3 hours today looking for antlers, found none. But I spent about an hour talking to the landowner lady about guns LOL. So I was there about 4 hours total.

 

[BlackBart]

Go looking for the sheds! Watch out, the poison ivy will be leafing real soon. And there might be ticks.

I wasted another 3 hours today looking for antlers, found none. But I spent about an hour talking to the landowner lady about guns LOL. So I was there about 4 hours total.

No mights about it, ticks are out......found a couple last week.