A long shed hunt update

I am sorry for not writing sooner, but I have been dead tired at night.

Well, as we all know it has been one of the snowiest winters on record andthis means BAD news for our Whitetail herd. Those deer whom were not getting supplemental feed in our wild areas had it really bad.

As I write this it is April 28th and in the Lake Sunapee area there is still snow deep enough for snowshoes in some areas of dark woods! The fields are open though and that is good.In the last few weeks I have taken a few excursions out into the woods sohere is the low down.

March 12- I took time to follow some deer trails on my hunting grounds. The snow was waist deep and following the pellet laden trails through theHemlocks was a snowshoe affair. I found 2 dead does that apparently starvedto death as there was only evidence of Ravens picking the carcasses. NO antlers

April 2nd - I was checking out another section of my hunting area and came across a definite Coyote kill. parts strewn everywhere. Not much left but the head, vertebrae, 1 front leg, 1 rear leg and lots of hair. It was a doe fawn

April 14th - We searched a 5 mile section of hemlock swamp that follows the highway. More deer sign than I have ever seen. Found two dead does real quick in a small deer yard. One mature and one a fawn. Went about a mile and found another dead doe, then yet another. This last one had a half eaten unborn fawn exposed through the doe's side. The infant was a buck fawn. Rob, my friend, found a nice right side antler that has 4 points. Looks like the buck got hit by a car and sent this antler flying out intothe pucker brush down along a swampy area. It was broken off at the base. Hope to get a photo of it for you.

Spent my next couple days off either out in the woods around home or up onthe farm woodlot and zilch, no antlers.On April 17th I had some inquisitive does literally follow me around the woods. Must have been yearlings without adults.

April 27th - I found an antler, FINALLY. It's a big one. Found it in a drainage between two big fields. The drainage leads downhill slightly intoa Hemlock swamp that follows a stream all the way down to a lake. Big four point shed, lots of mass and a bladed browtine. Looks a lot like "theDragon" sheds but a little different too. I also found a yearling Bull Moose "fork" antler and another dead doe!

Well, that's it for now. Going out Thursday at the farm and I'm on vacation next week!Remember Turkey season opens Saturday. Great opportunity to find antlerswhile whacking a big Tom.

Good luck and hope to hear of other's successful antler hunts

Sunday 3/16 expedition

I went out Sunday on a search with a close friend and NHSHC member Chris Holmes, of Penacook, NH. More or less and exploratory search in an area he hunts.

It was a fairly suburbanised area with a tremendous amount of sign.We did not come up with any antlers, but got a great overview for futuresearches.It is a place few of us are so blessed to hunt! Some places we hunt have one or two major drawing points. This one has everything in a microhabitat.On one side a active and heavily used bedding area with TONS of hemlock ona side hill with many ravines and rolling knolls for the deer to bed on. On another side a swampy area bordered by white oaks slowly sloping upwards to two or three fields surrounded by select cut roads and tons of browse witha clear cut up top. Lots of thick cover for sancturaries.

We will hit this area again after the snow receeds. Another testament to this area is the numbers of deer Chris has taken there.

After all was said and done we covered close to 5 miles. Chris, myself and his Bloodhound Beauford were tired and hungry. Luckily Chris had invited me to a traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage and lots more delicious treats that his lovely wife had prepared. Great food, greatcompany and lots of laughs with Chris and his family and guests. I amblessed to have such friends and am grateful for their hospitality. Better luck next time with the shed hunting, but it seems that they are starting to drop in earnest now so I shall be trying to post at least oncea week after each trip and it should get interesting.Good luck to all and may the tines show up light lightning from a starry night

Finds of the week

On Sunday- 3/9 I found a single shed on the woods adjoining our property.

Today-3/12 I went hiking on the private farm I sometimes hunt and covered a LOT of ground. The snow pack here is still incredibly deep with a thick crust in most areas. I found three dead deer, in different areas. It's a really tough winter for them.

March is the hardest month for them. I hate rain when it still can freeze but now I wish we'd get several days of WARM rain so the poor things can get to grass and such on the ground again before they starve

Antlers ON deer etc..

We had two bucks out here fighting a couple nights back. Antlers onboth. Not truly surprising since there were a couple does in heat about a week ago or so out here.

I went out today but found no antlers. I did however find an entire doe skeleton. VERY old doe. Her teethwere worn almost to the jaw. No coyotes had been at her just small stuff- fisher, ravens etc..

Today's find

Say what you will about the harshness of winter, but I took advantage of today being Patriots playoff day and went out into the woods.

I was on more of a scouting trip to find rubs and scrapes from the fall to get an idea of what went on in an area I routinely hunt. This area has been a treasure chest for me during shed hunting season.

At a crisp 19 degrees F and minus 0 windchills, I was following a scrape line of calf sized trees when I noticed some moose tracks crossing my path.

I did not think much of it, until I looked over and saw two big tines sticking up out of the snow about 30 yards away. I went over and pried the antler out of the snow and it was a fairly nice moose antler.

I had a gut feeling that the other one had to be nearby. So I took off the backpack and stuck the hiking stick in the snow and started to follow the moose tracks. I followed it for about 25 yards and saw a fat tine sticking up out of the snow, I grabbed it and yanked it out of the snow and I had the match!

In closing, the moose antlers have dropped and most of the deer antlers as well so get out there and get some pictures!