The "Art" of Shed Hunting

[Jaden Bales]

This was such an interesting deep dive into the long history of shed hunting that @AHayes111 has. It has it all. Giant bucks. 400" bulls. It was a blast to record with @robby denning adding some great questions, too!

https://www.rokslide.com/the-art-of-shed-hunting/

Personally, just was doing a little winter range scouting and we still have a little while of bucks still packing, so maybe this will help folks shed hunt better and smarter this spring!

That said, even non-shed hunters can really learn something from this one. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[Jaden Bales]

Here are some more great photos Art sent over that relate to the podcast. Thanks for all the cool throwbacks, @AHayes111

 

[robby denning]

evn though I recorded it with you, I'm listening to this one again. He was so interesting plus the 400" bull and 200+" whitetail stories!

 

[AHayes111]

Thanks, Robby and Jaden for giving my the opportunity talk antlers. It was quite a bit of fun. When I get more time I will post up more pictures to help illiterate some of the stories. If any one else has some follow up questions, I would be happy to answer, except GPS coordinates. Ask for those an I am going to be deceptive.

 

[AHayes111]

Thanks for posting the pictures Robby, The big elk shed I am holding are the best elk antlers I have ever found. The right is 186 and the left is 189. The live elk is him the next year. The sheds were only a few hundred yards from where he is standing at the time.
The buck I am holding is the nontypical my dad and I shot when I was young. The sheds below him are his. I wound the right during the summer of 81 and the left in Feb of 82. The single, I picked up out of the landowners shed pile. It is easy to see all the similarities with the antlers.
The big set I am holding is from the buck that a year or two later scored in the 220's. The set is 207. I believe it is highly likely that this buck it the brother to the buck that was killed five mile away during the rut. the bottom forks on his left and the bottom fork on the other buck are nearly copied. Plenty of other similarities also.



The last picture is the antler I found with the bullet lodged in the G4. The buck was clearly running away and the marksman hit something else first as the bullet was expanded and tumbling when it hit.

 

[AHayes111]

This is the buck my father shot back in 1972 and the antler I found 42 years later. Has the same kink in the MB and even has the same sticker by the brow tine.

 

[robby denning]

This is the buck my father shot back in 1972 and the antler I found 42 years later. Has the same kink in the MB and even has the same sticker by the brow tine.View attachment 1007730View attachment 1007731View attachment 1007732

this is incredible

So why don't you think it was a brother or son of Dad's buck?

and how far from where did tagged his did you pick up the antler?

 

[AHayes111]

this is incredible

So why don't you think it was a brother or son of Dad's buck?

and how far from where did tagged his did you pick up the antler?

It is possible, but I would put bets that the shed if form dad's buck.

Mile and a half at most.

 

[robby denning]

It is possible, but I would put bets that the shed if form dad's buck.

Mile and a half at most.

cool beans.

 

[realunlucky]

One of my favorite podcasts, excellent job guys. Really made me change my perspective on some stuff.

@AHayes111 I'd love to see the dead head that started it all.

Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

 

[WyldGoose]

Great episode! That bullet getting caught is wild…

 

[Macegl]

This was one of the best podcasts I have listened to in a while.

When I first started listening, I saw the length and thought, how on earth does an episode on shed hunting last that long. Then by the end I was hoping Art had a couple more stories.

My grandpa used to pick up the biggest antlers he would find on his ranch and hang them on the walk through gate into the front yard of his cabin. Most are rotten now but there are and were some amazing antlers. This episode brought back some great memories. Remember finding my first shed, ironically, fixing fence on my grandpa’s ranch.

 

[AHayes111]

The whitetail head I found when I was 12. Originally it scored 212 3/8, but since then a scoring error was found and it currently scores a bet better than 209.

 

[AHayes111]

This is the buck that was shot in 1961, one the best bucks ever taken out of SE MT, Over 200 inch net typical frame. I found the sheds in 88 and 91. Both antlers were tucked into the juniper, My bother found the other side to the bigger antler in 80 a few hundred yards away in the open and it is in tough shape. I found the other side to the smaller antler only 50 yards away, all that is left is from the main fork to the base. The buck was shot with in 200 yards of where my brother and I found the bigger set.

 

[AHayes111]

In 2004 another big deer showed up on the same hill as the 1961 buck. The similarities between the two bucks is striking. Shed is from when he was three, the picture of him on the hoof is at age four and 194 inches gross.