Shed Hunting 2010

[YotaRedneckGirl]

Decided to get out for a couple hours this morning for my first dedicated shed hunt of the "season". There's still patches of snow on the ground and we're expecting up to 10" by Tuesday, so I wanted to get out while I could still see the ground in places. Found that my turkey hunting vest is great for shed hunting as it fits my camera, gloves when I didnt want to wear them, a couple small bags of corn that I spread out for the pheasants, and if I were to find them, plenty of room to carry the sheds in the back pocket if I were to find them. I just stuck around the home farm today with Angus and the 2 remaining kittens following like usual. Got in about 2.5 hours with no luck, but I'm thankful for the time that I spent hiking around. It's neat for me to see how this place changes during the different seasons.
Walked both side of the fence that follows the South of my lane- I've seen quite a bit of activity here as there is CRP as far as you can see to the North and corn fields to the south. Saw a couple of old deer tracks. From here I walked across the South field to the West where it drops into a hollar with a creek and quite a bit of timber. This is where it got really interesting to me. This particular location has been flooded most of the time that I have ever there. Now with it being frozen, I was able to get to places that I had only seen from a distance. It is amazing the damage (and productivity) that the beavers have done down there.




Angus spotted a beaver and I called him off before I realized that it was a dead beaver stuck in the creek. Not sure of the cause of death, I couldn't get close enough to fish it out because the ice broke around it when Angus stepped closer. I realized that this is a bonus of having a dog that only weighs ~25lbs less then me. If he's going through, I'm definetly going through! The beavers have done a ton of damage down there which is really causing that area to flood. From here on out I will be packing and dispatching of any seen beava's.




Talked to my brother in law this evening (his cattle are there early Spring) and he said that parts of that creek bottom get to be over his head, so I'll take more caution next time while walking across the ice. After this we picked our way around the timber, really not finding any signs or tracks at all. All in all for finding sheds it was a bust, but I am happy to have had the time to get out and explore more. Depending on how much time I have next time I'm able to get out, I'll probably work my way through my sister and BILs alfalfa field into the timber and from there work my way to their South farms and a secluded little 20acre patch that I know is filled with deer.

It's nice to have the company of Angus

[east_beast]

I still see lots of muley bucks out here still carrying their racks.

As to the beavers, back in NC, few things in the world will fawk up a good trout stream quicker than beavers. Most of the water temps get too warm for a trout's liking in the summer already, so add in beavers to slow the flow and you end up with a troutless stream or at the least, smaller trout in reduced numbers.

[YotaRedneckGirl]

Originally Posted by east_beast

I still see lots of muley bucks out here still carrying their racks.

As to the beavers, back in NC, few things in the world will fawk up a good trout stream quicker than beavers. Most of the water temps get too warm for a trout's liking in the summer already, so add in beavers to slow the flow and you end up with a troutless stream or at the least, smaller trout in reduced numbers.

Yeah, it's still hit or miss here. From a local forum there's a lot of guys that have already found a ton of sheds. I haven't seen any bucks still carrying out here, but haven't seen a ton of deer out on my place lately. Been hearing quite a bit of coyotes close by too.

I had never seen an area like I was in today so dismantled by beavers. Almost every tree around that area was either gnawned down, only stakes left or fallen trees completely bare... hmmm... wonder what I could make out of that? The work of skinning the log is already down and rough hewed...

[BOFF]

Beavers are a big nuisance here as well. Often destroying the pines we plant, and other trees in the area. I usually trap them each year.

Is that land line paint on the tree chewed by the beaver? I wouldn't think so, being as low to the ground as it is, but just curious, ......a possible fungus?


Here, our deer haven't dropped their antlers yet. Possibly another month for some.




God Bless,
David B.

[TheRedHorseman]

That looks like moss or lichen to me.

[SilverZuk]

I usually find sheds rabbit hunting. That means in the thick brush. After the rut the deer go to "yards" where they hang out until spring. In my area the yards are piles of brush, tangled vines, and thick cover. That is where most will drop their antlers.

