How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Discussion about shed antlers, etc
User avatar
UPbowhunter
Posts: 1041
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:52 am
Facebook: todd freeman
Location: 25'up a tree
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby UPbowhunter » Sat Mar 03, 2012 7:32 am

Moondude, that is a great theory, never thought about it. My main finds are on trails and beds though.


Go Go Epic Stuff, Seek Wilderness
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby dan » Sat Mar 03, 2012 8:56 am

moondoondude wrote:
Stanley wrote:Just wonder what your thoughts are on this. What would cause them to drop right next to each other. Sparring, jumping, bedded down? I have found a few sets right next to each other a few times. Never gave it much thought as to why?


I got a buddy that swears by a theory on this - and he is probably one of the most knowledgeable dudes I have ever talked to on the subject of whitetails. After spending a lot of time watching whitetails through the year I have to agree with him. He mostly looks open areas and winter wheat fields the night after a rain. When a rain moves through one night during shed season, he typically takes a sick day the following day. When deer are wet, they do a pretty violent, head-whipping shake in an effort to dry themselves off. If you have seen a deer run or jump, they are extremely smooth and graceful. They are biologically engineered so that their heads stay very balanced while they run and jump so they can see everything around them when attempting to escape danger. When they shake though, they really shake their heads hard. A lot of times that is when they shake both antlers loose, close to each other.

The concept makes sense, however most of the matched sets i find together are by beds.


I also believe that the larger bucks feel the weight imbalance on their heads when they lose an antler. It ain't their first rodeo, you got to think many of them have shed 4 or 5 times before. As a buck gets older, I have found that his sheds are dropped closer and closer together

I have found a lot of antlers that appear to be popped off on purpose and I think that is because of the deer having already dropped one and feeling weird and off balance with just one side... I have seen enough evidence to believe they stick the remaining antler in the dirt and try and pop it off... I have found several sheds with dirt on the tips, and seen areas of scratched up mud with an antler lying in the middle with muddy tips.
User avatar
UPbowhunter
Posts: 1041
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:52 am
Facebook: todd freeman
Location: 25'up a tree
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby UPbowhunter » Sat Mar 03, 2012 12:15 pm

third set of the year laying next to each other....[bbvideo=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R7a3C1RYKE&context=C3e060a2ADOEgsToPDskKjm2YFNkjUO16w1zX_OZfe[/bbvideo]
Go Go Epic Stuff, Seek Wilderness
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby dan » Sat Mar 03, 2012 12:21 pm

Cool clip. 8-)
User avatar
muddy
Posts: 8770
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:04 am
Location: Hawkeye State of Mind
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby muddy » Sat Mar 03, 2012 12:53 pm

Just once, they were toads.

Image

[ Post made via Android ] Image
http://www.iowawhitetail.com
Leading the way for habitat and management information

"It's a good thing you don't need commas and colons to kill deer" -seaz
User avatar
BigHills BuckHunter
500 Club
Posts: 2350
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:14 pm
Location: West Central Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby BigHills BuckHunter » Sat Mar 03, 2012 4:12 pm

I have found 2 sets right next to eachother. One was a set literally laying on top of eachother in the middle of a hayfield. I will never forget that because it was so odd to find. The other set was the smallest antlers Ive ever seen. They were tiny spikes about 2-3 inches in length and lying about 6 inches apart. I have found many of my sets about 50-100 yards apart. Some up to a quarter mile away.
User avatar
moondoondude
500 Club
Posts: 530
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:16 pm
Location: Southern Maryland
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby moondoondude » Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:19 am

dan wrote:
moondoondude wrote:
Stanley wrote:Just wonder what your thoughts are on this. What would cause them to drop right next to each other. Sparring, jumping, bedded down? I have found a few sets right next to each other a few times. Never gave it much thought as to why?


I got a buddy that swears by a theory on this - and he is probably one of the most knowledgeable dudes I have ever talked to on the subject of whitetails. After spending a lot of time watching whitetails through the year I have to agree with him. He mostly looks open areas and winter wheat fields the night after a rain. When a rain moves through one night during shed season, he typically takes a sick day the following day. When deer are wet, they do a pretty violent, head-whipping shake in an effort to dry themselves off. If you have seen a deer run or jump, they are extremely smooth and graceful. They are biologically engineered so that their heads stay very balanced while they run and jump so they can see everything around them when attempting to escape danger. When they shake though, they really shake their heads hard. A lot of times that is when they shake both antlers loose, close to each other.

The concept makes sense, however most of the matched sets i find together are by beds.


I also believe that the larger bucks feel the weight imbalance on their heads when they lose an antler. It ain't their first rodeo, you got to think many of them have shed 4 or 5 times before. As a buck gets older, I have found that his sheds are dropped closer and closer together

I have found a lot of antlers that appear to be popped off on purpose and I think that is because of the deer having already dropped one and feeling weird and off balance with just one side... I have seen enough evidence to believe they stick the remaining antler in the dirt and try and pop it off... I have found several sheds with dirt on the tips, and seen areas of scratched up mud with an antler lying in the middle with muddy tips.



