TODAY'S FINDS FEBRUARY 20, 2011
SHEDS / FOOD PLOTS
Nature's Gift - SHEDS OF WHITETAILS
As the days begin to grow longer the hormonal changes start to take place in a buck, that ultimately lead to dropping their antlers. Some bucks will begin shedding as early as December, particularly if they're really worn down from the rut. Watch for half-racked bucks in your area to give you an idea of when shedding begins.
Although some bucks do cast their racks before year's end, I tend to concentrate my shed hunts in January through April. Fresh finds will be less common in January and February than later, but many of the biggest bucks seem to drop their antlers pretty early in the period. By starting to look early, you could hit the jackpot. For me, March and April are the most productive months. In my area of Southwestern Ontario, I see the majority of antlers being dropped during the first two weeks of March, continuing on into early April. In most of North America, spring green up arrives by the latter part of April, making antlers much harder to find. Before long, the weeds are tall enough and the ticks and insects bad enough that most serious shed hunting is over.
If you've ever talked to another hunter about sheds, chances are he said, "I just can't find the darn things!" Although there are no real secrets to finding sheds, I've learned there's definitely a knack to it. Here are some suggestions on how to improve your success rate.
Although some bucks do cast their racks before year's end, I tend to concentrate my shed hunts in January through April. Fresh finds will be less common in January and February than later, but many of the biggest bucks seem to drop their antlers pretty early in the period. By starting to look early, you could hit the jackpot. For me, March and April are the most productive months. In my area of Southwestern Ontario, I see the majority of antlers being dropped during the first two weeks of March, continuing on into early April. In most of North America, spring green up arrives by the latter part of April, making antlers much harder to find. Before long, the weeds are tall enough and the ticks and insects bad enough that most serious shed hunting is over.
If you've ever talked to another hunter about sheds, chances are he said, "I just can't find the darn things!" Although there are no real secrets to finding sheds, I've learned there's definitely a knack to it. Here are some suggestions on how to improve your success rate.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR....
Knowing when to look is definitely a key issue but even after you've narrowed that down you still must know where to look. The simple answer is to key in on winter food sources and bedding cover.
This might sound pretty obvious, but failing to look where the bucks are in mid- to late winter is one of the biggest reasons many people fail to find sheds. Think about it. During a long, cold winter, the deer like to be where they can get food easily, yet have decent cover to protect them from predators and the elements. If there's no such area where you're searching, odds are the antlers you find will be few and far between.
If you get a chance, take a drive during the winter and glass any type of fields where deer feed after the season. Winter wheat is one of the best winter food sources where I hunt, but it could be different where you are.
Try to find where deer are yarding up. Of course, the more bucks there are in a relatively small area, the more antlers there usually are to be found there, and the easier the shed hunting will be. Make sure to bring out your sheds to the BUCKS & BULLS show in Tilbury to have them measured.
Happy SHED Hunting --Danielle Russell © 2011
This might sound pretty obvious, but failing to look where the bucks are in mid- to late winter is one of the biggest reasons many people fail to find sheds. Think about it. During a long, cold winter, the deer like to be where they can get food easily, yet have decent cover to protect them from predators and the elements. If there's no such area where you're searching, odds are the antlers you find will be few and far between.
If you get a chance, take a drive during the winter and glass any type of fields where deer feed after the season. Winter wheat is one of the best winter food sources where I hunt, but it could be different where you are.
Try to find where deer are yarding up. Of course, the more bucks there are in a relatively small area, the more antlers there usually are to be found there, and the easier the shed hunting will be. Make sure to bring out your sheds to the BUCKS & BULLS show in Tilbury to have them measured.
Happy SHED Hunting --Danielle Russell © 2011
This year is our second year of growing this "BRASSICAS", they came back on it's own, no re-seeding done by us. When the brassicas went to seed we waited for them to dry and have collected a bunch of the seeds for future use. I can now sprinkle them in different hunting areas and the best part is that it doesn't cost me a single penny just a little bit of time.
Picture above: My SEED in bloom.
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HOW WE CREATED OUR FOOD PLOT!
Clearing the brush! There were alot of little thorn bushes and other brush that needed taken out of the way.
Tilling the area! Which was not necessary for this seed but it was available, so we did it anyway.
SEEDS OF CHOICE - BOTH NO-TILL FORAGE
Evolved Harvest THROW & GRO:
$15.44 CDN
THROW & GRO No-Till forage is a sweet and fast growing forage that can be planted in a food plot in those hard to reach areas. Throw & Grow is an annual. Annuals need to be replanted each year.
