2 questions for the shed guys
Contributors to this thread:Pennsylvania
From: Dennis Razza
13-Mar-14
Just wondering for the guys who love to look for sheds... How many on average do you find in a year and how many Hrs and miles do you think you have in each antler?
From: krazybkid
14-Mar-14
Since I've trained the dogs, the last 2 years I've found 14 and 17 respectively. That's for about 4-5 hours and maybe 3-4 miles a year. I usually only check one property hard and one small urban patch. Before the dogs I averaged 8-10 sheds a year.
From: BOWJO
15-Mar-14
Krazy, that's a great average. For me, it's about six to ten per year but I usually leave the little ones to feed the rodents. Was out this morning and it was zero for today.
From: Dennis Razza
15-Mar-14
Krazy, I always wanted to get a shed dog. What kind do you have? Do they usually find them before you do? I take my german shorthair with me sometimes just to get him out but I never trained him to look for sheds.
My average is around 12 sheds per year with about 3-4 hrs and 3-4 miles per antler. My best year in Pa was 22 sheds.
From: horsethief51
15-Mar-14
Paul and I just found our first 2 of the year today. Third time I looked. Found 15 last year with over half on one day in about an hour and a half. That was not normal for me last year.
From: exsanguinator
15-Mar-14
Put up trail cameras and set out some minerals. Looked for sheds for about 1 hour. Found two wood ticks on my pants and decided to call it a day. If it weren't for the ticks I would spend a lot more time looking for sheds, but just too many ticks.
From: Treerat
16-Mar-14
My average would be 6-10 also. The most I've found in one year was 16 but that was in the late 80's when I was in my early 20's, just don't have that kind of time now. I'd say i now look 20 to 30 hours a year so two to three hours or more per shed.
Hope I didn't ruin anyone from people for the ethical treatment of shed antlers day by posting about shed hunting! Would not want anyone to have to "bang their head against the wall" over a shed thread.
Mike
From: krazybkid
16-Mar-14
I have an American yellow lab and an American chocolate lab. Both males. They will find 1/4-1/3 of the sheds before I do. I'm not the most patient trainer so maybe I could have done better but they help out enough. They find most on sight but I think if they smell a fresh shed they seem to find it. I won't even get out looking this weekend, wife's got me too busy. Hopefully next weekend will be just as nice weatherwise.
From: Ben Farmer
17-Mar-14
Ill be going out for the first time on Tuesday but i already got a matching set! A guy i work with brought them in for me yesterday, said he looked out his window and they were laying in his yard.
I finish up night turn Tuesday morning and im off work till Friday. Ill be out looking but i dont expect much. Im not very good at shed hunting!...lol
From: Banjo
25-Mar-14
Seen 4 bucks on friday( 3/21/214) and they all still had full racks but one had a half rack. One was s purty nice 8. Guess I'll have to wait a week or so to look gor them ones.
From: Rut Nut
26-Mar-14
I saw a little fork horn with a half rack and a scabbed over pedicle. First time I ever saw that. THen I looked closer at the other "doe" with him and one of the others had the same thing. A few days later I think we saw the half rack again with no rack and a bloody pedicle. I'll have to go for a walk this weekend.
From: X-Master
26-Mar-14
I finally got out for a short walk last Fri. This was the first thing I found. I think he is an un-recovered buck from bow season as everyone is telling me that most of the rifle season causalities are still in full body for the most past because of all the cold weather we have had. I put a quick tape on him and he came in at 115" - definitely a shooter in this neck of the woods. Don't really know where he came from because I didn't have him on camera all fall to the best I can tell from my photos.
From: X-Master
26-Mar-14
Later in the morning I found this one which has the potential to be a pretty good 3 yr old this coming season. Really trying to get into this shed thing since AR's - never really had much of a shot before but usually find a few every spring now. Also cameras are now showing some growth starting on some of the bucks in the last week or so.
From: horsethief51
31-Mar-14
Finally found my third one last Friday. Seeing lots of deer and one very large beer.