I definitely believe this. I think I am about 50/50 in regards to percentages of matches laying next to each other in beds/feeding areas. I know that they do try to shake them loose. I have found them literally laying on top of each other too. Here are some from bedding areas, and some from food sources. Although I do believe that the big ones do drop closer together, I find some smaller ones dropping right next to each other too.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
dan
Site Owner
Posts: 41588
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
Location: S.E. Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby dan » Sun Mar 04, 2012 12:38 pm

Cool stuff Moondude... Part of the reason I might find more matched sets in bedding areas is I really don't look for sheds much, I usually find them while scouting and most of that is done in bedding areas...
User avatar
moondoondude
500 Club
Posts: 530
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:16 pm
Location: Southern Maryland
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby moondoondude » Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:04 pm

dan wrote:Cool stuff Moondude... Part of the reason I might find more matched sets in bedding areas is I really don't look for sheds much, I usually find them while scouting and most of that is done in bedding areas...


For sure. As you saw, I find plenty of antlers in beds. It makes sense - deer spend alot of time in their beds.

[ Post made via Android ] Image
MattyG
Posts: 259
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:38 pm
Location: SE Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby MattyG » Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:58 pm

that pic of the antler in the ground is really cool i never thought the would stick it in the ground. I just thought they would try to knock it off with thare hoof or something
mossyoak
Posts: 259
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:03 pm
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby mossyoak » Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:14 am

I have only found sheds once in my life Linda funny story too . We always look so hard for sheds but we obviously suck at finding them. Well I was dead set on find one last year and I was a riding on the back of a fourwheeler across a cut corn field when I saw what I thought was a shed. I never even told my buddy to stop I just jumped off and started running to were I thought id seen the shed. To my surprise when I got to it it was a 150 inch match set laying next to each other. They were from a buck we named tower and we had 3a years of pics of him. This is still the only shed I have found.

[ Post made via Android ] Image
rochester coops
Posts: 216
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 1:56 am
Location: New York
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby rochester coops » Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:38 am

I have found a lot of antlers that appear to be popped off on purpose and I think that is because of the deer having already dropped one and feeling weird and off balance with just one side... I have seen enough evidence to believe they stick the remaining antler in the dirt and try and pop it off... I have found several sheds with dirt on the tips, and seen areas of scratched up mud with an antler lying in the middle with muddy tips.[/quote]

I found a set from a young buck --small 8 --once within probably 20-30 yds and one side was broke off. I do think he must have tried to pull the 2nd off and actually broke it. Doesn't really make sense how it could, but it had no base. They were in a wheat or alfalfa field, can't remember and I do remember one or both was pretty muddy. Probably stuck in the mud from the push.


Also another theory on antler loss--finding them. I've found some in cut corn fields. Now I know it could just be coincidence, but I wonder if they brush the corn stubble as they feed knocking them off. One thing is sure, it is hard to see them in cut corn fields. they blend right in.
mkuf79
Posts: 43
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:16 am
Facebook: matthew.kufahl.5
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby mkuf79 » Fri Feb 07, 2014 6:41 am

I'd say over half the sets I find in northern WI are laying within 10 feet of each other. If I don't find the matching side within a hundred yards, odds of finding the other side are very slim.
ihookem
500 Club
Posts: 1124
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 2:18 pm
Location: Allenton , Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby ihookem » Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:16 pm

I only found one set so far and they were 2' apart. I have noticed that if you find one shed there is a good chance there is another close by, even if not from the same deer. I found these sheds next to each other in Price co. 100 yds away I found this lone shed from the year before. I don't know if it's from the same deer. They were found on a 20 ac. high spot way back in the woods surounded by tagelder swamp where I never saw any sign of anyone there in 20 years. I also found a dead head 200 yds away the year before but was dead for a long time. These are the sheds I found May 19, 2013. Image
User avatar
Stanley
Honorary Moderator
Posts: 18734
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:18 am
Facebook: None
Location: Iowa
Status: Offline

Re: How often do you find both antlers next to each other?

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:25 pm

I think most of the drops are just random in an area where deer spend a lot of time. The biggest key to finding sheds is looking where the deer were and are spending a lot of time. If you get into an area that has lots of deer sign that is where you will find sheds. If you looking in areas where there is no deer sign you more than likely will struggle finding many.

If you are in an area where the deer are yarded up you will find sheds. If you are in an area where the deer are not yarded up you won't find many at all. In areas where the deer yard up, the drops will be anywhere from bed to food source. I have never seen any distinguishable pattern on hard winters. They may be near beds they may be in open fields or in between. You just a have to look.

Mild winters to me are the hardest to find sheds as there is no concentrated numbers of deer. I also believe mild winters is where you find more sheds closer to beds and near regular beds. I have found half dozen both sides and these were all after a mild winter and closer to bed than food source.

I do a great deal of my boot to the ground scouting when looking for drops. I like to kill two birds with one stone. I concentrate my efforts in area i am sure the deer were. This changes every year with what food source is available in January, February and March. I have my eye on an area where the deer are yarded up and come March 15th or so I'll go out and look.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.


  • Advertisement

Return to “Shed Antler”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 22 guests