Seeds in Throw & Gro...
Forage Tetraploid Ryegrass:
Tetraploid rye-grass produces a higher quality forage with more protein and sugar content than any other ryegrass. They have selected only the best tetraploid ryegrass varieties so that you will have larger, more palatable plants that will continue to vigorously grow to provide a more nutritious food plot for your deer.
Forage Clovers:
The best of the fast growing forage clovers have been selected to give your herd a reliable source of nutrition. These annual clovers grow more quickly than other clovers and have the potential to grow well over 24” in height, providing your deer herd with tons of palatable forage. These forage clovers’ consistent high level of protein (up to 35%) and their mineral content make it a forage that deer both need and prefer.
Forage Rape Brassica:
The best yielding New Zealand forage rape brassica to deliver the highest levels of protein and mineral content of any annual forage available on the market today, providing up to 38% protein. This forage rape has been adapted to an extremely wide range of soils and weather conditions and will provide abundant large-leaf forage into the winter months. Average mature plant height is 24“ tall. Once mature, they begin fixing more sugars in their leaves and become a huge attractant to deer.
Seeds in Throw & Gro...
Forage Tetraploid Ryegrass:
Tetraploid rye-grass produces a higher quality forage with more protein and sugar content than any other ryegrass. They have selected only the best tetraploid ryegrass varieties so that you will have larger, more palatable plants that will continue to vigorously grow to provide a more nutritious food plot for your deer.
Forage Clovers:
The best of the fast growing forage clovers have been selected to give your herd a reliable source of nutrition. These annual clovers grow more quickly than other clovers and have the potential to grow well over 24” in height, providing your deer herd with tons of palatable forage. These forage clovers’ consistent high level of protein (up to 35%) and their mineral content make it a forage that deer both need and prefer.
Forage Rape Brassica:
The best yielding New Zealand forage rape brassica to deliver the highest levels of protein and mineral content of any annual forage available on the market today, providing up to 38% protein. This forage rape has been adapted to an extremely wide range of soils and weather conditions and will provide abundant large-leaf forage into the winter months. Average mature plant height is 24“ tall. Once mature, they begin fixing more sugars in their leaves and become a huge attractant to deer.
PLANTED April 22, 2010
CHECKED ON May 4, 2010
RACK STACKER by Backyard Wildlife Products: $22.99 CDN
WALK N TOSS is a customized blend that continues to be the sought-after fine seed mix for planting log landings, four wheeler trails and in secluded locations. Attracts deer and holds deer all year round! Simply rake away debris, hand spread the seed and let the rain do the rest. The deer certainly won’t have any trouble finding these secluded spots once our all Canadian seed takes off. Walk ‘n Toss is also the choice mix for frost seeding in the Spring. Plant Pre Spring - March thru May. Note: If there is good rainfall, plant right into June. Fall - August thru September Enjoy the minimal maintenance required Walk N’ Toss No Plow! Simply use a weed eater approximately 2 – 3 months after planting to cut the plot back to 4 – 6” tall creating an explosion of growth as the plants send out all new shoots to absorb the sun. The more often you cut the plot, the thicker and fuller it will become! 2.5lbs covers approximately 5,000 square feet. That’s it! Just hand broadcast the seed and you are done!
WALK N TOSS contains: 3 types of Clovers, Rape, Ryegrass * Annual 52% * Perennial 48%
NOTE: See the dug water hole, just a nice stop for the deer to have a quick drink.
Left is the Throw & Gro and Right is the Walk N Toss
Checked on May 15, 2010
Left is the Throw & Gro and Right is the Walk N Toss
May 15,2010
From the opposite view. Left is Walk N Toss, Right is Throw & Grow
Walk N Toss @ 23 days
It looks as though the grasses are growing stronger in this product
It looks as thought the clovers are growing more in this product.
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Throw & Grow June 20, 2010
Walk N Toss June 20, 2010
Left is the Throw & Gro and Right is the Walk N Toss, both still very full of Ryegrass and some clovers underneath. More clover in the Walk N Toss
Walk N Toss in mostly shade area. Not much Brassica growing in the full sun area at all. (Sun pictures on left.)
Walk N Toss in mostly shade area.
