I hit him so hard.....

[Cajun Gal]

Marsh Man and I hunted yesterday. We went to a place we haven't got to hunt all year due to the water being too high. Yesterday we got a boat and got across a bar bit and got to our stand.

I shot at a really nice 10 point. I was shooting my 30.06 because we were in Madison parish and gun season is still open. We couldn't find him, no blood, no nothing! I'm beginning to think my gun is off because I've done some pretty good shooting this year. The best I've ever shot in my life.

A few hours later a fairly nice 8 point came out. I shot him and he didn't drop but I heard him fall not far in the woods. Right at dark when we went to go and hunt the 8 point, we saw the white belly first. The closer we get to him I am getting a little concerned because I DON'T SEE NO HORNS! All these thoughts kept running through my mind. Had somebody been back there with a bow and shot a doe? What in the world?

We finally get to him and low and behold he's got bloody spots where his horns should be. We found both horns. They must have come off when he went down because they were maybe 5 to 10 steps from him. This is way too early for deer to be shedding horns. It's unheard of.

The sheriff of East Carroll Parish was hunting with my husband's brother and we met them on top of the levee. The Sheriff had shot a nice 10 point and they took pictures of the Sheriff with the deer and then when they grabbed a horn to load the buck, one of his horns fell off.

I had my camera with me but didn't have an SB card in it. I thought I could download picutres anyway by hooking the SB cord to the camera and the computer this morning but that didn't work.

.

I wonder if all the high water had something to do with it. Did they not get enough nutrients that they needed?

A fellow that Teddy and I talk to on another hunting board said I hit that buck so hard his horns popped off.  HHHHAAA!

[Cajun Gal]

BTW, Marsh Man is my darling husband. We are still newlywed.  Forgot y'all didn't know that.  He makes hunting a whole lot more fun than before I met him. 

[AtlLaw]

Hummm    Your rut is pretty late over there isn't it?  Around December/January?  Seems like it would be a little early for them to be shedding...

Be about right for most of Jawja though.  I wanna do some shed hunting this year.   

[skyhigh_seller]

Blame global warming.

[SHOOTALL]

Same in Va. this year several bucks lost rack early . They got shot as does , a shame really .

[Halwg]

About 20 years ago, 1989 to be exact, I shot a buck during the WV gun season which is the week of Thanksgiving.  I had the same thing happen, one antler fell off when I shot the deer.  It was laying right beside where the deer fell.  I have never had that happen again, and the guys I was hunting with couldn't explain it, either.

[Hunter Fishman]

REALLY? what state & area are you in? south east Louisiana?
 I have been hearing people say they have already found sheds. One guy found a naturally shed fresh set on Christmas morning. Hes a guy I met on you tube. He might have a video of it posted already.
I don't know weather to congratulate you or say that I'm sorry to hear that.

I am an avid shed hunter & I like to gather all info I can across the U.S about deer hunting but specifically antler growth & times they shed.

The deer I hunt are shedding as we speak. we are in the middle of a pretty bad storm & I'm wondering if this will drive the deer out of where they have been shedding for the past few years where I have been finding them. I hope they already dropped. That would mean they are buried under a few feet of snow.
I dont like to wait till the snow melts. I like finding em fresh off the head with blood still on em.

Most people dont know how much you can learn from shed hunting.

[Hunter Fishman]

now, when you look at the pedicle of the antler, Is it cleanly removed like when they shed naturally or is it uneven with part of the pedestal still attached?

[kansasj]

Marsh Man and I hunted yesterday. We went to a place we haven't got to hunt all year due to the water being too high. Yesterday we got a boat and got across a bar bit and got to our stand.

I shot at a really nice 10 point. I was shooting my 30.06 because we were in Madison parish and gun season is still open. We couldn't find him, no blood, no nothing! I'm beginning to think my gun is off because I've done some pretty good shooting this year. The best I've ever shot in my life.

A few hours later a fairly nice 8 point came out. I shot him and he didn't drop but I heard him fall not far in the woods. Right at dark when we went to go and hunt the 8 point, we saw the white belly first. The closer we get to him I am getting a little concerned because I DON'T SEE NO HORNS! All these thoughts kept running through my mind. Had somebody been back there with a bow and shot a doe? What in the world?

We finally get to him and low and behold he's got bloody spots where his horns should be. We found both horns. They must have come off when he went down because they were maybe 5 to 10 steps from him. This is way too early for deer to be shedding horns. It's unheard of.

The sheriff of East Carroll Parish was hunting with my husband's brother and we met them on top of the levee. The Sheriff had shot a nice 10 point and they took pictures of the Sheriff with the deer and then when they grabbed a horn to load the buck, one of his horns fell off.

I had my camera with me but didn't have an SB card in it. I thought I could download picutres anyway by hooking the SB cord to the camera and the computer this morning but that didn't work.

.

I wonder if all the high water had something to do with it. Did they not get enough nutrients that they needed?

A fellow that Teddy and I talk to on another hunting board said I hit that buck so hard his horns popped off.  HHHHAAA!

