My first great antler

[bonepicker]

Looks like it's been a while since anybody has posted anything new so I thought I'd post something. I was rooting around in my shop the other day and I came across this antler. It was my first truly great antler. I have been shed hunting since I was 12 and before this antler I had found mostly normal stuff, some fresh, mostly whites, nothing big. When I was 16, I began hunting with a strategy (fence lines, scouting beforehand, observing cover, feed, etc.) instead of just walking. I remember the exact spot where I found this shed (and I still hit that area when I'm back in my old territory) This shed was the reward for the extra work in the off-season, that lesson stuck for me. I didn't find the other side until the next year and it was bleached out and chewed some, so I sold it (for like $2.50, aggh!) Needless to say, the other side taught me something too. Wish I could have that thing back, I could repair it in an hour. But...I'm left with this bachelor horn, he'll always be alone.
This is not the biggest or best antler I've ever found but it sure taught me alot.

Do any of you guys have sheds that taught you something or remind you of a lesson learned when you look at it? Let's see 'em!

 

[eldorado]

Sweet looking shed. Love the hook on the mainbeam. Thanks for sharing.

Eldorado

 

[LongRangeBangin]

Nice one.
Lessons learned from an antler....Back in Oregon many many years ago, I found a fresh non-typical giant. 6 or 7 points on the one side I found. I spent many many days combing and griding the area. When I would get bored over the next year or so, I would go back and look some more, but never had any luck. The area I found the first side, was a giant sage brush flat. There was this dry creek bed that dropped off from the big sage brush flat, and I combed it many times. The dry creek bed forked at one point, and one fork headed down along side a high and steep rim that was thick and nasty with brush. I never looked or attempted to head down that fork of the dry creek, thinking to myself that this buck would NEVER be in that area that time of year, with the amount of snow, with all the predators in this particular area. About 1 1/2 years later, I decided to walk up that fork, and I didn't get 75 yards, and I knew it was the other side when I spotted it. This area gets POUNDED with shed hunters, so I was not the only idiot to not search this spot. Since that day, I have never ever told myself an antler "won't" be in "that" area. I ended up finding one more busted side to this giant, so I have a total of 3 sheds to him. I will try and get some pictures posted up.

 

[shedhead]

i wish i could find the other side to my giant single that is a great story might have to put some more miles in looking for the other side to mine

 

[NVhunter66]

I'm not sure if you would consider this a lesson learned or just stupid luck. But when I get even the slightest idea to do something I do it. This year I was walking through a patch of sage brush and had picked up one whitey, as I was walking I came across a creek bed and a thought hit me I should walk it. So I got about 30 yards into it and found a chalk white horn that was all eaten up. I kept going and about 70 yards later I found a 4 point horn that would go about 75" and then about 60 yards later I found a decent fresh 3 point that had some cool palmation.

"Elk dont know how many feet a horse had" - Bear Claw