From: Treerat
31-Mar-14
Art I love large Beer! Lol
I need to change my timeline for how many hours walking it takes me for each shed. So far I've walked about 12-15 hours and have found two dead bucks and no sheds! One real nice 110 inch buck in Ohio that I was hoping to be one of my target bucks this year and a small 3 point on public land in PA.
Soon as this last 7 inches of snow we got the other day melts I'll be back at it.
Mike
From: DaleHajas
31-Mar-14
Saved for posterity:)
Art typed: "Finally found my third one last Friday. Seeing lots of deer and one very large beer."
From: Dennis Razza
31-Mar-14
One very large beer. Lol...
Put on lots of miles and found 12 sheds so far. 2 match sets.
From: PA_archer1
01-Apr-14
Do any of you guys go looking around the Phiily area? I'd love to take my son and dog shed hunting but not really sure where to go.
Also are these a lot of tics out now? What is the best remedy to keep them off you? More worried about my son.
From: DaleHajas
01-Apr-14
My beagles have the tick drops but it doesn't matter- they get em I pick em off lol It helps but we're vigilant about searching the pups.
For humans- $10 at wallyworld in the camper section. Yellow box, wash clothes hang em and spray em. 4 hrs later put the clothes on. Treated clothes are good for 6 washings I think.
From: PA_archer1
02-Apr-14
Thanks Dale. Since I've been trying to get everything together for hunting it never even occurred to me about the ticks, glad I saw you guys talking about it.
From: X-Master
02-Apr-14
Found my second of the year today- it was a big spike buck from last year though. On a sadder note I also found 6 doe and fawn carcasses from this past winter the past 2 mornings. And YES the tick population is alive and well!!!! I've probably walked 6 or 7 miles so far and about 10 to 11 hours in.
From: horsethief51
02-Apr-14
They are usually 12 ouncers in my house. this one was a 40.
From: horsethief51
02-Apr-14
It was a long winter. Going to scout our WVA spot this weekend.
From: Treerat
02-Apr-14
X-master what part of PA did you find that many dead deer? We have had close to 200 inches of snow this winter in North Central Crawford Co and I have not seen or herd of that kind of winter kill off around here. The closest City to me, Erie PA is 23 miles north of me and Erie leads the US in snow fall for cities over 100,000 Population with 139 inches and they are not in the lake effect snow belt area like we are here.This is farm country and there is plent of food and the herd around here is very healthy IMO. Strange to find that many dead doe and fawns. Did you have a EHD problem in your area this past fall? Just curious. We had EHD some areas near here in the fall of 2012. I found lots of dead deer on the farms I hunt that season.
Finally found a shed today so one for every 15 hours searching is my average right now ; )
Mike
From: X-Master
02-Apr-14
Mike, This was in Armstrong County. I'm thinking they may have been wounded or just shot at by road hunters that didn't or couldn't take the time to follow them up in fear of getting caught trespassing. I definitely think that if there were any deer in any type of marginal condition going through this winter would have meant certain curtains for them. I have never found that many before either. With the buck I found a couple weeks ago that is 7 total and I haven't hit all my spots yet. Sad! The deer that I have seen or got pictures of on my cameras actually look to be in extremely good shape for how this winter was for sure.
From: Treerat
02-Apr-14
I agree any critters that went into this past winter in bad health probably didn't make it. Hopefully you don't find any more dead heads. Found two myself already this year. Good luck
Mike
From: Ben Farmer
03-Apr-14
I put in about 15 or so hours walking so far and have found nothing! Think I'm the worst shed hunter on the planet!!....lol. Oh we'll, getting some exercise anyway.
From: horsethief51
07-Apr-14
Found 2 today about 200 yds. apart.
From: Treerat
07-Apr-14
Ben I'm the second worst shed hunter on the planet. Walked my best spot for sheds in Ohio the other day for 3 hours... Nothing, had pictures all winter of about 15 different bucks in all different stages of shedding. Some happy treerats out there somewhere!
Good job Art
Mike
From: Ben Farmer
08-Apr-14
I'm heading to Ohio in the morning. Going to spend the day clearing out some shooting lanes for a couple new trees we picked out this winter and then spend the rest of the day looking for the elusive shed antlers:)
From: Mrs. Horsethief
27-Apr-14
Guess where these sheds are?
