OK,yesterday I headed to an area I hadn't been in yet this year.There's two seperate areas with in this area connected by a nice funnel.Both areas are wooded and with the overcast skies and light rain conditions couldn't be better to search here. In the first area sign was slim to none,but I did manage to find a nice fresh 4pt. side.
I close-up.
After giving the area a good search and no more sheds I headed to the second area.I no sooner started here when I came across the two snapping turtles.Both turtles were about the same size and they were laying in a big mud puddle more or less.After dragging the one out I threw my last shed found down next to it for a little size comparison.That shed has about a 20" mainbeam and the turtle had some weight to it.
After the turtle incounter it was back to business.I headed uphill to a point where the deer like to bed and I've found sheds before.It didn't take long here before I spotted a shed,this one was alittle different.
Things were slow for a little while before anymore action.I was walking around a hillside when I started finding all kinds of fresh deer droppings.I wondered why til I realized it was a south facing slope and apparently the deer spent some time here during the snow days.A couple minutes later I almost stepped on my next shed for the day,a small Y shed.
After extending my search out from this shed looking for more,I decided to head back towards where I found my little non-typical shed.After a few passes around the area I spotted a single tine sticking out of the leaves.I was proud of this find.
This shed turned out to be a big 3pt. side.Here's another angle showing alittle more of the shed.
After this find things were slow for a long time.I re-searched some of the ground I already covered and extended my search out covering more new ground.I then decided to drop down the hill from the point where I found my first shed here and search the ridge across from here.
I'm glad I did too,I was walking the edge of the ridge away from the point on this side when I found my next shed.At first I thought I found a shed that would give either of the singles from my big set a run for it's money.I thought I found the shed of all sheds,then I realized it was two sheds lined up with each other giving the appearance of one shed.I was alittle disappointed at first then back to flying high again.Only my second matched set laying together this year and not a bad looking set at that.This first pic is how I saw them for the first time.
Before I could even get the camera out for pics of the set I spotted this sticking out of the leaves 10yds. away.
After the set my hands were getting pretty full trying to carry these sheds so I decided to head downhill and walk the creekbottom out.About halfway back to my truck walking the bottom I found my last one for this area.
The size of this last shed got me taking a closer look at this shed.The more I looked the more I believe this shed came from my P&Y buck I took close to this area back in 04.I found the other side fresh the year before I took the buck and this shed has definately been laying more then a year.I still haven't matched it up with the side I already have,but I will sometime soon.
After I got back to my truck I still had daylight to make a quick search of another area I wanted to search alsothis day.I had already searched this area before,but like this area it's open woods with a heavy cover of leaves as ground cover.About an hour of searching in this other area I found a shed I've been looking for almost all season long.It was the mate to the second shed I found this season back in Jan.
After this find I thought my day was done for sheds.It was getting late and it was getting harder by the min. to see.I was getting ready to call it quits when I spotted some more tines.I had to take a few steps closer for a better look,sure enough it was a shed.A nice little 5pt.
Somewhere along the line I also found a little spike skull.It was old and chewed so I took a pic and left it lay.
Here's a pic of the days's finds.
Almost forgot,this evening I took a walk across the road in a small woodlot and found another buck skull.This one had 3 on one side and a long curled up spike on the other side.
Sheds 71
Skulls 7
I close-up.
After giving the area a good search and no more sheds I headed to the second area.I no sooner started here when I came across the two snapping turtles.Both turtles were about the same size and they were laying in a big mud puddle more or less.After dragging the one out I threw my last shed found down next to it for a little size comparison.That shed has about a 20" mainbeam and the turtle had some weight to it.
After the turtle incounter it was back to business.I headed uphill to a point where the deer like to bed and I've found sheds before.It didn't take long here before I spotted a shed,this one was alittle different.
Things were slow for a little while before anymore action.I was walking around a hillside when I started finding all kinds of fresh deer droppings.I wondered why til I realized it was a south facing slope and apparently the deer spent some time here during the snow days.A couple minutes later I almost stepped on my next shed for the day,a small Y shed.
After extending my search out from this shed looking for more,I decided to head back towards where I found my little non-typical shed.After a few passes around the area I spotted a single tine sticking out of the leaves.I was proud of this find.
This shed turned out to be a big 3pt. side.Here's another angle showing alittle more of the shed.
After this find things were slow for a long time.I re-searched some of the ground I already covered and extended my search out covering more new ground.I then decided to drop down the hill from the point where I found my first shed here and search the ridge across from here.
I'm glad I did too,I was walking the edge of the ridge away from the point on this side when I found my next shed.At first I thought I found a shed that would give either of the singles from my big set a run for it's money.I thought I found the shed of all sheds,then I realized it was two sheds lined up with each other giving the appearance of one shed.I was alittle disappointed at first then back to flying high again.Only my second matched set laying together this year and not a bad looking set at that.This first pic is how I saw them for the first time.
Before I could even get the camera out for pics of the set I spotted this sticking out of the leaves 10yds. away.
After the set my hands were getting pretty full trying to carry these sheds so I decided to head downhill and walk the creekbottom out.About halfway back to my truck walking the bottom I found my last one for this area.
The size of this last shed got me taking a closer look at this shed.The more I looked the more I believe this shed came from my P&Y buck I took close to this area back in 04.I found the other side fresh the year before I took the buck and this shed has definately been laying more then a year.I still haven't matched it up with the side I already have,but I will sometime soon.
After I got back to my truck I still had daylight to make a quick search of another area I wanted to search alsothis day.I had already searched this area before,but like this area it's open woods with a heavy cover of leaves as ground cover.About an hour of searching in this other area I found a shed I've been looking for almost all season long.It was the mate to the second shed I found this season back in Jan.
After this find I thought my day was done for sheds.It was getting late and it was getting harder by the min. to see.I was getting ready to call it quits when I spotted some more tines.I had to take a few steps closer for a better look,sure enough it was a shed.A nice little 5pt.
Somewhere along the line I also found a little spike skull.It was old and chewed so I took a pic and left it lay.
Here's a pic of the days's finds.
Almost forgot,this evening I took a walk across the road in a small woodlot and found another buck skull.This one had 3 on one side and a long curled up spike on the other side.
Sheds 71
Skulls 7
