As I said last week, people out shed hunting in 2018 are already finding an inordinate number of deadheads with big racks, but this one takes the cake and will be the biggest typical found this year, no doubt: @Tylerknott4 posted on Twitter: Never know what you will find in the woods of Iowa! Found this giant shed hunting. Gross scored 205
From our friend Mike Charowhas, The Antler Collector: Around noon the other day I was driving in central Kansas and passed a truck on a 2-lane with an older couple in it. About 5 min later, I looked in my rear view and saw that same truck getting closer and fast. Hmm. Their headlights start flickering so I pulled over. The truck pulled up alongside me and the Missus says, “Hey, we saw you go by. We have antlers. Do you live around here?” They couldn’t miss The Antler Collector logo on my truck. I said, “Yes I live not too far away.” She gave me their number said, “Please call us if you’re passing by.” I said, “Okay great.” [...]
To find sheds you need to look close, real close. Try a grid search. Look over the ground before you and mark off a 20-yard block. Walk slowly and cover every foot of it before moving on to the next grid. It’s our nature to look out front and up as we walk. Do that while you’re shedding and you’ll look right over antlers. Instead, take it slow and look straight down at the ground; scan every inch of each grid. You might spot an antler lying on the grass...or mostly buried with just a tine tip sticking up. You want big antlers, but the spikes and fork-horns are cool souvenirs too. You’ve got to look down and real close [...]
Shed antler season 2018 has officially begun, and people across the country are roaming the woods—and, it seems, finding an inordinate number of “deadheads,” or the carcasses of mature bucks that have been dead for weeks and more likely months. They are popping up everywhere on social media. Run across a dead buck and what comes to mind: What killed this animal? Lost by a bowhunter…hit by a car (ran off into the woods and perished)…attacked by a predator…succumbed to EHD last summer? Here are some interesting tips from the QDMA on how to examine a deadhead and possibly determine its cause of death. Also, while doing a rudimentary field autopsy on a dead buck is fine, remember that in [...]
Come to find out, Big Deer’s resident shed-hunting expert is also a bear hunter. Kelly files this report from the Alberta bush: Mike: Another great Canada bear hunt in the books. Very warm conditions this year, but many bears. Had to be selective when picking an animal to shoot, as there were many rubbed bears. The units I hunt in Alberta are two-bear units. I shot this black bear and waited for a colored bear to no avail. This was my fifth year up in Alberta and I have yet to shoot a color-phase, but there is always next year. I’m happy. The bear I shot squared 6’6” with a very clean coat. Already looking forward to next year!—Kelly K