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Throw & Grow July 20, 2010
No Brassica's left, they didn't grow the best in the full sun but now they are all gone. Looks as though the deer have been lying in the grasses.
Some rain would really be nice to get this stuff really growing, if only the deer would jump the ditch and eat the brassicas on the other side. Maybe they are waiting until fall.
STAY TUNED TO SEE WHAT PRODUCT MY DEER LIKE BETTER AND WHICH ONE GROWS BETTER!
Mineral Fountain
After some planning, I decided that I would put out my mineral fountain this weekend in my deer hunting location near Huntsville, ON. We had seen many deer and wild turkey on the drive and I was excited for the fall rifle hunt with my dad.
Rack Stacker's Blaze is one of the best smelling, most highly alluring minerals available. Once the wind blows this scent through the trees, that big buck won’t be able to resist finding its source! I was a little worried about the bears knocking it down so I tried their stump idea. Basically you pour it on a stump, rock or along a downed tree and these minerals will keep deer coming back for more. I just hope that the minerals soak in before Mr. Bear eats it all. With the mosquitos biting like crazy I did not hang out to take pictures, but they are soon to follow since I placed my trail cam out to document who finds it first. Stay Tuned!
May 22,2010
Rack Stacker's Blaze is one of the best smelling, most highly alluring minerals available. Once the wind blows this scent through the trees, that big buck won’t be able to resist finding its source! I was a little worried about the bears knocking it down so I tried their stump idea. Basically you pour it on a stump, rock or along a downed tree and these minerals will keep deer coming back for more. I just hope that the minerals soak in before Mr. Bear eats it all. With the mosquitos biting like crazy I did not hang out to take pictures, but they are soon to follow since I placed my trail cam out to document who finds it first. Stay Tuned!
May 22,2010
SHED HUNTER'S GETTING EXCITED
Shed antler hunting can sometimes best be described as a search for a needle in a haystack, a really big haystack! We all try it, or make our best attempts to, with sometimes great and/or limited success.
Shed hunting has become extremely popular over the past decade, and rightfully so, as it helps further our cultural obsession to know and understand more about the very game we hunt.
SEE MORE ON OUR SHED PAGE
Shed hunting has become extremely popular over the past decade, and rightfully so, as it helps further our cultural obsession to know and understand more about the very game we hunt.
SEE MORE ON OUR SHED PAGE
WHITETAIL ANTLER SHEDS
Here in the South-Western part of Ontario we usually start finding sheds in the end of march. By April fools some nice sets are usually found. Share your collections and finds here!
When you head out in the woods you should always keep an eye out for any antler sheds because they can alert you to where that trophy buck may be hiding. As a deer sheds its antlers it will usually take anywhere from 2-3 weeks to complete the whole process. This is a relatively short process while the regeneration of the shed antler will take the whole summer to finish up. Once this is complete the entire cycle of antler sheds starts again. All male deer shed their antlers. Bucks go into antler shed mode between the months of January and April. The reason they shed antlers during this time is because it is after mating season and one of the only reasons they have the antlers is so they can attract a suitable mate.
When you head out in the woods you should always keep an eye out for any antler sheds because they can alert you to where that trophy buck may be hiding. As a deer sheds its antlers it will usually take anywhere from 2-3 weeks to complete the whole process. This is a relatively short process while the regeneration of the shed antler will take the whole summer to finish up. Once this is complete the entire cycle of antler sheds starts again. All male deer shed their antlers. Bucks go into antler shed mode between the months of January and April. The reason they shed antlers during this time is because it is after mating season and one of the only reasons they have the antlers is so they can attract a suitable mate.
HOW DO WE FIND THEM?
Where to look:
Finding a shed antler is not always about getting out to just any piece of ground. It’s a numbers game, and you’ll have better odds of picking 1 or 2 up if you are looking where larger populations of bucks have spent the late winter or early spring.
Start with the food.
The preferred food sources, and nearby them, are where you are likely to find the most sheds this or any season. These food sources include corn, hay, even bean fields. Where snowfall is less of a factor or these food sources are rare, solid acorn mast and/or browse within the woods can often produce a few whitetail sheds for the hunter. It is important to understand that not all food sources are created equally. Factors include adequate bedding proximity and, like hunting, sometimes human and/or other predator pressures.
