#3123109 - 01/14/13 10:23 AM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: BSK]
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Quailman
8 Point
Registered: 08/04/03
Posts: 1329
Loc: Winchester, TN
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BSK, our farm is in southern illinois. I've been hunting up there for 13 years and this is definitely the earliest we have seen bucks lose their antlers. When i was up there a week ago, the deer were digging through a foot of snow to eat turnips in our food plots.
Edited by Quailman (01/14/13 11:01 AM)
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#3123166 - 01/14/13 11:09 AM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: Quailman]
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Good time Charlie
TnDeer Old Timer
12 Point
Registered: 10/08/99
Posts: 6539
Loc: Tazewell
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Deers health and well being takes precedence over antler develop.
With that said all the nutrition it will take for next years antlers has already been stored and ready.It has been said that they grow up to a half inch a day.One of the fastest thing in nature to grow.
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#3123283 - 01/14/13 12:16 PM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: Quailman]
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BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
Non-Typical
Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59548
Loc: Nashville, TN
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When i was up there a week ago, the deer were digging through a foot of snow to eat turnips in our food plots.
That would do it! Interesting how variable it is from year to year.
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"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
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#3124700 - 01/15/13 10:20 AM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: Quailman]
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RS
8 Point
Registered: 01/24/02
Posts: 1261
Loc: Smithville, TN
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Talked to my farm neighbor in Illinois today, and he found 14 sheds after he finised hunting yesterday. Since our farms have exceptional habitat and food resources (until recently), I can only assume these bucks are dropping early due to the recent extremely cold weather we've had up there over the last 2 weeks. 12+ inches of snow and temperatures in the single digits at night must have put a lot of stress on the deer. Based on trail camera photos over the years, most of our bucks drop their antlers from late February into early March. This is the earliest we have ever seen bucks lose their antlers.
Definitely been a strange year.
It definitely was a strange year on our farm in Humphreys County. We never really observed much of a rut and we started finding sheds in our plots the first week of January. We've never seen them drop this early....and our deer definitely appear very healthy.
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#3125052 - 01/15/13 02:19 PM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: RS]
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BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
Non-Typical
Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59548
Loc: Nashville, TN
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Interesting RS. We saw one of the most intense ruts we've seen in years.
I will have to check on antler shedding when I next check the trail-cams.
_________________________
"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
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#3125090 - 01/15/13 02:36 PM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: RS]
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Quailman
8 Point
Registered: 08/04/03
Posts: 1329
Loc: Winchester, TN
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Talked to my farm neighbor in Illinois today, and he found 14 sheds after he finised hunting yesterday. Since our farms have exceptional habitat and food resources (until recently), I can only assume these bucks are dropping early due to the recent extremely cold weather we've had up there over the last 2 weeks. 12+ inches of snow and temperatures in the single digits at night must have put a lot of stress on the deer. Based on trail camera photos over the years, most of our bucks drop their antlers from late February into early March. This is the earliest we have ever seen bucks lose their antlers.
Definitely been a strange year. It definitely was a strange year on our farm in Humphreys County. We never really observed much of a rut and we started finding sheds in our plots the first week of January. We've never seen them drop this early....and our deer definitely appear very healthy.
I basically saw the same thing RS in both TN and Illinois. Strangest year I can ever remember. Very little rut activity and very few daylight mature buck sightings. Now with bucks already losing their antlers over a month early, I just really have to scratch my head on this one. I'm getting ready to put out some cameras on my TN farms to see if bucks are starting to lose their antlers as well.
Just some very strange observations this year.
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#3125124 - 01/15/13 02:58 PM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: Quailman]
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Rob R.
10 Point
Registered: 04/25/11
Posts: 3647
Loc: Collierville TN.
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I killed a spike late in the season many years ago. One of his horns fell off when I grabbed it to move him in preparation for field dressing. It was late December or early January.
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#3125329 - 01/15/13 05:31 PM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: Rob R.]
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BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
Non-Typical
Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59548
Loc: Nashville, TN
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Simply amazes me how different everyones experiences were this last season, even on places very close to each other. We have some reporting one of the worst year ever in their area, and lots reporting one of the best year in many years. I wonder what drives these vast differences in experiences? That would make for an interesting study, if there even is an answer. Could be shear coincidence in combination with the randomness of Nature.
_________________________
"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
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#3127712 - 01/16/13 11:13 PM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: BSK]
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Poleaxe
6 Point
Registered: 09/08/12
Posts: 652
Loc: Etowah Tennessee
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I think some of our wives got together and hired a voodo doctor to curse the ones that had a bad yr. Thats the only thing that explains the craziness ive experienced this yr. I mean whats the chances of a helicopter comin out of nowhere as ur about to shoot a big buck and stops treetop high and hovers? I got better chances playing the lottery.
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#3129615 - 01/18/13 01:05 PM
Re: deer already losing horns
[Re: deerhunter10]
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mayberryrick
Button
Registered: 12/09/12
Posts: 19
Loc: Roane
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Mine dropped one of his after I shot him. Half way between where I shot him and where he dropped at. That was on Dec. 15th....
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