WVdeerhunter Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 What would make my deer shed early? They all shed out last year by 14 of Dec. and this year 1 has shed his Dec. 10. Im from WV and was wanting to know before a waist my time go hunting in ohio in Jan. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Supposedly the dropping of the antlers is related to the bucks hormones...I think they start shedding when the hormones drop, so if the rut ended early last year, that could be why. Also weather as well...I think really harsh cold weather can play a part...but more so the hormones play the biggest role. Also injured deer will shed early...I know this from personal experience! How did you find out one has shed already...trail cam? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Are you saying you have bucks dropping now? I found full set on Jan 3rd 2009 and was shocked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvshedhunter Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 nothing out of the ordinary i live in braxton county and i shed hunt alot, they start shedding every year around that time period, the earliest fresh shed ive found was december 9th, last year it was december 16th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVdeerhunter Posted December 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Supposedly the dropping of the antlers is related to the bucks hormones...I think they start shedding when the hormones drop, so if the rut ended early last year, that could be why. Also weather as well...I think really harsh cold weather can play a part...but more so the hormones play the biggest role. Also injured deer will shed early...I know this from personal experience! How did you find out one has shed already...trail cam? No he comes out in my back yard every day. Got trail cam pic. at 10:00am with both and that evening came out with 1 side then next day lost the other in back yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Bucknasty Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Stress can cause them to drop early. Scarce food, an unbalanced buck/doe ratio, an especially rough winter, etc. Deer on one farm I hunt still have horns in May while deer on a farm 20 miles away drop them in December and January. Totally different habitats and herd structure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNcrittergittr Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Wow bucks dropping antlers already? Crazy, typically they don't start dropping around here til around late January into February. Had a couple bucks last year hang on til March, which was crazy for here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 I'm hearing of a few starting to drop here in NY.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 A friend on my myspace posted pictures of a buck he was chasing with no horns and a couple hours later found the left side! Early for Illinois and I am gimped up so frustrating at same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 Man, you folks are early. The deer here don't start shedding until January, and it's not until near the end of February before they've all lost them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 I find most of mine in February. They usually start dropping in January and then are ate up or picked up my end of April. My first find last year was Jan. 3rd but then went on a dry spell till February 2nd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layin on the smackdown Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 I had a friend of mine pick up a match set last year on Christmas Eve day. They started shedding early last year, but that could have been due to such a brutal start to winter up here. I have seen deer carry them all the way into march, and i have also seen them with nothing on their head on the last day of bow season. I think its different with every deer. There are so many underlying circumstances that may cause a deer to shed early...weather, wounded, lack of nutrients, maturity, testosterone etc. One of my best friends shot what he thought was a giant doe last year on the last day of the season...it was a 45 yrd shot, and when he walked up to it, it had to empty spots where it had already shed...sometime you just never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 That is why I hate the late season for shotgun season for Illinois because it is antlerless and deer have shed some already. So the doe that you think you are shooting is actually a monster buck that shed his horns. They should make it at the start of season and even then it would be tough because of fawns. I just dont like it because the big boys that you think will be there next year got smoked on an antlerless hunt! Sad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layin on the smackdown Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 I agree with ya Stone Cold...They could have picked an earlier date at some point to implement that season. If anything, maybe mid to late december...mid january is just too late in terms of antlerless only for the simple reasons you stated above. just stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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