I was reading an article on searching for deer shed antlers that was of interest. Here are some highlights from the article:  Most deer seasons are now over, and many deer enthusiasts are taking to the woods in search of deer antlers. People who want to remain active in the off- hunting season, searching the woods for shed antlers is also a great way to get physical exercise in the winter. Shed searching is also a great way to discover exactly which bucks that you were aware of, survived this past deer hunting season. 

It is true that bucks will occasionally drop antlers during the regular firearms hunting season, but this only happens on rare occasions. It is also known that some bucks will hold their antlers into late March. This doesn’t mean that every buck in the area is going to shed antlers at the same time. The dropping of antlers is a very individual thing, and many factors can influence this occurrence within each buck. 

It is stated one of the largest influencing factors for a deer shedding its antlers is the photoperiod, which is simply the amount of daylight that exists on a given day or time of year. As daylight lengthens each day, a thin layer of skin that fuses the antler to the pedicle begins to disintegrate, causing the antler to fall off. 

It is also stated that another factor that will cause antlers to drop, is a sudden change in air temperature when it drops below freezing. 

A buck that sheds his antlers early, more than likely fits under one of these categories:  he is stressed, he is sick, he is wounded. Or he simply did a massive amount of mating during the rut.

In contrast to shedding antlers early, there are also factors that may cause bucks to shed late. Sparring (fighting) in areas with higher deer populations, this increases bucks testosterone, and if they are sparring, even just over a winter food source, it could cause them to hold on to their antlers a bit longer.

Experienced shed hunters will tell you the best time to search for shed antlers in our Northeast section of the country, is in mid to late February. By then, at least 75% of bucks have shed. Applying this knowledge, you will be able to find more sheds this winter.

PA is Trapping Turkeys!

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking for the public’s help finding and reporting where turkey flocks are seen between now and March 15th. The commission would like to know the date of the sightings, the location and the type of land (public, private or unknown).  

Game Commission personnel will then visit the reported sites to assess them for the potential to trap turkeys. Turkeys will not be moved or transferred elsewhere, they will be simply leg banded and some will be outfitted with GPS transmitters, then released back on site to be monitored to learn valuable information over time. 

Hunters who harvest one of those turkeys, or people who find one dead, are asked to report the band number by either calling or emailing the commission using the telephone number or the email address on the leg band.