Matching Elk Sheds

[Buckhunter28]

How often are you avid shed hunters able to match up a set of fresh elk sheds? How far apart usually is the other side? Just curious as i picked up a freshie and have searched so hard for the other side and cant turn it up. Thanks!

[hunterofelk]

One day I found a couple of seven points that were shed that morning.  I saw the herd of bulls walk out of sight and then I backtracked the herd and it was easy because I had snow.  I was able to find the match to one set about a mile from start.  Next year I found the match to the other set in a thick bushy spot within a 100 yards of the start.  No sun bleach and porcupines didn't find it either.  Most all matching sets I have found were laying next to each other or within sight.  You can try to guess where the bull went and keep looking, but in this state I would bet someone else has the other side.

[Duckhunter14]

Every bull is different. We've seen a bull drop one side and hang on to the other side for a couple days. Other times they'll drop them side by side. We always search hard for the match to big ones and sometimes we turn them up, sometimes we never do. Spent hours and hours searching for the match to a big single earlier this spring. Sometimes it just doesn't work out...

Good luck!

[trophyhunt]

The bigger the shed the better chance it will be closer by, I found a set one year that were laying on top of each other.  Smaller sheds could be a long ways apart or already picked up like hunterofelk said.

[Old Man Yager]

I've only found 3 sets. One was on a road, the match was in the brush about 30 yards away. Another set were about 20 yards apart. The other set, I found one side the year it was dropped, and the other side I found 2 years later on the opposite side of the river, maybe 200 yards straight across from where I found the other side 2 years earlier.

[benhuntin]

Heavily shed hunted areas can be tough, simply because someone else has picked it up already.


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[blackveltbowhunter]

  Depends on several factors, but as a general rule I have found the bull hid or packed it off more often than other shed hunter grabbed it (westside). If you have relative confidence the bone could be in the area, (not picked up) I would keep looking. The longest I have looked to match a single set was nearly 20 hours. Believe it or not the match was maybe 200 to 300 yards away. Thick and steep cover will hide them well and I had been very close to it multiple times. Typically I find matches within a few hundred yard radius. But occasionally they will pack them a longer distance. I assume in those cases the bull was either bumped or held it for a couple days. My overall success varies based on different circumstances but overall its probably about a 70ish percent match rate on brown.

[trophyhunt]

Also found a match in the same area about two weeks after I found one side, no way I missed it so he held on to it for a while.

[Tbob]

I just found the match to a big one I picked up about a week ago. It was about 1/10th of a mile down a trail I found coming in from the bottom of the mountain the second time around.

[Buckhunter28]

Awesome thanks everyone! I have never found a brown shed in my life, until this year when I picked up 3!! All are left sides, and I have spent A LOT of time trying to match each one up with my dad, but no luck! Makes me feel better to know that it isn't all that common, I was thinking I was just missing something! Even if I don't match any up, I'm just glad to have finally picked up some brown bone after years of trying! I appreciate all the feedback you have given, definitely not gonna give up on trying to match them!

[Old Man Yager]

Awesome thanks everyone! I have never found a brown shed in my life, until this year when I picked up 3!! All are left sides, and I have spent A LOT of time trying to match each one up with my dad, but no luck! Makes me feel better to know that it isn't all that common, I was thinking I was just missing something! Even if I don't match any up, I'm just glad to have finally picked up some brown bone after years of trying! I appreciate all the feedback you have given, definitely not gonna give up on trying to match them!

So you must be the one getting all the brown ones in Hancock. All I can find up there so far this year is old sheds, but I'll take those any day. Good luck

[Buckhunter28]

Awesome thanks everyone! I have never found a brown shed in my life, until this year when I picked up 3!! All are left sides, and I have spent A LOT of time trying to match each one up with my dad, but no luck! Makes me feel better to know that it isn't all that common, I was thinking I was just missing something! Even if I don't match any up, I'm just glad to have finally picked up some brown bone after years of trying! I appreciate all the feedback you have given, definitely not gonna give up on trying to match them!

So you must be the one getting all the brown ones in Hancock. All I can find up there so far this year is old sheds, but I'll take those any day. Good luck

Haha we have picked up a few, just 3 this year so far, I think I know who is picking up all the browns, a guy I talked to a week ago was at 13 browns for the year so far! Good luck to you too!

[paultanninen]

last deer season found two pairs of elk sheds with one antler on one side of the trail and the other antler right across the trail. 5 by 5 and a 4 by 1