Bill Konway’s Photography Blog

I’ve known for years now about people who spend the time between the end of deer season and the start of turkey season, looking for shed antlers.  I never really gave it a lot of thought though to be honest.  Until recently I had found a grand total of 2 sheds.  Neither of which were located while actually looking for them.  One was discovered as I tripped over it while trying to get a head of a flock of turkeys in Kentucky a few springs ago, while the other was located as I, uh, answered mother natures calling in some brush during a shoot in Tennessee.  Neither of these would be considered efficient shed hunting techniques by the “Pros”. 

 So let’s jump forward a few years to bring us to last week.  I’m not sure how it happened or what I was thinking but somehow the brother in law and I decided to go shed hunting on some property near home.  Really, I have no idea why I agreed to this.  But to make a long story short, in the course of about an hour and a half we found six sheds, the best of which can be seen below.  Now granted, if you’re going to find a shed, that is the kind of shed you want to find.

So now, as if I didn’t have enough to keep me occupied, I have managed to spend about a dozen hours walking other local farms.  The problem is this.  I ain’t found another single, danged antler!  What’s the problem?  Granted, I’ve found enough pieces of deer that didn’t survive the winter to probably create 3 new deer, but nothing with antlers.  Is there a book or something on techniques that’s going to involve looking at topo maps or something or studying moon phases thats going to help me find another shed?  Do I need some of that secret potion from the movie Moonlight Over Escanaba, (which is a very, very funny movie, if you ask me).  I mean come on, At this point I think, rather I know I’d be thrilled to find a spike, or a fork horn from last year that’s mostly eaten away.  I need to find another shed! 

My goodness the deer gods are being cruel this year.  First I never again see the largest deer I’ve ever seen anywhere, on my property at about fifty yards, 3 days before the season, then I pass on a 130″ + deer at a little over 30 yards because gun season is 2 ays away, and now this.  I can only hope that the turkey gods will be smiling shortly.  Wouldn’t it be cruel if I were to find a monster tom skeleton in my woods?  LOL!!!