TravisM Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 My dad and I hunted the Illinois bonus antlerless only season this past weekend. My dad shot a HUGE doe on Saturday afternoon. As we were looking at this thing commenting to eachother about what a huge old nanny this was, we realized why the state calls it ANTLERLESS only season and not DOE season! I reached down and felt this things head and realized this was a buck that had already shed both antlers!! This seems like about a month early for bucks to be shedding their antlers already. I'm wondering if this unusually warm weather we've been having had something to do with it, or if this deer was possibly sick or something? He looks plenty healthy. Very strange though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt03 Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Here in PA i have some trail cam pics of the same bucks where last week had full racks and this week 2 of the same bucks were sporting half racks like they had already shed the one side. I also have a good size deer similar to the one in your pic who looks to have shed both sides already. I still have plenty of other bucks still sporting full racks though. So my guess is some are shedding already some aren't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! I have a student who found a shed already. I've stopped guessing as to why and when deer drop antlers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tp793 Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Doubt theres anythign wrong with him, I've heard from quite a few people that are seeing half-racks already.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! It's not unusual at all for bucks to start shedding already.We've found fresh sheds around Christmas on our places.That's what kinda sucks about having the antlerless season so late,he looks like he would have had a nice rack about two weeks ago. Glad you guys had some luck,I had a left over muzzleloader tag,but since the weather was so bad here I didn't get a chance to get out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need2hunt Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Sounds like I need to bring Leeloo down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rad_112176 Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! I have heard of alot of people starting to find sheds already also. I am going to go this weekend and try to find some fresh ones. Seems pretty early to me also with as mild of a winter as we have had. Don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravisM Posted January 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! [ QUOTE ] Sounds like I need to bring Leeloo down [/ QUOTE ] I don't think the landowner would mind Gary. In fact, I think you've already been invited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxBowHunter Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! NOthing wrong he just lot his antlers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravisM Posted January 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Here is a picture of the top of that deers head. You can vaguely see the flat spots where the antlers were, especially on the right side of the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxBowHunter Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Yup!! Kinda neat looking though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! my father has shot a deer long before they started shedding that had not antlers. i think old bucks on their downside lose them quicker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CampRAGS Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! yes and when i shot him it looked as if he had only lost his rack within a few days before him and i crossed paths Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasDeerHunter Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie65 Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! lots of bucks have already lost their antlers this year. Usually some have dropped by now but this year there are a lot more than normal. My guess is the cold November & big snowstorm. I think our ice storm that has been going on for a few days will expedite a few more to drop them. Every year during the antlerless season there are bucks killed that have dropped their antlers. I really wish they would move this seasom into December. Maybe the weekend after muzzleloder or even move it to mid October. I believe that is when Missouri has theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETMGROW Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Most bucks up here have lost their antlers by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAstringking Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! congrats on the meat. antlers seem to be dropping early this year everywhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY_Bowhunter14 Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! have a pic of a buck on a trail cam, and one side of his rack is gone already... seems like they are losing them here too... congrats to yer dad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Congratulations to your dad. They dont usually lose their antlers here quite this early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUTNSTRUT Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! It is not unusual for bucks to shed this time of year. That is why a late season antlerless hunt is a really dumb idea for any state to have. A lot of bucks may get shot. How would you feel if the "big doe" you just shot turned out to be the big buck you have been hunting. I am all for plentiful antlerless seasons just not after mid December,at least north of the Mason Dixon line anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterDWL Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! did the same thing one year in december during our doe season thought i shot a monster doe to my suprise it was a buck it still had bloody scabs over the spots where his horns were Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ILclimber Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! That's a great post TravisM, my Dad and I were just talking about that this weekend on the way out to the farm. Friday night, the first night of the late winter firearm season, my buddy and I found a fresh 4 pt side, the next day we went back to hunt again, and found the other side already?? Crazy huh, this is only our second set that we've ever found, the sheds were laying approx 250 yds from eachother! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c_lou Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Congrats on the deer. Much like Tominator, I have given up trying to figure out deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Congrats to your dad! Yeah, it kind of has the buck build to it. My mom yesterday had 3 deer cross in front of her and she said they were really big so i'm wondering if they were bucks that had shed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horst Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 Re: Illinois Antlerless Only hunt. Very strange! Weve found them as early as late Dec. here while muzzleloader hunting.In the begining/middle of Dec. while the shotgun hunters have been out Ive hear many stories of people grabbing the antlers to drag thier deer only to have it come off in thier hands. My favorite story was the first week of Dec. early shotgun season.A guy had shot a buck and he ran up into a thick grove with a group of does.They decided to push the grove and get one guy on the backside in case the buck ran out.The guy that originally shot the deer walked through the grove while his buddy got in the back edge of it.The does all ran out but the buck wasnt with them.Turned out the buck had lost both antlers after entering the grove, the guy posting was looking for antlers in the herd when the deer ran out and didnt notice the crippled one in the middle, he ran right past him They backtracked through the grove and found both antlers and continued on to kill the wounded deer in the next push they made.Crazy things happen in the late season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.