Let me start off by saying Im not a hunter. Anyway I have a small piece of property about 14 acres. I have noticed several active tree rubs and was wondering what my chances are of finding antlers and when should I start looking.
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Deer hunters school me.
- Thread starter MrJim
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Slim to none... We have 150 acres and are lucky to find 3 - 4 sheds a year.. Usually with the bush hog..
In Late Feb on..
The rubs are a good indication of bucks frequenting your land. You will usually find shed antlers in areas where late season food sources are located. Your best bet is to keep a corn feeder full and hope that you get lucky. Check the travel routes going to and from the feeders. Deer will stay near an abundant food source and use it quite often during the Winter, but I doubt that you will keep them confined to 14 acres. Some folks make antler traps to collect antlers, but they are not good a practice. Antler traps can force the antlers to shed too early and possibly cause a pedicle injury that will negatively affect future antler growth or even kill the deer.
There have been reports of bucks shedding antlers already. Some years I've seen bucks with antlers all the way through March. It's hard to say exactly when they'll shed in any area of the state. Good luck finding some.
There have been reports of bucks shedding antlers already. Some years I've seen bucks with antlers all the way through March. It's hard to say exactly when they'll shed in any area of the state. Good luck finding some.
Honeysuckle patches and bedding areas are good places to look.
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Never know. Good places to look are fence lines, across creeks etc or any place they have to jump. Some may start dropping now and some will hold both sides until late march. Gotta find them before the squirrels do! Happy hunting.
Guess I will wait a month or so before I start checking. Rubs are on my property boundaries. Haven’t seen any in the middle but there is a place where they bed right in the middle.
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Yep. I suppose other rodents will as well.
Circle of life...lots of minerals the damned tree rats need in those antlers...
