2020 Shed Report

[Don'tDrinkTinks]

Here's the rundown...

I hunt right on the fringe of a thicket in a river bottom and deer seem to just pop out at 60 or so yards. The second morning of gun season was a perfect setup for that stand... wind right in my face so if anything came out of the thicket they would have no clue I was there. He came out of the thick stuff and while he was making a scrape I was able to get a rock solid rest. Never been so calm before shooting a deer none the less a big deer. He was pretty much walking to my tree and was broadside / very slightly quartering to me. I stopped him at 16 steps ( i counted them off ) and boom. He bounded back into the thick stuff with his tail in the air. Def didn't look like he was on a death run... no mule kick, no stagger at the shot. Nothing. Had one small window I maybe could have slipped a follow up shot through but didn't want to chance it. He circled back to the four wheeler trail we walk in on head up slowly walking away. I was pissed.

I got down an hour later to where he was standing and nothing. No blood, no hair, no nothing. Walked to the edge of the thicket and nothing. I followed his path through the knee high grass and nothing. Walked to the four wheeler trail and walked up and down it probably 20 times. Nothing. I never found a single drop of blood. I just figured I straight up whiffed.

My rifle is zeroed at 200 and part of me thought I might have shot right over his back but it's been eating at me that I missed him at freaking 16 steps. Sunday we were shed hunting and I wanted to walk the thicket hoping we could find his sheds and we stumbled on some leg bones. We kept searching and never found anything else. My buddy walked back to the four wheeler trail to get the side by side and spotted some rib bones about 15 yards off the opposite side of the trail beside a fallen down tree and there he was. He was probably 40 or 50 yards from where I last saw him as he walked away.

Sad part was that we pretty much walked right by him for the rest of the season. Never smelled him, never saw him, never spotted buzzards. Nothing.

Maybe the bullet didn't expand much and just zipped through him? Maybe gut shot and exit and entry were clogged with gut? I have no clue.

What gun were you using?

Also, to clarify, did you all find him 40-50 yards from where you last saw him from your stand as he was walking away?

.270 with a Barnes Vortx… shot my rifle when we got back to the house and I was about 4" left at 100 yards. I wouldn't think it would have made much difference at 16 yards though.

Yes he was around 50ish yards from where i last saw him from the stand. Probably ended up 200 yards from the spot he was standing when i shot.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Here's the rundown...

I hunt right on the fringe of a thicket in a river bottom and deer seem to just pop out at 60 or so yards. The second morning of gun season was a perfect setup for that stand... wind right in my face so if anything came out of the thicket they would have no clue I was there. He came out of the thick stuff and while he was making a scrape I was able to get a rock solid rest. Never been so calm before shooting a deer none the less a big deer. He was pretty much walking to my tree and was broadside / very slightly quartering to me. I stopped him at 16 steps ( i counted them off ) and boom. He bounded back into the thick stuff with his tail in the air. Def didn't look like he was on a death run... no mule kick, no stagger at the shot. Nothing. Had one small window I maybe could have slipped a follow up shot through but didn't want to chance it. He circled back to the four wheeler trail we walk in on head up slowly walking away. I was pissed.

I got down an hour later to where he was standing and nothing. No blood, no hair, no nothing. Walked to the edge of the thicket and nothing. I followed his path through the knee high grass and nothing. Walked to the four wheeler trail and walked up and down it probably 20 times. Nothing. I never found a single drop of blood. I just figured I straight up whiffed.

My rifle is zeroed at 200 and part of me thought I might have shot right over his back but it's been eating at me that I missed him at freaking 16 steps. Sunday we were shed hunting and I wanted to walk the thicket hoping we could find his sheds and we stumbled on some leg bones. We kept searching and never found anything else. My buddy walked back to the four wheeler trail to get the side by side and spotted some rib bones about 15 yards off the opposite side of the trail beside a fallen down tree and there he was. He was probably 40 or 50 yards from where I last saw him as he walked away.

Sad part was that we pretty much walked right by him for the rest of the season. Never smelled him, never saw him, never spotted buzzards. Nothing.

Maybe the bullet didn't expand much and just zipped through him? Maybe gut shot and exit and entry were clogged with gut? I have no clue.

What gun were you using?

Also, to clarify, did you all find him 40-50 yards from where you last saw him from your stand as he was walking away?

.270 with a Barnes Vortx… shot my rifle when we got back to the house and I was about 4" left at 100 yards. I wouldn't think it would have made much difference at 16 yards though.

Yes he was around 50ish yards from where i last saw him from the stand. Probably ended up 200 yards from the spot he was standing when i shot.

