2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Well, we ended up with a total of 62 sheds so far this year, unless we stumble across anything else by accident, the hard looking is most likely done.

I ended up with 32 myself, my dad got 28 (but he cheats, he looked in some land I didn't have permission to look on) and the land owner ended up with 2. Ended up with 17 matched sets, so there are 28 singles out there that we didn't find.

The driving force behind my obsession this year was to find 5 antlers, I found 2 of them, but the other 3 eluded me, I saw both of those bucks on the 2nd to last day of the late bow season, I have to get with the neighbor, he may have found the half of the big one horned 8 pointer I saw, and the other buck (forked G2 9 pointer) was spotted across the highway 2-3 times in late march still carrying bone, and I was unable to get permission to stomp around in those woods.

Best year ever for us, previous best was 19 sheds, lot of fun this year, hoping to see maybe 1/4 of these deer in the upcoming season, we had 4 large fields of standing corn this year, so with the abundant food source along with a near record amount of snow this year, we had all the deer in the area yarding up by us.

Enough words, here are the pictures.

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Awesome finds!!!:D

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Danggg i wanna come hunt with you! very cool

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

lotta nice finds good work :)

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Cool stuff man...Lotsa nice bone there.

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

That's cool. Congrats

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Thats a really good job, congrats. Deep snow sure helps in the long run doesnt it!

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

great finds, there are some great deer coming this year.

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Thats a lot of bone! What was your biggest shed and your biggest set?

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

come to my farm and help me look next year lol

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Biggest bone and set are one in the same.

Last picture, top left, my dad found the one shed about a mile from the property, and he actually got the other half from a farmer about a 1/4 mile away that he knows, the farmer found his half by his corn crib, he just gave it to my dad, nice guy.

Haven't put the tape to them yet, but assuming that all the other large ones are 3 1/2 year olds this one is probably a 4 1/2 year old, never saw this one during the season, but it is theoretically close enough, and with the lay of the land, I am sure he was over in our neck of the woods during the season, since where the sheds were found, they really can't go any further in that direction.....

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

You got some nice racks there!

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

I still cant figure out how you guys find all that bone. I've yet to find my first shed.

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

hours and hours and hours and maybe some more hours out walking over the same ground over and over again.....;)

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Don't forget the worn out boots and a few blisters.

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Awesome:D

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

No blisters, but the dog lost about 10 pounds, and my boots are shot;)

Had about 400 acres to look on, the odd part about it, found the majority of the sheds on about 80-100 acres. Find them year in and year out in these areas. Used to spend alot of time on a buddies property (never hunted it) and it took about 3-4 years to figure that land out, but once we did, we consistantly found the majority of the sheds in the same areas year in and year out (little over 600 acres for that area)

If you have the land to look on, find the bedding areas and the feeding areas and work them and everything in between. If you have access to a shed, take it with you, toss it out, over your back and train yourself to see the bone in the clutter of the woods, it takes time but eventually they will start to jump out at you.

When we first started looking about 10-15 years ago (also at the advent of QDM in the area) we didn't find anything the first few years, but as time progressed, it started to get easier (or at least seemed to) probably didn't hurt that the yearling bucks had a chance to get a bit older, can't find sheds if the bucks are harvested during the hunting seasons.

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

That is one hell of a season for ya!!!

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

nice!

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

That is some nice bone you got there. Great work.

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Man what a season, im jeleous ;)very nice finds and pics.

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

That is pretty damn good. I found a few this year but considering there were a couple herds of 100 plus deer I was disappointed inthe finds, if your finding that many i can't imagine the concentrations you must have

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

With the EAB (earn-a-buck) program they have had for the last 4 years or so around here, last season was the first time that I could realistically expect to go out and see more bucks than does. It wasn't that uncommon tosee 3-4 bucks and a doe anda fawn or two.

That being said, I know the deer where hitting the cornfields all winter long, but walking around the area, I never saw more than about 25 in group (you know, as in the deer were bolting through the woods and you count the flashes while looking for bone on the head with the binocs....)

RE: 2008 shed totals (probably last one?)
 

Congrats to you and your dad's on your record year.

Tim