Sheds

I don't consider myself a dedicated shed hunter, although I do enjoy finding them. By this time of year, I'm focused on turkeys, fishing, and maybe arrowing a wild hog or two. But some folks I know really enjoy shed hunting, both as a way of scouting for the next season and a way to enjoy early spring weather and cure cabin fever. I've always admired the skill some folks have when it comes to consistently finding shed antlers. For me, it's usually just a matter of luck.

I've noticed on a few deer hunting forums that some guys are already finding decent numbers of sheds. It's definitely that time of year, although some deer will be clinging to their antlers a little longer (and some may have dropped a month ago).

What's the earliest you've ever found a shed? For me, it was mid-January about five years ago. I was actually trying to get the jump on a field full of geese at the time when I noticed the antler, a massive, chocolate 5-pointer, alongside a creek bed. Judging by the lack of rodent bites and sun bleaching, it hadn't been there long. The buck it belonged to was an old one, no doubt, but I never heard of anyone in the area shooting him.

On the other end of the spectrum, I watched a fine 8-pointer cross a cow pasture one morning the second week of April while out listening for turkeys to gobble. He wore both antlers as if it were still October. It's interesting to me how that works out.

Will in Tennessee