My brother shot a deer 2 days after christmas this year and it had lost both horns already, a buddy of mine shot a eight pointer a few years ago and when he found it both horns were gone, it took him 2 hours to both sides one side laid about 5 feet from the deer and one laid 25 yards past where he had shot it and that was in december also...We have found many sheds in the middle of january and some even earlier so I would say that anytime after nov. a person could stumble upon a freshly dropped tine..