They're Definately Dropping!

People have been talking that this year was an early drop for sheds. I've got 3 different mature bucks on camera with both sides off so far - before the 9th. Whitey was the first to drop (December 18th), then I figure Mr. 140 was next (pre-January 6th), and then Scabby 10 has dumped both sides (pre-January 9th). We're supposed to have -30 this weekend. I'm sure that will take care of the rest of the antlers. I put a camera back on the east side of John's farmyard and I'm glad I did. That's where both bucks have been coming in to scratch around the yard. The deer are still going back to last years' pile of sunflowers that were cleaned out of John's bins over a year ago. Yuck. That just tells you what the food situation is this year. Not good. The activity has slowed significantly on the east side in Rice's field. The beans are still number one, but there's been a little less activity out there. The deer are milling on grasses, goldenrod, and other browse. I'm sure they're into the cedars. My hunch is that they almost picked those beans clean. I'm sure there's antlers just south of the road on some private property. I'll call around the end of march to get permission. With the amount of snow we're getting, these sheds are going to be buried. There has been a lot more tracks through the cut from last winter NW of John's lately. My guess is that I'll need to spend some time back in the swamp on some trails before the ice melts (like last year). I really just want to find one antler over 60". That's like the hill I just can't see over the top of. I can't get past 60 at Minnesota Hill. It's possible. We know that for sure.

I've got plenty of pictures of timberwolves in the last 2 months.

December's End (Sit #28)

Well December Came and went - full of snow, and full of deer hitting the food HARD. I'm a little nervous that this winter could be a bad one for the deer. We've already got a foot of snow by January 1st and we're likely to get another foot before it starts to melt. I've tried to move some cameras around to get closer to the food sources, but I've been a week behind the movement it seems like. I'll get one week of good pictures and then it will die. The one camera that I have out right now is still on that bean field and I will likely pull it down here in a few days. The night of the 28th, I saw a really big buck in the headlights by the intersection west of the creek. I'm pretty sure it was Curly. I think he's coming from the west side of the highway. I just know he was wider than he was tall, which would suggest NOT Skysraper. At least I'm still putting 'pins' in the map. I may not find much for sheds this year if these deer keep hanging up on private land like this. I hope that a few make it to next year. I'll be in the same spot, with cameras set up a little differently. I know there will be beans up by the hill, around John's island, and throughout most of Rice's land north of Orville's mailbox. Should be sweet. Anway, so far I was able to connect with only a few of the bucks on the hitlist in December, but I've got three more cameras to take down yet. Mom & Dad got a picture of the buck I'm pretty sure is Mr. 140 in the shack field. Then there's another shed buck, The Contender, and Bullwinkle. Here's some new pics: