mature bucks still holding?

[welded34]

Do you think mature bucks are still holding headgear? I feel like bucks 4 years or older should have dropped them now.thoughts?

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[Ridgerunner7]

I can't speak for anyone else but my 3 mature bucks in Michigan that made it, (yes, only 3 made it) have all dropped and all did in early February. I was able to find their sheds. About 50% of the young bucks were still holding.

[wickedbruiser]

As of Saturday, 1 mature buck was still holding here. 2 others shed last week sometime.

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[Brad]

Seen a dandy while predator hunting on public land saturday. 4.5 year old or better, good sized body, looked just like he would have all fall. Winter hasnt hurt him a bit , and he was still holding.

[Hawthorne]

I put in over 20 miles in southern Michigan last weekend didn't find one. I think I went a little early I would always find at least a few with that much walking in mid tolate march in the past.Found an awesome dead head tho.

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[mainebowhunter]

I put in over 20 miles in southern Michigan last weekend didn't find one. I think I went a little early I would always find at least a few with that much walking in mid tolate march in the past.[glow=red]Found an awesome dead head tho[/glow].

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I saw that. It was a beauty.

[welded34]

Last year I found this mature bucks horns I'm after on January 25th. I've went in twice where I found his horns and haven't found them yet. I even jumped him walking in there but never seen him. Just heard him. That's why I was wondering what you guys thought.

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[Stanley]

It's about 50/50 from my observations. The next 3 weeks should put the majority on the ground. I always figure around the 15th of March to get serious in looking.

[moondoondude]

In my healthy areas with access to food, most are still holding.

In certain areas they have dropped, and in others they have not. There are a lot of factors which play into that but most of the time it is dependent on the property and the characteristics of the property itself as well as the deer herd there.

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[wickedbruiser]

In my healthy areas with access to food, most are still holding.

In certain areas they have dropped, and in others they have not. There are a lot of factors which play into that but most of the time it is dependent on the property and the characteristics of the property itself as well as the deer herd there.

[ Post made via Android ]

I read up on some details on why they hold longer. Overall, bucks that are healthier hold longer. Healthier bucks mean good habitat. So, if you see majority of your bucks holding later, you're hunting good habitat. There are other factors but the status of habitat is said to be the main determination on when they shed.

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[Wlog]

Still holding mostly around here from what I've seen and heard from others. MDD you had mentioned in another thread that you like to shed hunt right after it rains because of the bucks shaking off water. We're gonna have rain three days in a row so I'm thinking maybe this weekend I could find some sheds...we'll see.

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[Wapiti]

I shed hunted last Saturday and found one fresh one. Still seeing bucks, including some good ones, holding while glassing fields every few evenings.

[ZSV]

About a week ago I had a group of 5 suburban bucks go through my backyard and all were still holding. 2 of them looked to be mature...

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[ozzz]

My birthday is St Patricks day, March 17. Seems like a pretty good time to start really looking and ideally the snow is melting by then too.

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[Stanley]

I never like to go looking too early. If you push the deer off your property the drops can end up where you cant go and find them. The dropping process is not a one and done deal. It is an occurrence that lasts over a good couple of months. Every year is a little different. But you can pretty much bank on January 15th through March 15 for most to drop.