has anyone seen any bucks that have dropped their horns already or are most of the bucks still donning their racks? I still have a buck tag (like so many other guys, THANKS TO MR ALT) and would give the late bow season a shot. If most of the bucks have dropped their horns than I'm staying home.

Very few I heard of, I seen a buck this morning. But mine fell off this morning in the shower

Had a 4 point half rack under my toes this evening. If the other half was similar he'll be a good one next year!

Yesterday, we did a drive for a buddy that has an essentially dead leg from the thigh down in area 2B. We put three out to him. One was a high wide 10 pt. The second was a very high spike and the third had no horns. He shot the third, thinking it was a doe and it turned out to be a 1.5 shed buck. Based on the pedicels it didnt appear that he had much of a rack (at least not much mass)

Never like to see a shed buck get killed for a doe but was glad to help my buddy get the first deer he's gotten in a few years

Looks like they're starting to drop.

i say poop ive been goin in late archyry hope the one that has my name on it hasnt lost it horns yet
ty alt worst sesone i have ever seen in 3c

I've seen the same thing. My uncle took what he thought was a doe last week and it turns out it was a small buck that had dropped his horns already.

The good news is that the big guys seem to still be packin horns

Obviously, its a hormonal thing. I've read and heard that as long as there are does coming into estrous, bucks will have horns. I also believe I saw where the dominant bucks are often the last to shed.

BT....The dominant bucks are the FIRST to shed, not the last.

Do you have a source to back that up? Not disputing you but it is the opposite of what I've heard. Id argue if I was sure of my source but I'm not. I will say that most of the shed bucks I've seen early on were young ones but I'm sure nutrition and genetics come into play here.

BT
Some mature bucks shed early some late and some yearlings shed in dec and some in april. The deers health and hormones have a lot to do with when they shed but the older bucks are more likely to shed earlier.
Jan 15th was my first last year. from a 2 1/2 yr old