Forensics of Shed Hunting

[Buckmeister]

Went out today with the snowshoes for a hike attempting to find some mulie sheds. Went under the big firs that provide some great canopy and source of food for the deer. The snow under the canopy was only 4" to 5" deep with bare spots under the biggest and branchy trees. The snow out in the open was 2' to 3' deep.

Once under the canopy found lots of track and bedding spots galore. Just started walking and scanning. Found one ooolllld 5 point shed and near the end of the day found a matching set of fresh 3 point sheds sitting next to each other. There was no fresh track near the set, and since it snowed 4 days in a row late last week, I estimate these sheds where dropped sometime early last week.

So today, I came across several beds that had a drop or two of blood in them. I assume this is from a buck who has recently shed an antler or two. I back tracked one set of tracks from one such bed for over 400 meters but no luck. Every once in awhile I would see a spot of blood on a game trail too. And yes, I'm sure I was looking at blood and not urine, all the urine spots I found were very orange in color and you could see where the snow had melted from the stream. But the blood I found was very red and sitting on top of the snow.

A strange thing I came across a number of times were some beds that had what looked like diluted drops of blood all around the circumference of the bed, and one or two brighter drops that would have come straight from where the deers head would have been. I'm thinking that the diluted drops were made when the deer bled, and the blood ran down it's hair on it's head and neck and torso, mixing with water (or snow) on the coat of the deer and hanging as droplets near it's underside. So then, when the deer lay down, those droplets were left in the bed. It's the best idea I could come up with besides a wet deer that was really dirty.

With all the beds I found with blood in them, I thought for sure I would see more sheds, but nada. So that makes me wonder a few things. When a buck sheds an antler, how much does he bleed and for how long? (If it's a lot for the first few minutes or so, and I happen upon a game trail with lots of blood drops, I would assume that backtracking the game trail should result in a shed not too far away?) Does he clot up quickly or not? Does he somehow paw at his head or scratch his head on a tree or bush and reopen the wound? If he does, he may bleed for days, thus making a game trail backtrack somewhat futile.

What do you guys do? Have you had success in backtracking a blood trail for a shed or two? Have you watched a deer shed an antler and watched him bleed? If so, how much did he bleed? What do you do when shedding in the snow?

[scope-bite]

What do you guys do? Have you had success in backtracking a blood trail for a shed or two? Have you watched a deer shed an antler and watched him bleed? If so, how much did he bleed? What do you do when shedding in the snow?

Feb 14th, 2007 I came around a corner and saw a deer bucking like crazy and swinging his head around. I remember seeing blood on his head but it didn't look like a lot. Judging from the deer's reaction, it was a painful process shedding those antlers. Both were lying there about 20 ft apart and 1 was on the road. Easiest sheds to date!

[moose2]

If the snow is icy this can cut animals legs and they will leave blood drops quite often. Most bucks I have seen drop won't bleed for more than a few minutes. Rarely would it make the ground.
Mike

[dana]

I've been shed hunting for over 25 years and I can tell ya the bulk of the mule deer shed within a few days of each other. I call it the 'mass dropping'. There are always a few bucks that shed early and a few bucks that hang on till late, but the bulk of the bucks shed within a few days of each other. It normally takes a stress event to cause this mass dropping to happen. The stress event can be an extreme cold front or a big snowstorm that lasts numerous days. Most years it happens pretty much over the same few weeks, the last week of Jan and the first week of Feb. This year was no different. I haven't seen a buck packing since mid Jan. So I would be willing to bet most of the sheds you are looking for are under that deep snow.
As for blood on the snow, deer bleed for more reasons than just dropping their antlers. It doesn't take a lot of blood in snow to make it look like a lot of blood. A simple cut from crusty snow might look like a lot in a bed of snow and ice.

[mark]

My money says the blood your seeing is from ticks! I actually backtracked a bloodtrail once hoping to find a shed and instead found an engorged tick lying in the snow where the deer had scratched it out!

Ticks are very common in both deer and moose here, and infectious blood trails are common this time of year!

The okanagan bucks hardly began to drop before febuary, mid febuary most were still packing here, but seems nearly all have shed out now.

I havnt heard of any bucks still packing for about a week now!

[blackbart]

I saw a three point buck still packing both sides about three days ago. I have also seen a buck with one side still attached on March 27th. The bigger bucks do tend to drop earlier, but I don't think they all do it within a week.

Several years ago I saw a 175" buck packing both sides in the general area that Dana hunts in the last week of Feb.

Hoping to see some fresh shed photo's showing up on this site pretty soon.

[proguide66]

This is how you get sheds!:mrgreen: Couple years back I had some deer hide hanging on a tree in a narrow little canyon , up hill and up wind of a migration trail that was 'supposed' to be void of deer at that time. I guess an old blacktail didnt head quite so south and went to investigate the hide scent...and lost a horn! This was in late Feb I think...posted these before to....thought some new guys might like to see.

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq155/proguide66/wolf09001-3.jpg

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq155/proguide66/wolf09002-3.jpg

You can easily see the 'no struggle' , musta bin ready to pop off.

[Buckmeister]

This is how you get sheds!:mrgreen: Couple years back I had some deer hide hanging on a tree in a narrow little canyon , up hill and up wind of a migration trail that was 'supposed' to be void of deer at that time. I guess an old blacktail didnt head quite so south and went to investigate the hide scent...and lost a horn! This was in late Feb I think...posted these before to....thought some new guys might like to see.

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq155/proguide66/wolf09001-3.jpg

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq155/proguide66/wolf09002-3.jpg

You can easily see the 'no struggle' , musta bin ready to pop off.

