Year End Totals

Well, if the mosquitos are any indication, summer is finally upon us! I figured that before I get too far ahead of myself, I should post a photo of my year end tally for shed antlers.

I founds 21 antlers and acquired a few more by trades or some were simply given to me. I pieced together a few mysteries this year and have lots to look forward to for the 2013 hunting season.
The story of the biggest sheds was by far the highlight of the shed season, but I did manage to find some up an comers' antlers.

Antler growth is way behind this year, similar to 2011. Hopefully these bucks can pack it on in a shorter time frame this summer.

More Pins In The Map

I was finally able to make my way over to another neighboring hunter's farm yesterday to look at some of the sheds that they had found over the years. I have to admit, my hopes were very high, because I knew some of the bucks that had been visiting the farmyard eating spilled grain that winter. When I got to the house, my anticipation was through the roof! Which would I see? Inside Crab Claw? Curly? Bullwinkle? SkyScraper? The Clown? As I looked up on the dusty shelf, I scanned across some decent sheds, and only one immediately clicked. It was Bullwinkle. So I climbed my way up and looked more closely. I felt like an Egyptian archeologist removing artifacts from the cobwebs, dust, and christmas lights. I grabbed for Bullwinkle's antler and assumed it was going to be from his 2009 rack, the year all the different bucks were coming to the bins. It looked to be from his 2010 rack and was significantly bleached. It looked as if it had been collected from the field before discing, spraying or seeding.

I went down the line pulling down anything that I thought was significant. There was a set of 5 point sheds that looked to be from before our time of trail cameras - although she insisted that almost all of the antlers up there were picked up in 2009 (or the year John cleared out his bins with sunflowers). Well if that were true, I never received any pictures of this buck.

After looking them over more closely, it seemed that the also had another side off the same buck, which would also suggest different years of finding. I told her that she had a set, and she said, "Oh really! See I don't know if we knew that!" Haha. Then when I showed her the possibility of them having the previous year's antler, we began a conversation about deer management and restraint and age class. "How do you know how old they are?"
The next antler I focused on was a decent brown 4 point with a longer main beam. Looked to be from a 3 year old buck. Something about the antler begged me to continue staring at it. I could not place it. I had never had a trail camera picture of this buck. What deer was it. I even set it down only to pick it up after a few more minutes. I measured it at 50 1/8". It wasn't until well after I measured it that I figured it out - this was the other side to Hanger! When I say Hanger, I mean the original antler I found hanging in a red willow in March of 2008! It clicked.

There were several significant differences, but as many similarities to let me know I was on to something. I told her all about it and I think my recollection and my deer knowledge started to scare her a little. It did me too. Haha.
I snapped some pictures of a few other antlers, just for record keeping. There was an old weathered antler that had two big cracks in it, like it had been run over by a tractor. It had some unique features that made me think it could have been a previous year to one my brother found on the top of the hill when we were in high school. He had to have found it in the mid-late 1990s. We actually found both sides. One side had broken off most of its main beam. Anyway, this buck shared a ton of resemblance.

Then there was another little antler that could've been an antler to Crazy 8. It looked familiar, but again, we didn't run trail cameras back then and so it'd be nearly impossible to tell. I might just switch out most of her antlers! It looks like a stud yearling or a week two year old. It probably was a stud yearling.

Lastly, was an odd shed that had some familiar characteristics, so I snapped a photo. It wasn't until I got home that I realized it was probably a yearling shed to the stud two year old I passed up on November 16th, 2010. Mom found one of his sheds and the brows look identical.

So at the end of our time I figured once again, I had nothing to lose. I asked her if she'd ever trade antlers, at least for the one that I had the other side to. Eventually, she said, "You know what, just take Bullwinkle, too. You know way more about him and Eric's probably not even going to know that it's missing." Sweet!
So I've gained three antlers by trade this year. They all have more significance than the ones I've let go. I need to pick some meaningless antlers to give to her one of these days. Next stop - The West Farm.