woolys 2012-13 shed journal

[crappyice]

Sweet dead heads!

[BizCT]

Jesus Christ....ur a machine!<br /><br />Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2<br /><br />

[wooly]

Thanks guys!

 

4-11-13

"A Tale of Two Antlers"

 Guys, just a quick crash course in history dating back to the 2011 deer season. Some of you might remember the most impressive buck I had make an appearance one time in front of my cam that year, never to be seen again. I searched high and low(litteraly by the landscape) but could never find those antlers.
That year he got the nickname "G-spot buck" due to his ellusive nature.

 

 

Fast forward to the 2012-13 hunting season, and he shows up again on my hunting grounds. I got several trail cam pics over summer of him and had a few in person encounters, so I decided to change his name to Frankentines! He'd become a regular throughout the fall but has since dissapeared once again. He has grown into one of the biggest 10pt's I've seen on this property.

While I don't know yet if he made it through this past hunting season, he still had a set of antlers out there from the previous year I hadn't thought about much lately..... untill today that is!

I must have walked past this spot 100x's without exageration over the last couple seasons. Today I spotted this and couldn't believe my eyes! As soon as I got up to it, I knew who the previous owner was!

 

 

 

I did a quick scan of the area, and when I looked back towards the road, I spotted the mate 20yds away, and not 50yds from the road! You can see the road in the background of the second pic.

 

 

 

Finally the set together after 2 years on the lamb! I was so excited after I found these, I turned right around and ran home ending my hike right then and there,lol!

 

 

 

Antlers- 24

Sets- 4

Dead bucks- 13

Dead doe/fawns- 16

[Pav2704]

Wow!!! That's all I can say! Wowwww!

[Red]

very awsome set of shed i hope he made it threw the winter hes a hog.

[ny hunter]

There you go making look so easy!!!Great job..

[wooly]

Thanks fellas! This was an extra special set I spent a lot of time wanting, but had little hope of ever finding.

Deffinately one of the best highlights of all my hikes over the years!

[wooly]

4-12-13

 

So I shoot down to the park today thinking of  wet, shiney, glowing antlers. It didn't take long and I spotted tines and it looked like a good one in the flooding timber!

 

Soon as I got to see the entire horn, I knew I already had one at home just like it from last year. I found last years freshie almost a mile away. I wasn't even warm to matching him up last year, but alas, they are together again!

 

 

Not far from there I found another fresh dead 6pt still with some meat on his carcass. Just a lil guy but I mention all the fresh guys.

 

 

This is where things get goofy!
A little while further, I decided to take a break under an old apple tree and pour myself a cup of java from my thermos. As I'm pouring I look in the mud and see this silly mushroom next to a deer track. I was confused because it really looked like an antler burr so I reached over and picked it up. IT WAS AN ANTLER, but I already picked it up so I didn't get an ATL.

The thing couldn't have been more than an inch tall and it was a shed! I laughed out loud at that point and sat there snickering for a while when I saw another mushroom not 2ft away.

This time I was ready with the camera! A match set of button nubs!!! I couldn't believe what had just freakin' happened!

 

Here's the ATL of the 2'nd one.

 

 

 

Here's my record set together!

 

 

 

Antlers- 27

Sets- 5

Dead bucks- 14

Dead doe/fawns- 16

[wooly]

I took another pic of the little buggers for better scale!  

 

[First-light]

Those would make nice Cufflinks! You are the master my friend!

[sampotter]

Dang Wooly! I had a good day yesterday and found 5 in 3 hours, putting me up to 26- I was sure I had pulled ahead, but alas, it wasn't so. Nice eagle eye on those stubs!

[wooly]

Thanks Burt and Sam!

 

4-13-13
Good news.... today I found an antler bigger than the last two combined,lol. I wasn't feeling very motivated so I just hopped across the creek for half a day. I've been through here quite a few times so I knew there wasn't anything big laying around.

I decided to slow down a bit and see if I could find any little guys. My first find of the day was this weird little skull..... I think maybe a possum... or mink.... maybe a koala... I dunno!

 

 

Then I got into some briars and found an old buck skeleton missing an antler. I figured this would be my best oppertunity to find a horn today so I sat there sifting through the bone pile looking for the missing piece. I couldn't find it though.

 

 

On my way home now, I took my time through some spotty cover and just on the edge of  a tangle of vines I saw a horn!  A little busted fresh guy.

 

 

 

Antlers- 28

Sets- 5

Dead bucks- 14

Dead doe/fawns- 16

[crappyice]

Those "cuff links" are ridiculous.

[wooly]

Thanks crappyice! I still can't get over those little nubbs. I suppose I can stop trying to find anything smaller.

 

4-17-13
I shot down to an old favorite spot of mine today in Catt. county. I usually only do a hike or two a year through here since I moved away, but it always seems to hold some horns.

It's not your typical prime shedding grounds, but it's a fun, easy hike around 40 some acres of swamp and goldenrod.
My first antler of the day was spotted not 15 minutes into my hike. A cool little 4 pt with a big knob of a base!

