Antlers dropping here

The back camera just sent me a shot of a buck with one side of his antlers missing. In the past I never have paid much attention as to when they dropped, but the new cameras give me a lot of current info.

Back in NE Louisiana, my cousin could tell me when a buck had dropped antlers - what day and sometimes about what time of day, and he had the data for multiple years. I killed a big 9 pointer there years ago and the cuz gave me a CD with 3000 pictures of that deer over the past years. I appreciated it, but felt a bit sorry I shot the buck.

I saw my first one drop yesterday. I looked at the deer and though that it didn't look like a doe, the next picture confirmed it with the tarsals. Eventually it got close enough where the IR flash picked up the open wound on its head where the antler once stood.

I've been getting two on trail camera now for a couple of days.

Biggest rack fell 2 days ago. The rest are still holding. Colorado Co.

Menard County, young bucks started dropping in late January, bigger bucks dropping now.

Knothead with a fork right at base on one side and single other side that turned down and ran down past eye has no headgear this morning. His ears were and still are always flat with no vertical lift (as in the alert position).

In Robertson county young bucks still have headgear but it wont be long.

I'm in NW Blanco County and I've found 5 sheds with very little effort. They're definitely dropping early this year.

Found a fresh shed a couple days ago on the SE side of Houston. (@Work)

Mills county-we're usually later, but from pics they started 1-2 weeks ago. Saw a huge group yesterday; two had one side, two had full racks, and several were already done.

They are dropping in Southern Live Oak County. I'd say 10% so far have shed.

Found 3 this past weekend. Looks like they started dropping about a week ago, from what the cameras show. Walked a bit and will hit it again in a couple of weeks.

Here the bigger racks have shed but the youngsters still have theirs. Stephens County.

Also in Live Oak, and I'd say most of the bucks have shed their antlers, young and old.

Navarro county, haven't seen one shed yet. In years past, I've seen them hold on til March.

Bucks at my house in far eastern Bexar County are still wearing the headgear and typically do until early-mid March.
At lease in Central Schleicher County we had a couple drop both sides in very early January and one of them was a regular 10 point at my stand I had figured at 4 years old. Funny thing is he was in fantastic body shape the entire season. Now quite a few more are dumping em off the last 2 weeks.

Spotted a shed on my way to the gym this AM, pulled over and ran to pick it up (this was in my neighborhood in a common area). On my way back from the gym I backtracked from the spot where I found it (making the assumption that it was the second side to drop) and found the other side 200 yard away. I believe these are this buck's sheds, and he's at least 6.5 years old. All other bucks in the area seem to still have antlers. Sorry for the quality of the deer pictures, he's an elusive one and the only shots I have of it are from a longer distance and zoomed in.

This is the largest matched pair I've ever found, I am tickled pink!!

Forgot to mention, this is in northern Williamson Co.

That's a helluva Williamson County deer!! What would he score with a reasonable spread?

Heck of a great find exiled!
Did ya add him up yet?

really cool

Very nice!

I rough scored him at 148" this AM, using other similar sized skulls to approximate the placement of the antlers to calculate the spread. Confirmed the biggest set of matched sheds I've ever found, and yes, this is a damn good Williamson Co. buck! I hope he makes it to next year and see what he does!

Looks bigger than that to me.

Same here Free. I would have guessed easily mid 50s

Great buck and I think that score is pretty darn close. I guessed him at 145 to 147 from the pics. Nice find, now get you some shed connectors or euro skull mount so you can display them.

Found half of an 8 point in my front yard yesterday morning. Spring is right around the corner. That being said, when I was guiding/feeding, one year in June a found a fresh shed set of antlers in a feed pen.

Mountain Mike reproduction skull ordered! I've been watching this buck for four years, and never found one of his sheds prior to this (and I walked mile upon mile searching). Will share a picture with the crew!

It's interesting how they drop. I've got several on camera that were whole one day, gone the next. Then I've got one guy who lost the first one on 2/10 and still has the other side.