Also, check fence crossings or any other obstruction that will cause the deer to jump, duck, or possibly bump his antlers.

[Keith Armstrong]

Be careful down there, it's "warmer" this week, and you do NOT want to fall through the ice...believe me.

[blkntancj]

Found these matching Elk sheds while deer hunting last month

[InDaRed2]

We'll be looking hard this year for some. My dad went out today looking and jumped up a big 10 and a 6 or 8. Needless to say, they still have their antlers here in central MO.

Were going to try and train our year and a half old lab to find some sheds. We've been hiding them in the basement and making her find them. Shes doing pretty good so far, just got to get her out in the field and practice.

[BigGreenMonster]

our place is stil under water. does anyone use dogs to hunt for sheds? there was an article in either the qdma mag or the gon about it.

[cslimfu]

We haven't gone for a while but, we still have about 75#'s of them.

[YotaRedneckGirl]

Originally Posted by SilverZuk

I usually find sheds rabbit hunting. That means in the thick brush. After the rut the deer go to "yards" where they hang out until spring. In my area the yards are piles of brush, tangled vines, and thick cover. That is where most will drop their antlers.

Also, check fence crossings or any other obstruction that will cause the deer to jump, duck, or possibly bump his antlers.

In this area I walked the fence row along my lane and then just looked for rubs as it's not really thick with underbrush. I've read that a good "trap" is tying a 5gal bucket of corn around a tree with low hanging branches...

Originally Posted by Keith Armstrong

Be careful down there, it's "warmer" this week, and you do NOT want to fall through the ice...believe me.

Thanks! I was being somewhat careful but hadn't realized that those bottoms get to be so deep. Angus is a good ice strength tester Oh and I'm getting used to these midwest drifts... was going 50MPH home tonight and then all of a sudden the road was drifted over, that was fun

Originally Posted by InDaRed2

We'll be looking hard this year for some. My dad went out today looking and jumped up a big 10 and a 6 or 8. Needless to say, they still have their antlers here in central MO.

Were going to try and train our year and a half old lab to find some sheds. We've been hiding them in the basement and making her find them. Shes doing pretty good so far, just got to get her out in the field and practice.

Yeah, I've heard that some of them are still carrying, but I don't mind the excersize and a reason to explore I think it would be interesting to train a dog... Angus, not so much. He doesn't retrieve- anything. He does point though!

[Mo]

Crp?

[665.0coupe]

Originally Posted by Mo

Crp?

Conservation Reserve Program

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CRP/

[SilverZuk]

Originally Posted by BigGreenMonster

our place is stil under water. does anyone use dogs to hunt for sheds? there was an article in either the qdma mag or the gon about it.

I talked to a guy that collects them that uses a dog. He bought a lab puppy and let it only play with antlers. No other toys.

Now the dog brings in every antler it finds to play fetch. He carries an old antler with him to toss to the dog as they are looking.

After a couple years the dog was aparently smelling the antlers, going to find them and bring them in to fetch.

Just imagine an antler instead of having a wet, slobbery tennis ball pressed to your leg for 12 years of your life.

BTW, I guess we are looking at March before the water goes down.
We are in the same boat up here - I have never seen a winter this wet.

[jensenkennels]

Originally Posted by BigGreenMonster

does anyone use dogs to hunt for sheds?

It must have been 15 or so years ago, a young man (18-20) approached me and asked me if I could help him train a retriever to shed hunt. It didn't take me long to put together a training program, afterall it really just comes down to scent and indication training just like most if not all hunting breeds and even narcotic/explosive canines.
Well after about three months of training what we had was a retriever trained on a beeper to do his shed hunting. In a nutshell first we trained basic obedience offleash with high distractions and long distance so he could have control of his dog, while doing this we scent imprinted the dog on deer and elk antlers. Second, we taught the dog to indicate sheds by sitting, we decided that sitting the shed would be the best way of indicating a shed verses retrieving it, afterall this young man was going to Montana and primarily looking for elk sheds and any dog trying to retrieve an elk shed through the woods would eventually end up with a headache and missing teeth. We then conditioned the dog for a beeper collar.
In the end we could take the dog into the woods give him a cast to hunt, follow on foot or ride an atv in the bottom of the draw. When the dog was ranging the beeper would beep in a certain pattern, when the dog would stop the beeper would change to a different pattern. So we knew when the dog was on the move and when the dog was sitting indicating a shed.
Long story short, I heard from the owner about 5 years later the dog was still shed hunting and had helped his owner pay for college. True story.