 

 

I ran around for another hour and a half before I finally spotted another antler. I almost dismissed this one as a dead weed untill I compared it to an actual dead weed near by and noticed the difference in color...... gotcha!

 

 

I was satisfied at this point. That made #30 for the season, but I still had some time left so I kept marching around. A little further along down in a soupy section, I started seeing deer legs scattered around that eventually led me to this little 4pt. deadhead.

 

 

He was cleaned up pretty good, but soon as I tipped him back to stuff him in my pack..... brain ooooze started leaking everywhere.
Luckily I came prepared, and double bagged him for the trip home.

Heading out.., I got to where I had left my bike under a little pine tree and when I looked up on the side of the hill, I spotted what looked like tines! Sure was!
Antler #3 for the day as I was headed out!

 

 

That was it for the day. I was glad I made the trip and had some nice weather for the bike and hike!
Here's the days haul!

 

 

Antlers- 31

Sets- 5

Dead bucks- 15

Dead doe/fawns- 16

[Red]

Very nice finds there wooly I thi k your gonna beat last years numbers

Edited April 20, 2013 by Red

[wooly]

Thanks Red, slowly but surely I'm getting there...... 10 more to go now!

 

4-21-13

Today I shot up to my sisters to do some hiking. I'm still not real farmiliar with the area but every hike I learn something new. I started out today in some blackberry thickets that caught my attention last time I was there. No sheds around, but my first find was this "ugly buckling".

 

 

Up and down the ridges I went after that.Through a ton of mature pines and then on to the open hardwoods. I'd hiked for 6 hrs and wasn't feeling like today was my day.
Slightly disgusted at this point, I hopped on an old logging road just for the ease of hiking. Wouldn't ya know it.... right smack dab center of the road I spotted an antler! I was rewarded with a nice easy one after all that hard work!

 

 

 

 

 

I spent some time looking for the mate but it was nowhere to be found. I would have to be happy with one more horn today!

Also found another dead doe.

 

 

Antlers- 32

Sets- 5

Dead bucks- 15

Dead doe/fawns- 17

 

Edited April 22, 2013 by wooly

[Pav2704]

Nice funds wooly! Getting close!!

[ny hunter]

You are on a roll this year.Finding bone no matter where you go...great job buddy....

[wooly]

I headed down to the town hall this morning to get my turkey stamp.
Got there around 11 but they didn't open up untill 2pm on Tuesdays so I had 3 hours to kill.  I shot down to the crick and was gonna watch the fish swim around the pool for a while, but once I got in the thicket along the shore I decided looking for antlers might be more fun and productive!
It's not a pretty one, but I was happy to have another horn before turkey time break!

 

 

 

Antlers- 33

Sets- 5

Dead bucks- 15

Dead doe/fawns- 17

[WhitetailAddict11]

You da man Wolly!

[wooly]

Time for my season ending pics.... or maybe this is technicly just the mid way point. I'll keep hiking right up till this falls hunting season, so maybe a few more will find their way home with me in the coming months. For the most part, things will slow way down now and the mad rush of antlers is over. It was a great season for me again full of many memorable hikes, horns, and encounters along the way. Winter lasted longer than expected and got in the way of some prime hiking time, but I can't complain.

 

I'll get started with my skull take homes. Way too many dead deer out there this season. Towards the end, I simply stopped keeping track, but the total fresh dead finds was probably in excess of 40 deer without counting the old skulls. A couple of my earlier young buck skulls were stolen by the critters this past winter.

 

 

Here's two of the fresher deadheads I found that I did a little work on to set up for display.

 

 

.... and now onto the antler finds. I picked up five sets this year. One being from my goal buck last season, and probably my most impressive set of two of the smallest antlers I've ever found in the button nubbs at the very bottom of the pic!(look closely...they are there!)

 

 

Here's the 18 righties together.

 

....and the 14 lefties.

 

 

....and finally the whole lot of 33 antlers to this point! After counting them out right now, I must have missed one from the collection when I was taking the pics,lol. Dammit, I do that every year! Season total of 33, but now with 32 pictured I need to figure out which one is missing here.

 

[josephmrtn]

Cool stuff wooly

[ny hunter]

As always you made look easy this year,Thanks for posting love your pics.......

[Pav2704]

Great season wooly, I am sure you will continue to add to it this year!

[wooly]

Great season wooly, I am sure you will continue to add to it this year!

 

Thanks guys.... looks like you were right Pav!

 

 I may have jumped the gun again with the season ending pic this year!

After taking mom out for lunch this evening, I wasn't quite sure what I'd do with the rest of my day. A quick browse through my favorite forums, and I decided to shoot across the creek and go hang another cam. On my way out I cut along the top of the ridge that overlooks the creek when I spotted an antler on the edge of a vine cluster!

I thought for sure it was ironicaly the mate to #28(the missing horn from season end pic) because it was in the same area, but it's not.

Anyhow, it is #34! Looks like mom and me both got a special treat this Mothers day!