Along the Timberline: Shed antler excursions

My shed-antler hunting excursions took me all across the state this year. Picking up a freshly-dropped antler never gets old, but the real treat is the vistas, the camaraderie, the exercise, and the freedom to just step away from daily duties and walk...and walk...and walk. Here are a few of my adventures:

The Bear hunt

I found a spot on satellite imagery that was plum rough to hike into. Lots of grass, steep, and hard to get to? Sounds like a big bear haunt! I packed the rifle and hiked in. The further I hiked my mind turned to antlers more than bears as elk dropping littered the timber floor. I finally made it to the openings and was pleasantly surprised to find 10 antlers from my single elevated perch! Looks like I'll have to bear hunt again next year in the "bear" haunt.

Double! Can you see both sides?

Yes, it's that heavy!!!!

Some other Western Oregon outings..

4-point set

One of my best antler-hunting buddies with a no-quitter attitude

I missed this antler last year although i walked right down the trail!

Horses and Elk Shed Heaven

I had a friend tell me a spot that he had found some elk antlers during last elk season. That's all I had to hear...easier said than done. This was no easy feat, and I won't begin to go into detail into the hours and energy it took to get to camp. All in all, it was well worth the trip. We found more antlers than we knew what to do with and you couldn't beat the views and campfire.

Winter Ridge Memories

"The smell reminds me of Grandma's house!" Roo commented as we stepped out of the truck in our shed-hunting spot in sagebrush country. I enjoyed watching Roo explore the open country of the mountain-desert compared to our thick forest-floors back home. I love when my children shed-hunt with me.

This overnight trip was successful finding plenty of antlers and having the chance to spend quality time with my Roo and good friend Steve. Like George Jones says "It's just don't get any better than this!"

Laynee says Roo looks like a lunch lady in this picture. LOL.

In search of the King

Once upon a time there was a huge buck that was spotted in November. And I do mean Huge. Two men took a chance the next spring and searched for his antlers in the same areas he was seen in November even though he was a migratory buck. His fresh antlers weren't found, but incredibly his antlers from the year prior were both found...but not before some pine squirrels had found them unfortunately. Plenty of other antlers were found along the way. What a trip.

His antlers from this year are still up there somewhere. The End.

What's all the buzz?

Mosquitos. They were buzzing everywhere on our last shed hunt of the year. In fact, it was so bad that we (me and the two girls) retreated after only an hour or so of hiking; however that didn't stop lil' Laynee from coming across her first shed-antler...an old rotten blacktail antler. To her, it was way more than that.