Help me settle this feud

[fishermanjoe]

Every time brent123 and i go shed hunting we have a little friendly argument and I always threaten to post a topic to settle this once and for all. When ever we are looking brent says to look at the base of the rubs because the deer/elk will break them off. I beg to differ, I think the antlers will drop when they are ready. Yes he has found a shed at the base of a rub, but i think that was quiescence. So my question to the mighty HuntWa knowledge is, do they rub them off, or do they fall wherever. His reasoning is that those antlers got to be itchy and they want to get rid of them. What do you think?


Sorry Brent I had to.

[Shootmoore]

Both!


Sorry I know that don't help but its true


Shootmoore

[PolarBear]

Both!


Sorry I know that don't help but its true


Shootmoore

[carpsniperg2]

you are both right. even though i am sure more fall off then get rubbed off on a tree or etc. maybe 1:100 or somthing ruff guess i also find them under fences were the deer duck the wires.

[fishermanjoe]

you are both right. even though i am sure more fall off then get rubbed off on a tree or etc. maybe 1:100 or somthing ruff guess i also find them under fences were the deer duck the wires.

1:100 is what i like to hear, I guess I might win this argument.

I need more opinions before i present my evidence. keep em coming.

[carpsniperg2]

also i guess i should add about 3/4 of the sheds i find on our place are in the open fields. good luck with the feud lol

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Quiescence (kwē-ĕs-ənts) is a Latin-derived English language noun referring to a state of being quiet, still, at rest, dormant, inactive. Its adjectival form is quiescent, for example "a quiescent mind."

I would say that would describe an antler at the base of a rub alright......

[fishermanjoe]

Quiescence (kwē-ĕs-ənts) is a Latin-derived English language noun referring to a state of being quiet, still, at rest, dormant, inactive. Its adjectival form is quiescent, for example "a quiescent mind."

I would say that would describe an antler at the base of a rub alright......

dang i didnt know class was in session


Did you notice how I did not capitalize the "d", did not capitalize the "i", put an apostrophe in "didnt", or put a period at the end of the sentence?

With spell check if it looks good its going in!

Don't judge me. (did you see that? I use an apostrophe in that one) 

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Sorry, I just couldn't resist, I mean it does describe how the antler was doesn't it?
Not only was the spelling right, you even used the word right....

[fishermanjoe]

you know what the sad part is..... I am a collage student, story of my life.

[Little Dave]

Probably like a kid's loose tooth.

My oldest son rolled it around in his mouth for a while then swallowed it.
Second son wiggled the thing around until it finally came out.  He knew about the money.

[NWBREW]

Good luck with this aurgument. I have a buddy that always finds them at the base of trees.....me never have. I have found them in holly brush but mostly in open areas or bedding areas. I have found 3 to his 1 though.....if that helps. Who knows. If he is looking at the bases of trees and I am not...........I figure we are covering more ground. 

[wastickslinger]

They fall when they are readyto fall... its that simple. If they are ready to fall when they are feeding, they will fall. If they are ready when they are bedding, they will fall. If the are ready to fall when they are sparring around with anoher buck, they will fall. If they are ready to fall when the buck is scraping a tree, they will fall.

Now I have seen a buck that has one side work real hard to get the other side off. I would imagine that would be irritating to have a lopsided head for a while.

[brent123]

Interesting lol

[benhuntin]

Yep. They fall off when they are ready.

[boneaddict]

You'll find more moose by rubs than any other animal, elk second, deer third.  Moose are more apt to intentionally rub to get their bones off.   Not sure if its the second shed or the first.  I think it is so lopsided for them after they drop one, they try to remove the other.    BUT.....that being said, RANDOM

[fishermanjoe]

Interesting lol

You like that brent, i told you i would post a topic about this.

[rasbo]

they only fall off at the rub...Sooo you guys wait at the rubs until they come back to rub their antlers off...I will waist my time,ankle express in know hangouts

[fishermanjoe]

they only fall off at the rub...Sooo you guys wait at the rubs until they come back to rub their antlers off...I will waist my time,ankle express in know hangouts

Oh God.

[MMMike]

Both.

[cannon-master]

to settle the fued here goes elk only loose there horns when new growth pushes them off pure and simple deer on the other hand are a little diffferant whaen the testosterone levels dip really really low it triggers a reaction and they just fall off whenever and this is coming from a wildlife biologist friend of mine who went to school for this but as for the fued goes i have seen lots of fresh elk rubs in the spring every year i have also seen deer in december muzzy hunts that will loose horns on bullet impact so they can drop from december to april hope this helps

[billythekidrock]

you are both right. even though i am sure more fall off then get rubbed off on a tree or etc. maybe 1:100 or somthing ruff guess i also find them under fences were the deer duck the wires.

Yep... and look near roads or creeks, any crossings that they may jump or duck.

[bow-n-head]

The only reason I look under trees around here is because there is less snow there and the grass is easier to get to. Most of the horns I find are where they bed or feed, what they do most of the time during winter . I have found horns next to grainerys where deer feed on spilled grain. I think they bump them against the bin as they are feeding and nock off a few. Buck rubs happen in the fall when they are rubbing off velvet and later in the rut when they are marking their territory. I wouldn't go looking for rubs hoping to find horns.

[Pathfinder101]

Well fisherman Joe, regarding your fued, it appears that even if the ratio of fall-offs to rubbed-offs is 100:1, I still would not pass up a rubbed tree if I was shed hunting. 
And good luck with Collage..

[hirshey]

And good luck with Collage..

I was wondering if someone was going to comment on that.

[fishermanjoe]

juct cant catch a break

[let.it.fly]

Interesting lol

owned

[steelyonfly]

I agree with boneaddict about Moose based on what I've been told.  I've heard that they'll even wedge them between trees to break off the one that hasn't fallen.  I know I wouldn't want to carry have a dumbbell on my head.  As for finding them, the two elk sheds I found yesterday were out in the open, but they're only my first ones.  I've gotta look more often ... or get out more.