In Kansas most of the bucks shed their antlers in March.  It is now unsuual however to see some shed them this time of year as in our January 1-9 special doe season many times hunters shoot what they think is a big doe and it is a buck that has already dropped

[pozoutdoors]

Here in Iowa I have shot a couple in past years in january during our doe season. This past Dec. the second weekend during shotgun season, I know of two guys who shot shed horn bucks!!! It seems to be a bit early here too. We did have cold weather a bit earlier than normal too!!!!

[HogFan]

The deer in AR usually shed early Jan-Feb. I have found sheds the first week in Dec. in SE AR before. Heck, I have only seen one deer since New Years that had antlers.

[demented]

 I hunt in Grant County, Arkansas.  Our biggest rut was over by the first week in November, Bucks started losing their antlers in the middle of December.  I can't recall ever seeing this in the 38 years I've hunted.  No one has any idea, Game and Fish biologists included.  My theory is the early rut was the root cause, why it came so early, weeks before cold weather, I have no idea.

[cwlongshot]

As stated, lots depends on this happening. Mostly the nutrients that deer is able to get and his body's condition.

I had the same thing happen some years ago in New York State about mid November!!! I brought a good friend who was a newer hunter. He hadn't shot a buck yet but had a number of does under his belt. I had been watching a small buck and knew his haunts. I posted my friend on the fringe of one of these spots and left him to stand a couple hundred yards away watching the other direction. Couple hours later here comes that buck. he finds a sunny spot and plops down to lay up for the day. I wait and let him settle and ease out to get my friend. We get back, I show him the deer but he can not see horns. I tell him, don't worry, he has them, go ahead and shoot the deer. He does and he rolls in his bed and passes. We get up there and my friend proclaims its another doe!! he grabs the head and lo and behold, two bloody sockets. We roll the deer over and there is his little 6pt rack. That was the Saturday after Thanksgiving!!!

Congrats on the deer and STILL being able to hunt!!  Our season ended with the new year.

CW

[Dakota30.06]

a few years back a buddy of mine shot a little 8 point...the deer went down but hadnt died...he walked up to him, fired a shot into the bucks neck. When the bucks head hit the ground the horns fell right off. This would have been either the last week in november or the 1st week of december. Turns out the buck had been hit in the front shoulder in archery season and he was all infected...pretty bad shape overall.

we assumed the infection was directly related to the buck losing his horns so early

[Hunter Fishman]

Turns out the buck had been hit in the front shoulder in archery season and he was all infected...pretty bad shape overall.

we assumed the infection was directly related to the buck losing his horns so early

That very well could be...  

And people wonder why some areas & states have such an early season. I did at one time.
The more I learn why the more I understand.

[dukkillr]

Marsh Man and I hunted yesterday. We went to a place we haven't got to hunt all year due to the water being too high. Yesterday we got a boat and got across a bar bit and got to our stand.

I shot at a really nice 10 point. I was shooting my 30.06 because we were in Madison parish and gun season is still open. We couldn't find him, no blood, no nothing! I'm beginning to think my gun is off because I've done some pretty good shooting this year. The best I've ever shot in my life.

A few hours later a fairly nice 8 point came out. I shot him and he didn't drop but I heard him fall not far in the woods. Right at dark when we went to go and hunt the 8 point, we saw the white belly first. The closer we get to him I am getting a little concerned because I DON'T SEE NO HORNS! All these thoughts kept running through my mind. Had somebody been back there with a bow and shot a doe? What in the world?

We finally get to him and low and behold he's got bloody spots where his horns should be. We found both horns. They must have come off when he went down because they were maybe 5 to 10 steps from him. This is way too early for deer to be shedding horns. It's unheard of.

The sheriff of East Carroll Parish was hunting with my husband's brother and we met them on top of the levee. The Sheriff had shot a nice 10 point and they took pictures of the Sheriff with the deer and then when they grabbed a horn to load the buck, one of his horns fell off.

I had my camera with me but didn't have an SB card in it. I thought I could download picutres anyway by hooking the SB cord to the camera and the computer this morning but that didn't work.

.

I wonder if all the high water had something to do with it. Did they not get enough nutrients that they needed?

A fellow that Teddy and I talk to on another hunting board said I hit that buck so hard his horns popped off.  HHHHAAA!

In Kansas most of the bucks shed their antlers in March.  It is now unsuual however to see some shed them this time of year as in our January 1-9 special doe season many times hunters shoot what they think is a big doe and it is a buck that has already dropped

I would say that at least in eastern and central Kansas most have shed by mid February.  I can't recall ever seeing a buck in March and it's not at all uncommon to see bucks with solid growth during April's turkey season.

[highwayman]

was he wounded in any way??

[Ranger J]

Some of the bucks is central Missouri Ozarks were evidently dropping their antlers by the end of December during black powder season.  A friend of mine trailed a buck, in the snow, and found both of them.

RJ

[Hunter Fishman]

One guy found a naturally shed fresh set on Christmas morning. Hes a guy I met on you tube. He might have a video of it posted already.

heres a link to the video he posted for me if you want to see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTXJrKyg810

Matched set... not bad.

[ttank0789]

Last December (2008) some buddies and I were hunting in southern Ohio for the muzzleloader season and when we were dragging the small 6 point my buddy shot one of its antlers popped off. We were really surprised by it. When we got to the check station someone had a buck in their truck and is was clearly obvious that it had very recently shed both its antlers.