Blacktail Sheds

[SGM R]

Skookumchuck until the 31st for deer...

I just need them one more day, thanks

Is there still some season left archery?

[Teachers Pet]

Great! Another thing to add to my to do list.

[SGM R]

Yeah, it funny how we find anything that will keep us on in the woods.. I found an incredible elk bedding area on sunday while wondering around looking for BT sheds...My GPS was in over drive marking areas..

[bow4elk]

When I find beds like that, I literally get down to eye level of a bedded buck/bull and look around.  I note the wind direction in that specific location in order to figure out why they chose that exact spot, especially in the winter.  They will do everything for a reason and move as little as possible to conserve energy.  Food, Cover, Water are the core needs.  Figure out where the water and food are and you might unlock a piece of the puzzle.  Cool find!

[Houndhunter]

i cant wait to get after some sheds, just waiting a lil longer

[SGM R]

I'm going out in the morning for a couple hours and I'm bringing the camera..I guess that means I'll get nothing.

i cant wait to get after some sheds, just waiting a lil longer

[SGM R]

Good Up Bow4elk,

I'm going up in the morning and and coming in from the backside. Not sure if I got the winds right but I'll know in the morning..the feeding area I found is about 200-300 yrds below this bed...water too!

I'll post in the morning

When I find beds like that, I literally get down to eye level of a bedded buck/bull and look around.  I note the wind direction in that specific location in order to figure out why they chose that exact spot, especially in the winter.  They will do everything for a reason and move as little as possible to conserve energy.  Food, Cover, Water are the core needs.  Figure out where the water and food are and you might unlock a piece of the puzzle.  Cool find!

[Axle]

BTs start shedding antlers in mid December. The bucks along the coast are the first and then their cascade cousins will shed later but I don't normally see any with antlers after January.
Really cold weather causes them to drop faster.

[SGM R]

Axel, you hunt sheds? I'd like too see your shed this year if you have a chance to find any. There is something about the BT that keep me going and I love to see the sheds. It shows the potential of an area.

thanks for your reply

[Axle]

Axel, you hunt sheds? I'd like too see your shed this year if you have a chance to find any. There is something about the BT that keep me going and I love to see the sheds. It shows the potential of an area.

thanks for your reply

I don't go out and hunt them on purpose. I see many of them but I quit picking them up years ago. I guess I don't have any use for them. The ones I used to bring home have gone to friends or knife makers for handles.
When I am out in the woods, I see them often. I have not seen any this season yet. I often see several bucks in December that have one antler or none. I saw one in the Fall River unit on Dec 15th that had lost both of his already. He just stood there as if he knew I was no threat. I wasn't due to no deer tag. He was a big one too and had the big bloody red holes in his head.
My mother had a boyfriend a few years back that got one in the wynooche unit on December 15th of that year and he thought he shot a doe only to see it had already shed its rack.
Galpster saw a buck a few days ago that had only one antler but I don't know where he saw it. I see them in and around the houses on Tiger Mt. and in Issaquah. The bucks get more brave once they have lost the head gear. Seems they have less to hide I guess.

[SGM R]

They are smart like that, if we only had half the sense these big bucks do we would have it made..It's kinda funny in this area that I'm scouting because I see deer sign but never any deer. Maybe they will start showing up. I do see them in the spring and early summer but not in the winter.

[bow4elk]

They are smart like that, if we only had half the sense these big bucks do we would have it made..It's kinda funny in this area that I'm scouting because I see deer sign but never any deer. Maybe they will start showing up. I do see them in the spring and early summer but not in the winter.

I don't see squat for deer in all my hunting areas.  I may see a doe now and again but it's not the norm.  The trailcams tell a completely different story though, which supports how reclusive and elusive these deer can be.

Axle, I wish I had your luck in finding BT sheds.  I pound the hills and valleys and come up with very little for my efforts.  That bloody hole buck you saw recently - you should take a mental note of that spot and hunt it this year.  He'll use the same area if he lives that long.