# shedding antlers,



## Patricio (Feb 2, 2007)

was out for a walk today with the dog, and found 3 antlers. one still had a spec blood on it. I'm assuming these were recently shed, as I was following deer paths and keeping a close eye in areas where the males were rubbing. I'm very much a novice on deer, but when will they be done shedding their antlers?


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## fatkid (Oct 14, 2006)

i gotta ask what county are you finding these in and are they this years . do they look like they have a wax ring around the base . take your fingernail and scrape around the ring if you get a waxy ring then more than likely they are this years but man is it early i have seen them as early as end of dec but never this early


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## Bluefinn (Jan 26, 2007)

My buddy shot a buck in coshocton on saturday that shed both sides. He said one side was still bloody. He looked around & found the one side, 6 point. The other side was black & must have been off for awhile. He thought it was a doe when he shot it. Seems pretty early to me too.


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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

That's weird Ive seen deer that has held on to them till march. Ive never seen it this early. Maybe some loose them this early, news to me.


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

I'm sure it can happen. I've never seen them lose there antlers this early though. The earliest I've seen was during muzzleloading.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

i wonder if the strange dry weather this year has messed them up somehow.

Maybe not as many nutrients as usual.


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## LindyRigger (Apr 13, 2004)

Injured deer will drop their antlers early. Maybe shot during bow or gun season but not a fatal shot.
LindyRigger


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## Bonemann (Jan 28, 2008)

Back when we had the two week gun season, I missed what I thought was a big doe it ran by my friend who shot it.Turned out to be a buck that had lost it's rack (both spots were red but not bleeding). Deer was very healthy looking (about 185lbs).
We called the ODNR thinking something was wrong, They said it was quite common.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

It's very common for deer to start droppping in early December. The same question comes up every year.


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

My buddy raises deer and his bucks shed a week or so ago. I shot a small buck in Michigan Thanksgiving weekend a few years ago and when I grabbed the rack to load him up it popped off.


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## ostbucks98 (Apr 14, 2004)

Ive heard it can be caused by a deers lowered hormone level.If the buck isnt rutting they can shed early.


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## ski (May 13, 2004)

I hunted in Pennsylvania last week and heard from several hunters that found sheds or had a bucks antlers fall off when being pulled out of the woods.

ski


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## fatkid (Oct 14, 2006)

well hell it most be true my buddy had got a deer pic this weakend on his camera and it didnt have either side that was around magnola . man i feel it is still early


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

I guess if I shoot a buck this year, I will have to find a way to get it out of the woods without dragging it by it's antlers.


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## fatkid (Oct 14, 2006)

but on the good side of this if you shot one and the antlers fell off you could tag it as a doe . and then look for a really big set of sheds to put on it later to brag to all your buddys . not that any off us would do that to our buddys


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## Cool Hunter (Dec 8, 2004)

Buddy just shot a buck on Saturday that had lost both sides. Very healthy younger buck. Thought is was a doe also. Thats in Montgomery county.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

ostbucks98 said:


> Ive heard it can be caused by a deers lowered hormone level.If the buck isnt rutting they can shed early.


That is in fact what causes them to shed them every year. As the breeding urge ceases the hormones begin to drop causing the drying up of the bases. The larger majority will drop them in January in most of Ohio but some will be early and some will be late.


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## nwfish (Jan 16, 2008)

How many of you look for sheds each year and do you have any pictures? Last year was the first time I went out several days and I was able to find one single, a year old-mostly eaten one, and then a partially eaten 8 point set. Really looking forward to it this year and it sounds like I can't wait too much longer after reading some of these posts. If I figure out how to post a picture, I will.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

nwfish said:


> How many of you look for sheds each year and do you have any pictures? Last year was the first time I went out several days and I was able to find one single, a year old-mostly eaten one, and then a partially eaten 8 point set. Really looking forward to it this year and it sounds like I can't wait too much longer after reading some of these posts. If I figure out how to post a picture, I will.


I wouldn't get too anxious to start looking for the sheds just yet. If you think they are hard to find in normal circumstances then finding them when maybe 10&#37; (just a random estimate) of the bucks have dropped them will make it much more difficult.


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## Angler ss (May 15, 2008)

One of the guys who hunts the same piece of land as I do killed a nice buck today it had already shed.I hunted the same land last year with my bow and saw a few bucks with antlers in late january.
Angler ss


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