Do you need a permit to snare for sheds??? :-D

[killer]

Now i didnot ever think of getting sheds that way.Nice catch

[Buckmeister]

My money says the blood your seeing is from ticks! I actually backtracked a bloodtrail once hoping to find a shed and instead found an engorged tick lying in the snow where the deer had scratched it out!

Ticks are very common in both deer and moose here, and infectious blood trails are common this time of year!

The okanagan bucks hardly began to drop before febuary, mid febuary most were still packing here, but seems nearly all have shed out now.

I havnt heard of any bucks still packing for about a week now!

Mark, that makes sense to me about the ticks. That would explain the clumps of hair I would find next to a drop of blood too sometimes. The deer biting at the tick and pulling hair out at the same time I would guess.

[dana]

I saw a three point buck still packing both sides about three days ago. I have also seen a buck with one side still attached on March 27th. The bigger bucks do tend to drop earlier, but I don't think they all do it within a week.

Several years ago I saw a 175" buck packing both sides in the general area that Dana hunts in the last week of Feb.

Hoping to see some fresh shed photo's showing up on this site pretty soon.

If you reread what I posted, I didn't say they ALL do it within a week, I said the bulk of the deer shed in the same timeframe. It has a lot to do with hormones and pheromones. I also said some shed early and some shed late. I have picked up fresh sheds as early as Dec 31 and have seen bucks still packing as late as early April. When you watch winter bachelor groups you will see the trend I am talking about. The weeks leading up to shedding, you'll see bucks beating the living daylights out of brush and trees and see lots of sparring where they lock up and jerk trying to pop the antlers off. I suspect it gets rather itchy for them. Never seems to fail that a big snowstorm comes in and hits the area for several days and when it's over, the bucks ain't packin' anymore. In a group of 10-15 bucks, you might see 2 little guys still carrying.

[Brian011]

Yah it makes sense that bucks that are in a group lose their antlers around the same time. Last year I found two fresh sets of sheds within about 50 yrds of each other. One was an average 4 point set and the other was a bigger 3 point set. They must have both lost their antlers within a day or two of each other. And also, with each set, both sides were pretty much laying on top of one another so each side would have came off at the same time.

[blackbart]

Dana, I am touched that you decided to quote my post but I don't believe I was questioning your knowledge or observations. Rather I think we were saying basically the same thing. Sorry to have bruised your overly large ego:)

Perhaps I should have said "Steve is correct; the bulk, but not all deer tend to shed in a short time period". I will try not to personally attack you as such in the future.

[.300WSMImpact!]

I have not found many sheds in my life, two to be exact and both in Manitoba while hunting in the fall, I am out 70 to 80 km a week and nothing I am not sure if I am going about it wrong or if the snow came after the majority shed there antlers, all I can say is I am too stubborn to give up, and I get to see tons of deer and the elk when I am out, Dana do you think if a pack of wolves came into an area, would that cause the elk to shed early? or do you think it is mainly weather patterns that cause the shedding? or is it too early all together to see elk horns on the ground?

[knighthunter]

I'd say it's too early for elk. I used to find a good truck load every spring when I lived in Mb. Deer, elk and moose.

[dana]

Dana, I am touched that you decided to quote my post but I don't believe I was questioning your knowledge or observations. Rather I think we were saying basically the same thing. Sorry to have bruised your overly large ego:)

Perhaps I should have said "Steve is correct; the bulk, but not all deer tend to shed in a short time period". I will try not to personally attack you as such in the future.

Blackbart, you said, "The bigger bucks do tend to drop earlier, but I don't think they all do it within a week." All I did was clarify that. I didn't take your comments as a personal attack. And just so ya know, it is very hard to bruise an internet ego. :twisted: :tongue::tongue:

[dana]

I have not found many sheds in my life, two to be exact and both in Manitoba while hunting in the fall, I am out 70 to 680 km a week and nothing I am not sure if I am going about it wrong or if the snow came after the majority shed there antlers, all I can say is I am too stubborn to give up, and I get to see tons of deer and the elk when I am out, Dana do you think if a pack of wolves came into an area, would that cause the elk to shed early? or do you think it is mainly weather patterns that cause the shedding? or is it too early all together to see elk horns on the ground?

I'm confussed by your comments of 70 to 680 kms a week??? What do ya mean by that. Shed hunting is best done on foot, not in a vehicle. If you see tons of deer and elk when you are out, how many bucks and bulls are you seeing? If they are shed out, you can tell by the big holes in their heads. For the most part the bucks and bulls will not be hanging out in the female groups. They will be in bachelor groups or solo. If you haven't been seeing bulls, you need to find the bulls so you know where to shed hunt.

As for fresh elk sheds, the majority of elk shed from the end of March to mid April. If you are out looking for fresh elk sheds before that, you probably will be banging your head against a brick wall. As for wolves in a area, all they do is push the elk back into thicker timber. Elk and wolves have been doing their dance for thousands of years, don't think the presence of wolves would have a bearing on when the elk tine hits the ground.

[.300WSMImpact!]

fixed it, lol, no truck for me, thanks for the info

[.300WSMImpact!]

I must be in the wrong areas then I only see does and cows, what do you figure will the males be in higher ground?

[dana]

I still don't understand what you mean by 70-80km. Do you wear one of those pedometres that counts your steps? If you really are putting on 70 kms on your feet in a week, you are walking too fast and not getting good coverage of the areas you are walking. Slow and steady wins the race.
As for where the bucks and bulls are, best time to figure that out is during Dec-Feb. A little late to be figuring that out now. All you can do now is hit lots of areas and hope you luck into some tine.

[BlacktailStalker]

I must be in the wrong areas then I only see does and cows, what do you figure will the males be in higher ground?

Bucks and bulls follow the snow line like fish follow the tide.
They do here anyways...