NM_Shedder

Most people sell them, and I'll start selling some this year, but I mostly keep them.

All I got is you gotta get out and explore. That's what my dad and I do. We just look for area with lots of sign during shed season, and pull out the packs. Oh this is to everyone. Go ahead and post some of your pics.

This year the herds and quantity of deer where I live have been at a scary low.After 5 long days of hunting only 6 deer were seen. The 6th deer is now in my freezer. It was the second deer we saw and the first deer got a good scare. Anyways lets get to how the hunt went down. My dad and I had just taken our packs off to rest for a little while when my dad whispers "Big buck." So I look and see the deer 100 yards down the hill. The shot wasn't the best and he got a fairly painful hit. When I shot I didn't have a steady shot and was shaky. The bullet went downwards and I somehow manged to break both back legs. We didn't know this till we recovered him. Anyways, I see him go down then he gets up and keeps going like nothing is wrong. I see him walking(hopping) away. So I set up and take another shot once more shaky and doesn't hit its mark. It went from where I had it placed on the back of his shoulder to his butt. He left off down the hill. We began tracking him and before we saw him again he had covered 500 yards pulling himself on basically just his front legs. I got on him and got a solid set through the trees. The tree stopped the bullet but the sound scared him or he just decided to fall over cause he went down. And yes I Felt horrible about the legs, so please keep negative comments about it not to hurtful. P.S. I'm the small person in orange. My dad (A.K.A My unpaid guide and ride.) Is the bigger one in just camo. And if you would like just tell me in your posts and I will post the picture of the legs.

I was using a .308 Remington model bolt action Winchester.

My friend just sent me this pic of the deer he got on the last day of the hunt just before dark.

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And for those of you wondering my very lucky friend got this buck on public land and it was his first deer over 100 inches so he is very very lucky!

Public land. That's how all of my hunts are, so that's why we see so few deer some times.

For where I am it depends on the snow fall. This year when it snowed it all melted within a few hours of sunshine. So the elk were up high. This is where we found most of our elk sheds. So for a lot of places I would say it depends on the snow fall and how long it lasted. Like if there's a lot of snow and it doesn't melt quickly I would say the elk sheds will be down lower. Hope this helps.

Well I figured I would share some of my stories and the pics of my antlers that made my Triple Crown this year. The first find of the year was a small 2 point Muley. The same day 3 other Muley's were found. This was a long hike of no finds till we hit our last ridge of the day. It was our first real outing of the year and this ridge we hiked was split by the road, so finding 4 and 1 pretty nice 1 was pretty good. Then the elk sheds came into play. The first fresh one of the year was found about 5 minutes after the whitetail was found. These 2 sheds were found in the area of the little bear fire. The whitetail, was slightly burnt on the tips. From what I can tell it was dropped the year the fire burned, which was last year. Then about 100 yards away, was the fresh elk shed. This beauty is black and shiny. I did not see it till I was directly in front of it. I am not totally ashamed of my eyes, cause it is black and so was the dirt, but considering I was like 5 feet from it till I finally saw it, is sad. It was sitting in the open, and was tines up. If we ever get back to where we found it I'm sure there is more in the area now. It was found early shed season, and in a heavily used area. On the side he went down it is thick long and steep. I would love to get into that stuff, but it would be a long hike back around the canyon and up the other side. One day I'll talk my day into it though. Now this is a little off topic, but my father is the one I have to thank for all my great times. If not for him I would have never gotten hooked the way I am. And when he finally has to stop hiking with me I'll always remember the great times we have had and the great times that are still to come until the sorrowful day he can no longer go. When the time comes that he does have to quit I'll probably get lost, and get into bad situations, but I'll always think of him to get myself through. And when he does have to stop I'll probably cry like a little baby. He is my shed hunting partner, and my companion. He is also my guide and compass. Cause you see my sense of direction is that of a blind road kill deer. It has improved and I no longer drift off ridges. He has helped me greatly and I'll always dedicate my finds to him. Because as I have said if not for him I would have never learned the joys and addictions of shed hunting. I love him dearly and with all my heart. So I hope all of you who have shed hunted, or still shed hunt woth your mothers, fathers, brother, sisters, ect., are always as grateful as I am for my father, leader, friend, and mentor. Sorry for the off track, but you all needed to know why I am such an antler addict and avid shed hunter.

Well I'm not from AZ, but there is a Triple Crown of Shed Hunting in New Mexico too. We have Elk, Mule Deer, and Whitetail Deer as well. I have managed to do it this year. But remember this, where I am at in NM the Whitetail population is almost non-existent. So it is very hard to do so.

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Ok people, I have been getting bored waiting to get out so I thought I would share my favorite ATL's. Now that I am doing this, I hope you all will share your favorite ATL's too.

That's awesome!

Finally found my first elk set. My dad found the right side last week and I found the left side yesterday. My side is bigger!

Ya. Not gonna give specifics though.

Alright. You want pics, well here is pics. Most of these are from different hikes. Just going through pics and picking out atl's. The 2 fresh big 5's are a set.

Thanks. My avatar buck was harvested last year by me. I was pumped that day. I was so excited my smile was lopsided.

Thanks. It was a long day and a horrible trip down the mountain. We found 3 others yesterday too. 1 other fresh and 2 old.

That is an awesome dog. Wish mine was like that, but he is dumb as can be.

My dad has seen 3 or 4 shed out bucks where he works.

Well, the elk are dropping pretty good here. Going out tomorrow to try and find some more.

Are we talking elk or deer? Cause if we are talking elk I have picked out 3 fresh in south eastern NM.

Well my dad and I got out today went out again today. Found 3 elk sheds! That is our best day for elk yet. One big sucker, a fire survivor and another black fresh. The big one is fresh, but for some reason not black. It is golden. Spotted the black one from about 50 yards away. The only reason I saw it is because it was in the straw from the re-seeding after the fire.

I would sat so, but I don't sell antlers. That black one is heavy. Almost dropped it when I went to pick it up.