Already shedding

[Hollar Hunter]

Found this one today walking in. Seen it about 40yds away I had to rub my eyes to double check I wasn't seeing things... Definitely the earliest I've ever found one.

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[catman529]

Nice find, early for sure

 

[Pinwheeled]

Interesting. Which part of the state?

 

[Anonymous]

The bucks on my place have looked worn out bad this year. It isn't for lack of food. I think they ran themselves half to death during the rut. I wouldn't doubt finding several sheds early.

 

[BSK]

The bucks on my place have looked worn out bad this year. It isn't for lack of food. I think they ran themselves half to death during the rut. I wouldn't doubt finding several sheds early.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially considering how little rutting activity many hunters witnessed.

 

[Anonymous]

The bucks on my place have looked worn out bad this year. It isn't for lack of food. I think they ran themselves half to death during the rut. I wouldn't doubt finding several sheds early.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially considering how little rutting activity many hunters witnessed.

You definitely know more about it than I do, but I feel safe to say that witnessed rutting activity is minimal compared to overall activity. I shot one of my well documented 3 year olds on the 11th of Dec. and he had lost at least 50 pounds compared to the times I saw him during bow season. He had rubbed hair off his stomach from breeding and the base of his horns were rubbed smooth and white. Taxidermist said he has never seen one rub enough to do that to the antlers.

 

[outdoors crazy]

At a friends house last week when we found a fresh shed laying near the wood line. The next day my dad seen a small buck also missing one side. Northern middle tn

 

[morgancountry]

We've has pictures of a few already shedding for a couple weeks.

 

[BSK]

The bucks on my place have looked worn out bad this year. It isn't for lack of food. I think they ran themselves half to death during the rut. I wouldn't doubt finding several sheds early.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially considering how little rutting activity many hunters witnessed.

You definitely know more about it than I do, but I feel safe to say that witnessed rutting activity is minimal compared to overall activity. I shot one of my well documented 3 year olds on the 11th of Dec. and he had lost at least 50 pounds compared to the times I saw him during bow season. He had rubbed hair off his stomach from breeding and the base of his horns were rubbed smooth and white. Taxidermist said he has never seen one rub enough to do that to the antlers.

I have no doubt the rut occurred, and probably at the normal time, but the number of reports I've heard from hunters--from around the country--of how muted the observable rutting was, has me curious.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

nice

 

[Bodine270]

We saw very little rut activity on our place this year. Only saw a few young bucks chasing in early December.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I saw a buck sticking with a doe on Dec 27. Shot at him several times offhand at about 300 yards and missed....he was so dazzled with that doe that he totally ignored my shots. :( He never went right up to her though - just stayed back about 50 feet and moved when she did. Just this morning I saw a buck trailing some does with his nose to the ground. I've seen no real difference in the rut this year. It's always a long drawn out, low keyed event around my place.