As I do every year, I have my cameras out on supplemental food sources since the end of hunting season...trying to see what "made it through" the hunting season and also to see how the herd is making it through the winter.
In past years where heavy snowfall and extreme cold come early, I start finding the first few sheds the week before Christmas. From that point forward, I will consistently find them...with the bulk of them being found mid-January thru mid-February.
In a year like this one, I usually find it much tougher to find good numbers of sheds...which is not a bad thing as it means the local herd is having an easier winter. Lack of snow and plenty of re-growth in the field means the deer are much more mobile and less concentrated on any particular food source. Therefore, there is less chance of finding a high concentration of sheds as the local bucks are not spending the bulk of their time grouped up in a small, concentrated area (example: a farmer's bale yard).
The shedding process definitely is starting later this year...
I have a camera on one food source and have identified 14 different, recognizable bucks that come in to "top up" on their dietary requirements. These 14 are compromised of three "1.5 yr old", three "2.5 yr old", and 8 mature bucks (3.5+ years). As of Friday (the last time I pulled the SD card from the game cam), NOT ONE of them has shed an antler yet.
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