[Keith Armstrong]

Al right, I'll bite.....

Why are you guys collecting sheds?

[jensenkennels]

Originally Posted by Keith Armstrong

Al right, I'll bite.....

Why are you guys collecting sheds?

$$ and exercise is why I shed hunt. Currently sheds are bringing $8 a pound.

[Keith Armstrong]

Originally Posted by jensenkennels

$$ and exercise is why I shed hunt. Currently sheds are bringing $8 a pound.

Well, I'll be a.....so who buys them?

[SilverZuk]

Originally Posted by jensenkennels

$$ and exercise is why I shed hunt. Currently sheds are bringing $8 a pound.

What species?
I was thinking the last I saw was $1/pound.

They rate sheds by size.
A big set of antlers obviously bring more money.
Smaller one are cheap.
The call the smallest grade "craft points".

[PONY_DRIVER]

Originally Posted by SilverZuk

What species?
I was thinking the last I saw was $1/pound.

They rate sheds by size.
A big set of antlers obviously bring more money.
Smaller one are cheap.
The call the smallest grade "craft points".

Probably elk.

[SilverZuk]

I found a buyer's price list

http://www.wildernesstrading.com/antlerbuylist.html

ANTLER BUY LIST

Antlers wanted - we buy antlers.
This is what we are currently paying.
Into The Wilderness Trading-P.O. Box 1648-38 W. Washington ST. Pinedale, WY 82941
Ph/Fax 307-367-4398 / Cel 307-360-6005
Email - antlers@bigantlers.com
Current Buy Prices ———Effective 06/15/09
Always check current buying status before just sending antlers, and also let us know when you have shipped antlers .
We no longer pay shipping. Prices are for antlers "at our door".
Shipped antlers will be paid for AFTER we grade them, no more pre-payments.
Also, bear in mind that with the current antler situation, many are not worth shipping.

Grades

Brown—fresh with full fresh color both sides

Hard white—Good smooth antler, faded or no color
Chalky—Cracked, rough, or weathered

#1—Perfect sheds
#2—broken tine , cutoff, or other damage



#1 BIG brown deer—LG 50 B&C”+ Whitetail SHEDS $ 6.00 lb
18”+(straight line ) Mule Deer SHEDS 4 pt main frame— 6.00 lb
#1 brown deer –ALL others including smaller 4 point muley- 3.00 lb
#2 brown deer, ANY damage & all CUTOFFS 2.00 lb
#1 hard white deer 1.00 lb
#2 hard white deer .50 lb.
SOLID chalkies .25 lb.

[SilverZuk]

The people I know that hunt them are looking for trophy deer.
I know a couple of guys that live, eat, breath, and sleept trophy deer hunting.

They tell me about seeing a deer 2 years ago and not seeing it since. However, they found its sheds - so they know it is still there. So they continue to hunt and change tactics hoping some day that ghost will appear.

Both guys have a wall full of ghosts. What is funny is that they know the big deer that live around my area. They aren't big enough for them to put time and effort in to, but they tell us about them. The funny thing is that on a very rare occasion are those deer ever seen by us, and we hunt a relative small area. Those deer probably die of old age, except for every few years one of us will get one.

A friend shot a really nice buck for our area. Michael gave him pictures of the deer the previous two years and a shed from that deer.

He told us this year after hunting season that no one got the 120-130 class 9 point that was seen several times around the house.

[jensenkennels]

Originally Posted by SilverZuk

What species?

Elk

[Keith Armstrong]

Well whadya know....learn somthing new every day around here