Those quarter-to shots can be very tricky. I shot one once at this angle with a 7mm mag at about 20 yards. Never found the first drop of blood or hair. I kept making loops in the direction he ran every 25 yards or so. Got back to the stand, sat down and thought about how I could have possibly missed him. Decided to make one more loop 40 yards further down the thick point from my last path taken, and I walked right up on him dead. Never found a drop of blood - he had run about 100 yards

 

[Don'tDrinkTinks]

Only once before have I had one not bleed like this and it was a shot about the same distance with a .243... she mule kicked, ran about 100 yards and stopped. I popped her again and she dropped right in her tracks.

Walked to where she stood because I kind of like blood trailing and not a drop. I walked up to her since i saw her drop and she had two wounds within a few inches of each other. Back trailed her and over the course of 100 or so yards found just a few drops.

 

[tree_ghost]

Found a couple old ones...


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[tree_ghost]

My wife has asked me to do some decorative art with the large pile of sheds I have collected over the years. In order to fit her decor they would need to be white. Can I simply bleach them to turn them white?


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[AT Hiker]

My wife has asked me to do some decorative art with the large pile of sheds I have collected over the years. In order to fit her decor they would need to be white. Can I simply bleach them to turn them white?


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Do not bleach!

If your wanting to turn them white then get some 40 volume peroxide and whiten them that way.


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[Don'tDrinkTinks]

My wife has asked me to do some decorative art with the large pile of sheds I have collected over the years. In order to fit her decor they would need to be white. Can I simply bleach them to turn them white?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Do not bleach!

If your wanting to turn them white then get some 40 volume peroxide and whiten them that way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This right here. I used the gel when I did euro mounts back in the day. Got it from a beauty supply store. Prob get it cheap on amazon.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

My wife has asked me to do some decorative art with the large pile of sheds I have collected over the years. In order to fit her decor they would need to be white. Can I simply bleach them to turn them white?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Do not bleach!

If your wanting to turn them white then get some 40 volume peroxide and whiten them that way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've gotten it from the local beauty store. The employees said I wasn't the first hunter to come in there.

 

[tree_ghost]

Thanks for the info guys. I know on the euro skulls to use the peroxide I guess I should have known to use it on antlers too...

Found an old dead head this morning.

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[Pilchard]

50% of the bucks on my cameras in Brentwood have lost at least one side.

 

[tree_ghost]

I watched a bachelor group of 6 yesterday morning. They were sparring and grunting like crazy. Only 1 of them had lost 1 side. this season has really opened my eyes to see the wide variation on drop times of the heard when only separated by a very short distance....for instance I have another place with virtually identical terrain and separated by only about 17 miles. On that piece almost every buck has dropped. The only difference that I can come up with is that on the property where the majority of bucks are still holding the majority age range of the bucks is 2.5-3.5. On the other farm it is 3.5-6.5 for the majority of the bucks.


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[ruthunter]

Picked up 4 this weekend, no large ones but good finds

 

['borohunter]

Nice finds - mentioned to my daughter and we'll see what we can find. Hopefully we'll find one or two...

 

[Ski]

Got one small buck missing one side as of yesterday, north of Manchester. Been seeing a large bachelor group pretty regular made of everything from spikes to a couple 3.5yr olds. A 2.5yr old was still either trying to hound dog the does or chase them away, couldn't really tell. He put his head down low and ran toward them. They ran away & he turned around & went back to the group of guys.

 

[bshurette]

Great info everyone is sharing. In Hamilton county, most bucks are still toting both sides but should be getting close. Typically go search after juvy turkey with my boys.

 

[ruthunter]

Like treeghost said, I have one place everything has shed, 11 miles away on my other place nothing has shed.I don't really understand that

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

First fresh antler of the year. From talking with others it seems the deer are 60/40: holding/not holding. Maybe even 70/30.

4 and 5 for 2020...slow season

Weakley, Dyer, Obion, Gibson Co.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

Another 5 miles yields 2 more antlers 6-7. Trees are budding and sap flow has started starting greenup the past 2 weeks. I fear the deer are going to hold onto them like last year well into greenup. 10 miles over 2 days yields 4. Ill be back at it this weekend. Several reports of fresh antlers being found this week but every single report ended with i seen or jumped more bucks still holding both sides.

 

[Simpleman.2]

Saw 5 bucks in the mountains of CNF today and all 5 were still holding both sides.


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[TN Whitetail Freak]

checked 3 cams today, on three different spots and no shed bucks seen...dyer, obion counties