First shed of the year.
 

Its pretty huge, pic doesn't do it justice.

For reference here it is next to this deers shed from last year

Wow is all I can say. Thanks for the pics Rock.

HUGE
AWE come on, have a gander at this one if you that one is big LOL

these are the real finds!! takes skill to find one's like this LOL
Anyone can trip over the kind you found?? HAHA!

and great find by the way too, just having some fun here!

nothing like a great shed to add hope to next season!
best of luck to you

Real nice. My brother found a really nice set while coyote hunting the week before Christmas. Had a long cold shot that week with highs around zero. Prob 3.5 or 4.5 yo just judging on rack. I shot a 1.5 yo buck that had already lost both antlers during the first late season which was new years wknd. Northern Illinois. Ill post pics if I fig out how to post from phone

Nice! I'd be lookin all over for the other side!

Wow! They don't start dropping here until mid to end of February.

I wouldn't be so sure on this, and reason is, I have bucks ion my area that I have sen SAME buck drop antlers in DEC early dec one yr and hold next set till March, and then following yr drop in early Jan
have seen some bucks on same farm food and gene pool more or less, drop in early dec and again some not till mid march
I gave up on thinking there is a rhyme or reason they come off, and now just think some drop for what ever reason and same one can hold them longer for some other reason yr to yr
went down the age, food , winter bod or mild route and NOTHING made any repeat sense here
I just start looking from mid dec and find them all yr from there?

FYI information the growth and dropping of antlers is dependent on the testosterone level of the individual buck and why they all don't drop at the same time. He's in MS and they have a lot later rut than up north and consequently the bucks are several months later dropping their antlers.

Lots of factors can have an effect on testosterone levels.

early January is on the early end here as well but not really rare.

Ive been hearing other people have also been finding them early this year around here.

Exactly... As a matter of fact, they're chasing as we speak! Been a weird rut this year! We've had cold snaps then warm snaps, so I think that has affected the rut some.

For example, 2 weeks ago the high was in the mid 20's and today the high is in the low 70's...... Gotta love MS weather haha it's unpredictable!

I used to think testosterone levels and such too, but when your in one area private land for yrs and yrs and well cared for land and see some bucks dogging does and others NOT, and then a out of control buck to doe ratio(about 7-8 to one)
I cannot see that working as the reason a buck drops it antlers, as typically if you read things by many so called experts, bucks don't run out till all doe are bred more or less, they will keep at it(if possible LOL)
I know many doe in my area DON"T get bred due to just too many
so when some bucks drop antlers in early dec(I found some on dec first, actually walking into a treestand for gun season a few times and seen buck day before ) and then seeing a bunch of other bucks of like size/age still holding antlers till march in
and then seeing same buck in a 3 yr cycle, go from shedding early to holding late and then early drop again<
it just doesn't add up
16+ acres of prime food plots on the land, so ALL bucks tend to eat same foods, or can if wanted ??
weather yr to yr being about the same, yr they came off early one yr was 20 degree,(normal cold winter) next yr came off early was in the 50's when they came off, and yr they held till march was in a COLD winter (more normal one)

had 17+ yrs of running a ton of cam's on this property and thousands of hrs there in person, knew deer heard very very well, and found 25-30+ shed a yr, so kept good tabs on things
I just again gave up trying to say THIS is why they come off, when half would fall off early or so and other half hold late, from BIG to small you young to old bucks>> NO rhyme or reason I could single out??

You're doing way too much thinking and not nearly enough reading about biology. The only thing that controls the growing and shedding of the antlers is the testosterone level of each animal as it rises and falls. That time frame can change from one year to the next because there are a lot of things that affect it and, therefore, cause an individual buck to vary.

Yep, it's all related to testosterone levels in the buck. But the reason you are seeing so many variances mrbb is there are a LOT of factors contributing to the testosterone levels. And every Buck is different. Some factors, but not even close to ALL are, weather patterns, number of Does in the area disseminating their hormones, actual rut activity (number of Does bred), mineral content in the food coming up to rut, and literally tons more stuff that contribute to them dropping and when.

Good looking antler. Did you happen to measure it?

mrbb how did you ever even find that shed? You must have great eye sight.

Nice shed rockport. Hopefully you can find the other side.

I have a buddy who lives in NH that has a pic of a buck who's already shed one side and that was 2 weeks ago.

Not yet, I accidentally left it in the hunting shack at the farm.

YES I have read a LOT on deer and what makes them tick, might call me a nut about deer over the past 30+ yrs
BUT that's my point, and you's are basically agreeing with me
a LOT has to do with things, and NOT one single thing really controls when they come off

THIS< when I said to the other poster, that HE Might be wrong in that antlers DON"T come off till later in his area

as you's all agree'd that variable's can exist any where at any time.

MY findings in my area, have been crazy all over the broad, as I stated
been watching things super close for yrs and yrs and will see more than half shed early and other half hold them WAY late into spring
all again have access to same food, does and pressure and weather

WHY half will loose them early yr after yr and others NOT, still makes NO real sense to me
testosterone or not, there sure sems to me , to be something else casuing them to come off

ALSO< if you read enough about whitetails
you will also have read that its been proven, that some NEVER shed there antlers, RARE, but has been known to happen
same as some don';t shed till new one's almost push them off

I actually have found smaller one's LOL

used to spend a insane amount amount of time each yr looking for them, trying to keep tabs on them on the one property
also played with a LOT of design like traps and fencing about food plots hoping to help with them coming off, and making finding easier
but some times its just DUMB luck , maybe more times than not LOL

99% of all the sheds I have found have been dumb luck.

Not saying you're wrong by no means. The earliest I've seen them drop is mid February around here and the latest is mid to late April, which rarely happens.

Our neighbor shot a 13 pointer back in 2006 on the rifle opener. This would be the Monday after Thanksgiving. He pulled on the antler and it popped right off. A few years later, this same thing happened to a buddy of mine. Same time of year and same general area. Those were old bucks.

The first day of the old PA doe season was a little over 2 weeks after Thanksgiving. My dad thought he shot a doe. He walked over and it had bloody pedicles. He backtracked the deer's trail and found both sheds. They were spikes. So, he was a young deer.

For the last several winters, we have had cameras in popular winter deer areas. The latest I saw a buck holding was the last week in Feb, a couple years ago. However, one year, we saw a buck with one side holding in spring gobbler. Around May 1st. That is really rare.

Several have been found in IN too. Going to pull some cards and look this weekend.

These two are still hanging on around here. No day light pictures of them...
-Jake

I did find a small 4 pt Sat. But got lots of pics of bucks still holding on to both sides. Walked by where I put my mineral site in summer and they have been tearing up the ground. I am going to place a TR there sat.

They look good and healthy for January.

I measures 69".....and some change.