Shed Antlers

[AlbertaWhitetail]

When do bucks start loosing their antlers ? End of December depending on area?

[huntinalberta]

Every area is diffrent. If they are pressured they will drop earlier. I don't think they will start to drop until January.

[flyguyd]

Most of them still holding down here in March

[harv3589]

The earliest I have picked up deer sheds is end of December just after Christmas...that was a match set from a whitetail.

[Dan4570]

From my experiences Whitetails usually january-feb. Mulies march-april.

Found this one a few weeks ago rabbit hunting. Hope to find his sheds again this year.#40 for the year.

[AlbertaWhitetail]

out of 10 years & 1000's of hours in the bush i have never found a shed antler, hoping that will change this year haha

[Dan4570]

Originally Posted by AlbertaWhitetail

out of 10 years & 1000's of hours in the bush i have never found a shed antler, hoping that will change this year haha

Train your eyes for it. Dont assume you will see a whole antler. Look for tips sticking through leaves. sometimes i spend more time looking for antlers than actually hunting. Look for bedding and feeding areas. I know your pain. After you start to see them. You cant unsee them.

There are areas ive walked over and over and never seen them. Then fall comes,grass dies. And woila plain view.

[Don K]

Buddy has pics on his trial cam of a whitetail already dropping... Nov 25th. One pic buck has both sides, 20 minutes later it's dropped one. Crazy early!
We usually find our first by Christmas every year though.

[NBFK]

A buck in the area I hunted dropped both sides in the ditch jumping a fence around the 16-18th if I remember right.

[Dan4570]

Originally Posted by Don K

Buddy has pics on his trial cam of a whitetail already dropping... Nov 25th. One pic buck has both sides, 20 minutes later it's dropped one. Crazy early!
We usually find our first by Christmas every year though.

Thats awesome. Ya theres never a truly set time. It could happen anytime.
But for sure ive seen the big guys drop first.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by AlbertaWhitetail

out of 10 years & 1000's of hours in the bush i have never found a shed antler, hoping that will change this year haha

Alot of the farmland WT deer will drop their antlers within 30-40 yards from the edge of the bush. Not as many drops deeper in the bush. More dropped antlers 20 yards in because these kinds of areas are frequented for staging and bedding areas more. Not so much along the north facing bush side because the deer don't get winter/early spring sun there as easy.

[Falltimeprimetime]

What about elk an moose? When do they drop?

[Dan4570]

Originally Posted by Falltimeprimetime

What about elk an moose? When do they drop?

Moose in november,december. Some sheds have already been found this year. Elk usually april when I see them drop.

[Buckhorn2]

Seen a muley buck just outside airdrie already missing one side. This was sunday.

[remmy300]

Originally Posted by Don K

Buddy has pics on his trial cam of a whitetail already dropping... Nov 25th. One pic buck has both sides, 20 minutes later it's dropped one. Crazy early!
We usually find our first by Christmas every year though.

This is the buck. Cant find the pic 20 min earlier.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...eders77/B2.jpg

[davebuck]

Just started training my chocolate lab to find drop horns she has been great with the practice one's . Go to everything gun dog . Com

[Smokinyotes]

Last year I had 10 sets from fork horns and small bucks before Christmas. This year, I haven't found one yet, although there are way less deer than last year.

[boonedocks]

The earliest that I've found whitetail sheds is Xmas Eve! I matched these sheds to a skull the next spring. Not sure if there is a relation but I suspect so. Any time in the new year with late jan, feb seeing most lose their horns. I did see a mule deer still packing both sides on April 1 a long time ago. I can't wait, one of my favorite pastimes!

[WilsonMS]

Does anyone find any sheds in spring and summer often? A buddy said most have been gnawed up and eaten by then. Just curious...

[ALBTUFF]

Originally Posted by WilsonMS

Does anyone find any sheds in spring and summer often? A buddy said most have been gnawed up and eaten by then. Just curious...

I have been finding sheds all year long. Found a matching set in November and another two in October while out hunting. Out of the 4 non had bite marks. I'll find sheds that have been recently dropped with bite/chew marks and sometimes I'll find sheds that are a couple years old that have no marks on them what so ever.

[honda450]

I find quite a few sheds. But this was my best find ever. Yup Alberta moose.

[huntinalberta]

Originally Posted by honda450

I find quite a few sheds. But this was my best find ever. Yup Alberta moose.

Those are awsome!!

[B.Balon]

Whitetails tend to vary Dec is ussually a good time to start. Mulies are usually not until march.

[leloinjunior]

Awesome & very interesting discussion - learned a lot about the various "Drop" times. I grew up on farm in SK & always enjoyed hunting for sheds. My brother & I took his boys last Spring (2016) and they loved it - nice to see them put the tablet/phone down for a few hours!!! We always went in April as this is by far the easiest time to hunt for horns: 1) The snow has packed the grass & undergrowth flat to the ground and the horns stick out better. 2) No leaves on the trees lets all the light into the bush and makes them easier to find. The only thing about hunting in April is the horns have usually already lost some color & have more of a white bleached look. As for location it seems to be half & half. Walk the cattle/deer trails in the bush & you'll do fine. Another good tactic is to walk around the perimeter of the bushes (Parkland Area) as lots of times the deer will drop their horns about 15 - 20ft from the edge of the bush out in the open. Lots of farmers enjoy finding horns, but it never hurts to ask to hunt horns on their land because shed deer horns cost $1000's and $1000's of dollars in flat tires every year when they're dropped in the stubble & hard to see - so many farmers will say "Have At 'Er" & find as many as you like. By the way HuntinAlberta, beautiful, beautiful Moose Shed Set!!!

[huntinalberta]

We found a wolf kill shed buck the other day. Could have dropped them during the chase.

[Dan4570]

Beauty of a set I found on the 24th of 2016. Found his set from last year on the 26th of 2015

[leloinjunior]

Was that December 24th??? I was really surprized to learn how early the moose shed their horns.

[Dan4570]

From my experience. Only mature bulls drop this early. Will still see young ones carry till march on average. Have never seen a whitetail deer drop before February or a mulie before March. My experiences only. I wouldn't walk the bush this early either. Stick to open ground. The more they're spooked,the less likely they will want to herd up under pressure. And yes that was Dec 24th this year.

[Hugenuge]

I run trail cams all year to monitor the deer in my area (central Alberta) and around here you will start to see antlers drop in Jan till April but most lose them in March! I wait till march to start looking to keep the pressure off the deer and give them a break from all the pressure during sept-nov. I like the deer to stay on my hunting prperties.

[penguin]

I live east of Ardrossan and see bucks missing antlers in December almost every year on trail cams.