Contributors to this thread:
I've walked at least ten miles so far up here in 8H and haven't seen a shed. On the farm I hunt, I've still got trail cameras up but only showing small bucks and all but one are still carrying. I'm going to wait a few more weeks before trying again but it will be dictated by how much snow we get. I might have to wait until March.
Since I started getting a few young half racked bucks on camera I started looking first week in January. Second time out I hit the jackpot on our (my lab and mine) biggest shed to date. No idea who this deer is, this is on public land, and my dog found it and brought it back. Set up a camera and have yet to see him on it holding onto the other side. Will probably search for the other half the rest of the season! (I'm in 7R)
My wife and I visited with some dear friends yesterday before going out to dinner. While sipping some wine these two bucks showed up less than 10 yards from where we were sitting in the house. They are eating the squirrels food.
It doesn't look like theses antlers are ready to drop any time soon..... do they? These two bucks are about ten miles from the farm I hunt.
I've walked about ten to fifteen miles so far and have not found a single shed. I'm going to wait until mid March to look again.
Went out and hiked Sunday, found two old chewed up sheds and this really nice one.
Nice find C Beck..Maybe next season you can get your hands on the deer that it belonged to..Gonna be a beauty...Mike
Hammer- Thanks. I would be pretty excited just to see a deer like that on heavily pressured public ground. I'm sure he is 100% nocturnal but during the rut you just never know.
C Beck, I'm hunting out on the island too..LOTS of pressure on those big deer.Had some cameras up and got some real nice pics of some big stuff.Had 1 opportunity on a monster during the rut .Got him to come into 30yrds.Never turned broadside.Head on, didnt like what he felt and turned and walked away.UGH. Stopped putting out trail cams.They kept getting stolen.Good luck this season.Mike
Put them up high face somewhat down...
Remove camera large August before guys start scouting. I have better luck with cameras on public ground on the Island than anywhere else....... but risky. I had three stolen year before last.
Slim...dang you! Ha. Good job...you gotta save those pics on there left side and upload them that way...then they turn out right side up!
My daughter found her first matched set!!!! She found three all together.
My buddy Pat found a really nice one.
I found this one and thought it was the match to Pats. It was even bigger!!!! We scoured the area looking for the other sides to no avail.
In total we found ten sheds and one dead head. Only one shed was old. Great day!!!!!
nice job C B, daughter is growing up fast....Tom
Thanks Tom.
Nice Fishook on that one Slim!
That's a waste of a good deer in that last photo.Wonder what he died from? Not sure where you found him but he looks a lot like one I saw "out East" earlier in the season. Great job finding those sheds.Mike
Hammer- I looked for any sign of what may have killed him but there was no obvious wound or parts of an arrow.
Pat- not yet. Sightings are becoming more and more common on the Island now. I have yet to see one or get one on camera in this area.
I can't make out the rear end on carcass from the picture , usually that's the first place coyotes start on.....I guess they swam the sound to get there ? Either way they will not be a welcome addition to any deer or turkey population...Tom
Tom- the back of the carcass was gone. The coyotes supposedly followed the railroad tracks, the other conspiracy theory is the DEC released them to help lower the deer populations. Who knows.
Well that would explain why I couldn't make out the rear end ....it aint there ! lol.... I can remember the first time we jumped a pair of coyotes coming out of the woods after a morning bowhunt up at our farm over 30 yrs ago. Wish we had killed them then, now they are out of control...Tom
pretty dismal this season...no significant winter = no concentration of deer= no antlers... tuff tuff looking
Somersbow's Link
They have been documented in the Bronx and Manhattan and have made it to Queens after going over the Whitestone Bridge. One was hit and killed by a car. This is a link to the Gotham Coyote Project. We had the director come and speak at club meeting of mine. It's incredible how persistent they are at expanding their range. The project has gotten reports of them on the Island, but no documented breeding to date.
A mineral block in NY? damn poachers- should lose license for life!
no wonder I can't find any sheds. This was 03/06/17. Had a second pic of another buck with one side still attached that also.
I've been after this guys sheds for a while. Covered miles and miles, but never checked this lower finger, very close to a highway....of course its always the last place you look! Hoping to cover it again and find the other side! Still have a couple of good bucks with antlers still attached.
I saw 5 different bucks 3/21 still with antlers...one only had one side
I REALLY LIKE ONES IN BACK LEFT
oldies we were using to train dogs...
Even he can't stop looking at it!!
Even he can't stop looking at it!!
Trained Cooper all winter...first time out...his first find!!!!
Out this weekend again and could only find these old flat top skulls and misc bones. Plenty of ticks found us:(
Found this guys right side on Saturday. I call him "Brutus," he's got that roman nose and a big body, but I don't think he's any older than 2.5, may even be 1.5. Needs a few more years.
Jdawg - that is an awesome pile! All this year?
Does anyone hunt for sheds on the Montezuma management areas? I'm going up there tomorrow for a long walk with the pup. Just curious and bored at work!
You may find some there......probably lots of looking available
So my pup and I went up to Savannah. Waded through waist deep icy cold water and had just a few thousand acres to ourselves. We should've spent more time, but both being cold we called it after a few hours. Here is what we found: he brought me back the small three point shed and I found him chewing on the leg of this tall young 8. Anyone have a friend that shot at a tall 8 this past year? I'm surprised he wasn't found unless I'm the only crazy person who made it to the island and he was a winter kill.
We don't know when to quit.
"We don't know when to quit"
I hear that!! I finally stopped on april 26th..... but only after covering a few thousand acres across 3 counties, and over 90 miles. Primarily all on land I hunt or neighboring properties.
Got lucky and picked up a set from a the buck i really wanted to find - the largest buck I've ever let walk during bow season. I believe him to be no older than 3.5 and have many closeup pictures and videos to study. He has an unmistakable double throat patch and has stayed in the same woodlot for the past 2 seasons.... fingers crossed I can encounter him at 4.5.
2017 has been my best shed season.
Pretty slow shed season eh saddlereaper??? Haha kidding of course! That buck you passed with be a tank this yr. Goodluck with him this season . That's a big set on the right side of your tailgate as well.