The food sources that are closest to good winter bedding areas are often best. They must offer some sort of visual protection for the whitetail, a place to get out of the wind, and often a place in which the suns rays can hammer on throughout most of the day. Pay special attention to deadfalls and/or hillsides that face the southern or eastern skies as they will see much more of the shortened day’s sun. In big swamp country, small islands within cattails and the outside edges are often the best place to look for a bedded buck in winter’s months. Same goes for his sheds.
A popular way to seek out which food sources are holding the greatest numbers of deer is through visual scouting. Many shed hunters simply drive around much of late winter searching and scanning over nearby fields. Armed with a good pair of binoculars, these shed hunters will note which fields are seeing the most amount of deer traffic, and more importantly, buck traffic. It’s within these fields that most of these shed hunters will start their hunt for shed antlers within the following weeks.
What to look for:
Seasoned shed hunters know that looking first for color is a very deceiving practice while searching for shed antlers. Mainly because shed antlers can have so many different hues ranging from darker browns, into yellows, and a frosty white. These colors can hide very effectively in fields of cut corn or shaded downfalls, places where these antlers are so often found.
Most shed hunters agree that it’s best to search for the sharp curves or points of a shed. Keeping ones vision out away from you between 5 and 20 yards while walking, constantly reminding yourself what you are looking for. This is important while shed hunting since so many of us are animal hunters as well. Often, a want to look around for other deer sign like scrapes or rubs can be an antler seeker’s worst enemy.
What the shed antler can tell you.
Shed antlers are the fingerprints of a whitetail buck. Unlike the rub, the scrape, or a giant bed, a shed antler is specific to the animal that has left it there. It can help us determine a more accurate age, certain tendencies, and even particular patterns of a specific buck. Combined with modern trail camera pictures, these antlers can have a grave impact on discerning a particular whitetail’s true home range, sometimes even his preferred bedding sites. In all, they can help us become a better, more understanding big game hunter.
Finding a shed antler is not always about getting out to just any piece of ground. It’s a numbers game, and you’ll have better odds of picking 1 or 2 up if you are looking where larger populations of bucks have spent the late winter or early spring.
Start with the food.
The preferred food sources, and nearby them, are where you are likely to find the most sheds this or any season. These food sources include corn, hay, even bean fields. Where snowfall is less of a factor or these food sources are rare, solid acorn mast and/or browse within the woods can often produce a few whitetail sheds for the hunter. It is important to understand that not all food sources are created equally. Factors include adequate bedding proximity and, like hunting, sometimes human and/or other predator pressures.
The food sources that are closest to good winter bedding areas are often best. They must offer some sort of visual protection for the whitetail, a place to get out of the wind, and often a place in which the suns rays can hammer on throughout most of the day. Pay special attention to deadfalls and/or hillsides that face the southern or eastern skies as they will see much more of the shortened day’s sun. In big swamp country, small islands within cattails and the outside edges are often the best place to look for a bedded buck in winter’s months. Same goes for his sheds.
A popular way to seek out which food sources are holding the greatest numbers of deer is through visual scouting. Many shed hunters simply drive around much of late winter searching and scanning over nearby fields. Armed with a good pair of binoculars, these shed hunters will note which fields are seeing the most amount of deer traffic, and more importantly, buck traffic. It’s within these fields that most of these shed hunters will start their hunt for shed antlers within the following weeks.
What to look for:
Seasoned shed hunters know that looking first for color is a very deceiving practice while searching for shed antlers. Mainly because shed antlers can have so many different hues ranging from darker browns, into yellows, and a frosty white. These colors can hide very effectively in fields of cut corn or shaded downfalls, places where these antlers are so often found.
Most shed hunters agree that it’s best to search for the sharp curves or points of a shed. Keeping ones vision out away from you between 5 and 20 yards while walking, constantly reminding yourself what you are looking for. This is important while shed hunting since so many of us are animal hunters as well. Often, a want to look around for other deer sign like scrapes or rubs can be an antler seeker’s worst enemy.
What the shed antler can tell you.
Shed antlers are the fingerprints of a whitetail buck. Unlike the rub, the scrape, or a giant bed, a shed antler is specific to the animal that has left it there. It can help us determine a more accurate age, certain tendencies, and even particular patterns of a specific buck. Combined with modern trail camera pictures, these antlers can have a grave impact on discerning a particular whitetail’s true home range, sometimes even his preferred bedding sites. In all, they can help us become a better, more understanding big game hunter.
ONE MAN'S TREASURE
James Moynahan's Collection 2009
ANOTHER DAY IN THE FIELD
One days finds on 50 acres - 2008
