Dropping Antlers

Doesn’t it seem kinda early for shedding? I’ve seen two bucks in the last couple of days missing a side. Neither we’re gonna get shot, but does seem early.

Both are young, 2.5 and 3.5 and appear healthy. Watched the little one chase a fawn for 20 minutes this morning.

It is not unusual to see a buck or two dropping an antler or both sides this time of the year. Just not widespread but not unusual.

👍

Have had it before exactly why we dont hunt the late season plus dont want to shoot my bred does

Saw a big 10 with good mass at the Mills county processor this morning. They had the loose antler taped to the other.

Found both sheds today in feed pen. Game cam series shows them both drop at 728 am on Jan 2. One of our good and healthy mature bucks. When I have time ill start a thread and post pics.

Talked to my neighbor yesterday evening and he told me had just seen a buck that had dropped both of his antlers. Still had bloody pedicels. Northern Gillespie County.

I’m not seeing shedding in east TX or NW OK yet.

Interesting, seems super early, at least from my experience. We don't usually see it in the Hill Country until early March.

I still have bucks dogging the does here and 2 small bucks sparring.

Bucks are still hitting the scrapes and chasing doe.. best I can tell it's usually late February/March when they drop around here...

I got several pictures of what appears to be a 2 year old that has already dropped one side. I didn't have any really good close up pics to see if it was possibly broken or something like that but it sure look like he dropped it and if so, that is extremely early. Most of the bucks on our lease didn't start dropping until early March last year.

I've got one that showed up on film without headgear on 12/8, which seems early.

Seen two on this weeks pull missing one or both antlers. A 3.5yr old and 6.5yr old who appeared to drop on the same night.

Seems to be happening about now

Hunting woodcock at my deer lease in the piney woods on Jan 2 and my bird dog brought me three fresh sheds. Four bucks in my backyard this morning all with antlers still intact though.

stxrm, I'd say somewhere around 10-15% of our bucks in Schleicher county have dropped either one of both sides. Even a really nice 4 year old 10 that I saw almost every hunt and maintained his body condition very well throughout the season has actually dropped both sides as of almost a week ago. Last year when I got on the lease in March there were still quite a few bucks with at least one side still on.

Got one on my game camera with one side missing and one with both antlers gone in Houston County on January 13th. Looked for sheds a little bit but didn't find any.

Thanks for that heads up.

IN Menard/Schleicher our bucks are dropping head gear at record pace, The deer are hungry because the freeze last February killed the acorn crop so they are not as heathy as some may look. We feed proteins/ corn year around, and when you have deer chasing your side by side because they know it has feed attached they are hungry. We watched deer come to the feeder this past weekend and antlers fall off. In the years past its been late February before they really start dropping.

Yup

I got on my lease in mid March last year in Central Schleicher County and a lot of the bucks still had headgear.
This year they are about 30% shed out already and ate 320 lbs of cottonseed in my pen last week in 3 days!

None yet on camera at my place in Gillespie County. Deer are still in pretty good shape for post rut and dead of winter. Lot of winter weeds everywhere right now that perked up after .25" of rain last week. We get a little more tomorrow and they will stay lush for a while longer.

Not unusual in my area.

None at my Sterling County lease. Pulled pics yesterday. Deer are hitting the feeder pretty heavy.

3 of my backyard bucks have dropped an antler in the last couple days.

I had a big 6 today chasing a young doe around the yard, wasn't expecting that but she was running around all giddy. All hard horned still.

My wife was out walking around today ans found this one behind the house.

Was at the lease this week in Albany 90% bucks dropping antlers found about a dozen or so just around the feeders.

Saw a dang good buck this morning in Nocona, full head gear

I love walking the feeders this time of hear , if I don’t find them my 4 wheeler tire surely will

I was visiting my Brother in Montgomery County this weekend. His neighborhood has a lot of deer roaming around all the time. Just about every buck we saw had one side already shed.

Starting to see a few more on our Schleicher County lease dropping. Went and put out cottonseed Saturday and found one side of a 10 that was a regular at my stand.