So last week, it was a warm and super windy day. It was the 2nd day of Missouri's alternative methods season so I decided to strap my Glock on my hip and see if I can't do some spot and stalk hunting or just jump something while creeping along. Ended up not seeing anything as far as live deer go, but I found these 3 racks...
This first one I found in some tall thick weeds just off the edge of a field about 15 minutes into my first walk. Luckily no squirrels had got to it so it's pretty pristine condition.
This was the second one I found. I actually spotted the rack from about 80-100 yards away, and thought it was a buck bedded down. So I started to stalk taking a step and glassing, step, glass, step, glass....for about 10 yards until I realized it was not moving. This deer was about 15 yards from a steep riverbank. Probably only been there a few days tops. No sign of what killed it.
This final rack I found was again in a thick brushy area off a field edge. No telling how long it had been there cause it's been chewed up pretty bad.
Over all, a bittersweet day. Cool to find all these racks, but sad to find them as well. Here they all are back home. I just cut the antlers off the one on the right. Probably use them for some more shed training with my dog.
Best "Shed" Hunting Day Ever
- Racks&Beards
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- Wlog
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Re: Best "Shed" Hunting Day Ever
Cool finds. Too bad they didn't make it.
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Re: Best "Shed" Hunting Day Ever
Wow those are great finds! I havent seen any half rack bucks yet here in PA but i think after late archery season ill hit the woods a little harder.
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Joe™
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Re: Best "Shed" Hunting Day Ever
Those are NOT sheds... those are deads!
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Re: Best "Shed" Hunting Day Ever
Bucky wrote:Those are NOT sheds... those are deads!
HAHA That's why I put Shed in quotations in the title
Speed is fine...Accuracy is final.
- hunter_mike
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Re: Best "Shed" Hunting Day Ever
Nice work
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Re: Best "Shed" Hunting Day Ever
Sweet!
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- SamPotter
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Re: Best "Shed" Hunting Day Ever
You're like my buddy from Connecticut- I swear he likes finding dead heads more than sheds, or I should say, he never found a dead head he didn't like. I've only ever found 2 nice dead heads, all the rest have been 3 year-olds and younger.
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Re: Best "Shed" Hunting Day Ever
Nice finds! Too bad they won't get any bigger.
But on the bright side, at least you can keep the dead heads.
We can't legally keep them here, so it's catch and release dead head hunting. I found two decent buck skulls this year. I usually hang them on a tree if I can so that the next person knows it was already found.
Also hearing a number of reports that bucks are shedding here this last week. I don't have any cams out now because of firearm season, but a few guys have half racks and full shed bucks already.
Odd thing is, around the 25th-27th of December I saw a huge peak in big bucks chasing does again. It was some big guys too.... We had a tremendous acorn crop this year, so I'm assuming more doe fawns reached breeding weight. Crazy to me though that they are breeding does one minute and then a few days later antlers are hitting the ground.
But on the bright side, at least you can keep the dead heads.
We can't legally keep them here, so it's catch and release dead head hunting. I found two decent buck skulls this year. I usually hang them on a tree if I can so that the next person knows it was already found.
Also hearing a number of reports that bucks are shedding here this last week. I don't have any cams out now because of firearm season, but a few guys have half racks and full shed bucks already.
Odd thing is, around the 25th-27th of December I saw a huge peak in big bucks chasing does again. It was some big guys too.... We had a tremendous acorn crop this year, so I'm assuming more doe fawns reached breeding weight. Crazy to me though that they are breeding does one minute and then a few days later antlers are hitting the ground.
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