2023 Sheds

There is always a certain number of bucks that drop early. The rest seem to follow more normal timing starting now through march. It seems to really start ramping up over the next couple weeks. I bumped a nice one on sunday still carrying both sides, and I’m still getting pics of bucks with head gear. It’s like early rut reports in the fall people get super excited because they see a little sign mid October but in reality the vast majority of rut activity will take place at the same time every year.

All of that said I’ll be out on public again in a couple hours. You can’t find them sitting on the couch!

Found a matched set today.
Must have dropped both sides at the same time.

I made it a short ways into my walk, and bumped into a couple guys that walked everything I was making my way into. Checked a couple other areas, and there were trucks there as well. I ended up driving down to a permission farm, and snagged one on the way back to the truck. He was still carrying both sides as of last friday when I checked my camera.

Nice find!
Fished a County Park lake Sunday. Driving in I saw a 6 pointer with both sides still attached.

I am still seeing quite a few hang on yet yet in the S metro. I did find a 4 point side and a year old 6 point dead head so on the board. Hope to get back out Sunday or mid next week and check those cameras!

Still hanging on in the North metro also. Photo is from last Saturday. One has both and the other buck is 50/50.

I got one during a quick walk after work today. There’s getting to be a lot of boot tracks on the public around here.

After the snownami this past week I imagine this thread will be quiet for awhile…

It’s definitely going to make things tough in some area’s, but after a week in FL for work I’m going for a walk today even if I have next to no chance of finding any. However I went for a drive last night, and had a big bodied buck with bloody bases cross the road in front of me. I need to ask for permission, but I think I have a decent chance of getting to look for his head gear. Fresh drops will be about your only chance in my area for a while.

Not a shed, but the dog found this to chew on while I stopped for a drink today. A buck I knew well at the farm I hunt, and he disappeared in September.

Looks like e decent one there. I’m still a zero for shed count. Waiting for the snow to melt now.

Just had a herd of 20-30 come by the office, didn’t see one antler on a head. Should probably go check it out before the masses do!

Turned out to be the buck the neighbor shot and never found last year. Another happy hunter got to finally take atleast part of their buck home.

Wow, at least you were able to track down what happened.

Got a new phone last fall and there’s probably something in my settings I haven’t changed yet, but every day I get memory flashbacks of pictures from this date over the years. It’s amazing what I’m seeing from early March over the years, plenty of years there’s barely any snow left. And since I really got into shed hunting a lot of the good ones I’ve found were found by this time in the year already.

A lot of bucks here in central Illinois still haven’t dropped their antlers yet. At least 4 parcels have captured cam shots with bucks in the past 2 weeks. I’ve only found one little spike with a sticker. Most of my buddies haven’t found a single shed this year. Overall we had a pretty mild winter, about 80 miles South of the huge snowfall zones this year. We expected them to drop early this year and we can’t figure out why they’ve held on so long this year. The temps have been up in the 60’s the past few weeks.