Alan K's 2010 Sheds!

[Alan K]

So rather than filling up this section of the forum with a new thread each day I go out, I'm going to just keep one and post them as I find them. . .

2/12/10 --- http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,45451.0.html

2/13/10 --- http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,45454.0.html

2/15/10

My roommate Jammer and I took our girlfriends out shed hunting with us this time.  Neither of the girls had ever found any until today.  

Anyways, The plan was to walk up a gated road to the end of it and then shed hunt the ridge above the road back to the pickup.  Well Below the road looked pretty good so I decided to bail over the edge and sidehill for a bit and see if I couldn't find anything.  Right off the bat, no more than 10 minutes from the truck I saw some white down the ridge about 60 yards.  I pulled the binos out of the pack and sure as hell it was a fork sticking up out of the ground litter. It turned out to be a little three point.

We snapped pictures and about 20 minutes later, boom, I spot another.  This one a pretty decent three point.

After another 40 minutes or so the stuff below the road was getting pretty thick so we started to cut up to where Jammer was.  We were just standing there BSin and Ali says "Hey, whats that?" As soon as I turn around I see what she is looking at and holy cow, a monster!  On top of that, it was a mulie!  We rarely see the mule deer up in the area, and had never found a shed until now.  It was probably a 160ish buck.  The shed was old, and the tines eaten down quite a bit but the mass is incredible.  Ali's first shed ever, and it's huge.

From there we cut back up to the road and continued to the end before we cut up onto the ridge as planned.  Right as we get onto the ridge top, Jammer hollers that he found one, a small-medium size 3 point, but it was chewed pretty bad.  

Then we hit a dry spell for about an hour and a half before Jammer's girlfriend found her first shed.  A good spot, only the tines sticking up out of the litter.  It was a small-medium 3 point too.


In the last picture, from left to right: My little 3 point, Jammers chewed 3 point, Ali's monster 4pt mulie, my decent 3 point, and Chelsea's 3 point

[Alan K]

2/18/10

Couldn't find anyone to go look with me, so I went alone.  Found three:

One giant old mulie base. . . At least a three year old shed, would have love to have seen it when it was fresh!  Ali's 4 pt mulie shed was big, bit this base dwarfs it. 

Second one I found was a big old chewed three point whitey.  Was surprised it was just 15 yards below the road.  Glad I chose that trail to follow back to the road!

Third was a little forked horn mulie.  The third mulie shed we've found on that ridge and in that entire area period.

[Alan K]

And the forked horn mulie. . .

[carpsniperg2]

great pics

[Alan K]

2/20/10

Took a big group out, there were 8 of us total.  My roommate Brandon found his first deer sheds, a monster 3 point matched set side by side.  One other guy found his first shed, a 4 point that was heavily chewed.  Another guy found a slightly smaller 4 point that was also heavily chewed.  I got blanked.

[Alan K]

2/25/10

Had my easiest finds ever today. . . A nice fresh 4 point set.  One side up on the bank the other down in the ditch. 

I had hiked in about a mile and a half in 6 inches of snow, about 3 of which were fresh.  Cut some fresh cougar tracks, that was kind of cool.  Anyways, I got back to this patch of timber I'd been eying on Google Earth, and it turned out to be a two stage forest so it was thick as hell.  I was pissed to say the least but tried to hunt it anyways.  Didn't find anything.  Cut down to another patch and didn't find anything though it was easier to look in.  Pretty aggravated I decided to say hell with it and head home a good 2 hours before dark. 

Well, I climbed back up to the road and was walking it out when I was stopped in my tracks.  A shed was laying on the bank above the road plain as day.  I snap a picture and go up to it to get a close up and nearly step on the other side, laying in the ditch.  Those were probably my easiest finds ever, especially in this country.  What was embarrassing though, was that I had walked up this road that morning and missed them!!    Granted I was walking on the out sloped side of the road. . . 

Pictures of the cougar tracks:  http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,45453.0.html

[JAMMER55]

Wish I could find some sheds...

[Alan K]

2/27/10

Went up for one more trip to "Shed Ridge 2" with Ali.  Right off the bat, probably 15 minutes in, she finds an old chewed/mossy 4 point.  Went for another couple hours without finding anything, and she finds a nice fresh heavy 3 point! The worst part was that I'd walked within about 20 yards of it and missed it!  . . . I was beginning to think I'd get blanked, because there was just one more small patch of timber to go through before we were going to head back to the truck.  We weren't in this patch long before I spotted one with it's tines buried.  I knew it was a good one, but wow! When I pulled it out of the ground it was huge, with an awesome bladed/stickered eyeguard.  The picture doesn't do it's size justice!

Ali's Sheds:

[Alan K]

My big 4 point shed:

[Alan K]

2/28/10

Headed out to Elk River with Jammer and Chelsea to try out a couple new areas.  Ended up looking for about three hours before finding anything.  Saw quite a few elk and a handful of deer.  I ended up finding two matched sets in a period of about 30 minutes, easily the most I've ever found in that short of time.

I was dropping down into a bowl and from about 40 yards thought I saw one.  I walked up on it from different angles to be sure, and yep, a shed!  A good one at that too.  A big heavy 3 point with minimal chewing.  After pictures I popped up over the ridge and look down the back side and see what looks like another one.  I get down to it and see that it is in fact a shed, and the other side to the big 3 point. Unfortunately it was chewed all to hell and only the base and eyeguard were left up to the first fork.  A matched set nonetheless though.

Next we continued up the bowl and I jumped up onto a little finger ridge and follow the main trail down it a little ways.  Another shed! This one a nice 4 point with a bit of chewing on the tines.  I let Jammer and Chelsea know I'm headed down the ridge a bit further to try and find the other side, and what do know?  There the other side is about 30 yards down the ridge and over one side.  Another matched set!

Overall it was a long day of hiking with very little success aside from that 30 minutes when I found the four.

First set:

[Alan K]

Second set:

[Alan K]

Okay, finally all caught up. . . Here's the grand total thus far, 17. . . Beer pong anyone? 

[bucklucky]

Nice post man, thats a pretty good haul!

[Pathfinder101]

Way to go man!  A couple of real mashers there..

[Alan K]

3/5/10

Didn't find any sheds, but found a deadhead buck.  First one that I've seen around here with antlers still attached.