We've been finding quite a few this past 10 days now. Seem to be about 2 to 3 weeks early. I was making a late afternoon drive yesterday when I checked a creek close to a spring. Saw mainbeam tips and what I thought was an 8pt covered in silt and debris. Pull this out of the debris. Mainframe 7x7 that had died 2 or 3 yrs ago during the rut I guess.

Never have searched for sheds. Where are the "hot spots" to find them . . . game trials, fence lines?

I like to look in areas where I know they feed and spend time; also transit areas between their bedding areas and where they feed, sections of game trails that tighten up (branches, brush growing into trail), and along fence lines. Places where they go over or through fences are hot spots. If you find one, look around for the next one, bucks tend to shake the second off because they feel imbalanced, It doesn't always happen but it's worth taking the time to search for the other side. I love shed hunting!

Got the first pics this morning of antlerless bucks at the feeder.

Camera time shows this guy with both at 728 on Jan 2 and both sheds on ground at 729 same day(zoom to see.) That is extremely early to be dropping and we noticed quite a few dropping early but not that early. We watched this buck a lot and he appeared to be completely healthy.

That's a great matched sets!!

Here's the final display setup for the pair I found!

Nice Buck!

looks good Exiled heck where I hunt Im still waiting on them to drop.

Nice finds

Just looked at some camera pics. Buck had one side of his antlers on Monday at 7 am and no antlers on Tuesday at 7:45. I think I still have one buck with antlers still on him.

Bucks at the house still have theirs but the ones at the lease are 90%-95% shed out now.

Found a few there last weekend by none from the bigger boys. Biggest was one side of a 130ish 8 pt. I'm pretty sure it was the 8 I filmed whooping the other buck this season and posted on here.

Found another this weekend, the deer shed on the 22nd and as of Friday still had the other side. Thought that was an awful long time for the other to remain on its head.
4" pocketknife for reference.

This guy has nearly made a month with one. Not sure when he lost the first, he had it on 2/2.



Last night:

Yet one more amazing and cool thing about whitetail deer. Some of them drop both right next to each other, some drop one then shake the other loose a short distance away, and some will carry that other half for weeks and/or miles!

I walked 10 miles yesterday and got completely skunked! I may have used all of my 2022 luck on the pair above. Will be at the ranch in a couple of weeks, maybe we'll come across a few there!

They be dropping

Some of your regular visitors Hud?

Yeah, the one who left his tire puncher in the road.

Over here near Floresville,Tx, I have bucks that have yet to drop either antlers and its March 17th. Must be these dry (drought) conditions which may be delaying the shedding cycle. I have three 10 pointers (mature bucks) as well as a couple of younger 8 pointers and a 6 pointer still coming to my feeder in the backyard. When is it going to rain?!!!

Had a great weekend at the ranch, including another matched set!

I found these at feeders this weekend. Upper left set from weeks ago.

Nice!

Very nice Freerange!!

Hell of a shed hunting day

That's the mother lode, @freerange, nice work!!

Haskell county turkey hunting and had a little 3 point come in. Antlers still there. Only deer I have that still is packing headgear. Seems very late in the season.

That's an incredible haul! Can only imagine what it's like to hunt your property freerange. Likely the example of what incredible management looks like.

And so it begins...

Gonna be a hard growing season with the drought in cross timbers

Bumped into a few more today. Third full set this year. I’m on a roll.

Those look nice freerange

Seeing them on him then on the ground 1 minute later on camera is awesome!!

Nice one sir

This dude ain't giving his up for any reason.

Those are drawing closer to the date where we call them horns instead of antlers

Interesting camera sequence on horns coming off. They don’t always just “drop” them.
First three pics over 4 minutes shows buck getting hung in feeder and then shows dropped horn. Notice how he turns the feeder around.
Next 2 pics are two minutes later at same feeder. A little scuffle and horn drops.

Wow.

Reminds me of this buck fight: