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Big Eight match set

themedic

Junior Member
755
0
OHIO
Lighting Strikes Twice

What a crazy week! Every year during shed season I find myself asking the man upstairs for “just one big set”. It’s what I hope for every shed season! One good set to add to my bone pile and give me a legit target buck for the next season. One I have built an in-depth relationship with. I got my one good set last week when I unexpectedly picked up the Short Tined Ten. That was good! I was happy!

Then last night I went for a quick 4 wheeler ride. It honestly started with just wanting to get my dog, Booner, some exercise. The 4-wheeler ride led to a little arrowhead hunting then before heading home a quick shed hunt. I thought I should ride the corn stubble field off real fast (in a grid style) and just make sure The Big Eights antlers weren’t just lying out in the open. I knew if they were; they would be sun bleached and should stick out like a swore thumb. The cornfield is about 60 acres and by making a pass every 40 yards (running perpendicular or looking down the corn rows) I was ¾ of the way done after only 10 minutes when BAMMM!

I jumped off the 4wheeler in excitement, as I knew I had just found a buck I was targeting the final weeks of the Ohio late season. I snapped a couple pictures and snagged this video. Antler number 2 wasn’t any where in sight but I hoped I could locate it. From my experience, mature bucks typically drop both antler close. I don’t know if it’s because they know the shed hunting process and purposely knock the second antler off or if it bothers them Either way, I have had great success matching up larger antlers.

I jumped back on the 4 wheeler, marked the location where antler #1 was found, and continued my grid. 50-70 yards towards the closet field edge, I rode up on antler #2 the match! I again excitedly jumped off the quad, snagged a couple pictures and captured another video!

I just can’t believe it! A month ago I was dejected! I called it quits and said my shed season was over. I then proceeded to stumble onto two great sets and end the shed season with hands down my best shed season EVER!

Looking back it’s amazing because I walked several miles this year looking for these sheds! I knew they were there but just couldn’t come up with them. And in both cases (SST and The Big Eight), I walked with in 10-20 yards of where I ended up finding both sheds. I don’t know if in either case the antlers were there (on those respective days) but I was there, and seemingly just missed the sheds. It just goes to show how close you can be but not get lucky. In this case though, Lightening strikes twice and I’m so thankful!

-BigDumbF***#2


 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
Awesome stuff! I'd be walking on cloud 99 as well man! Congrats bigtime! The other huge advantage in finding antlers in fields is they typically have very little rodent damage if any. They still have nice color TOO!
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
Congrats Corey..I drove many miles through cornstubble this spring and couldnt find any...I know they had to be there somewhere but its hard to spot them.

Did you take a picture of how they looked as they were laying in the stubble? I would like to see for reference if possible...Im thinking it might be worth taking another ride around home...most farmers have disked and planted the cornstubbles by now around here...makes me wonder if the antlers would stand out more now.
 

themedic

Junior Member
755
0
OHIO
Congrats Corey..I drove many miles through cornstubble this spring and couldnt find any...I know they had to be there somewhere but its hard to spot them.

Did you take a picture of how they looked as they were laying in the stubble? I would like to see for reference if possible...Im thinking it might be worth taking another ride around home...most farmers have disked and planted the cornstubbles by now around here...makes me wonder if the antlers would stand out more now.

Gern, I have more pics and some videos, I'll post them. I say any corn stubble that has not been disked or planted.....ride them off ASAP! I knew I needed to give this feild a quick scan because they would be bleached out and that white bone would show like a swore thumb....and they did! My eyes went directly to them! Real easy to spot!
ATL number 1


[video=youtube;9_ZYxfRggBU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_ZYxfRggBU[/video]
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
Im jealous of that man...congrats again! I have hundreds of acres of stubble up here. The deer yarded up in a few of them. I know there were 8 bucks staying in one area too...and 3 of them were really nice ones. I wonder how bad the antlers would get messed up if hit by a disk from a farmer? Will it bust them all up or will they stay together?
 

Fullbore

Senior Member
6,439
126
South Eastern Ohio
Im jealous of that man...congrats again! I have hundreds of acres of stubble up here. The deer yarded up in a few of them. I know there were 8 bucks staying in one area too...and 3 of them were really nice ones. I wonder how bad the antlers would get messed up if hit by a disk from a farmer? Will it bust them all up or will they stay together?
To answer your question Chad. It doesn't hurt them if they have good mass. A disk will usually just roll them over and put little shallow cuts on them. However, a brush hog will absolutely destroy one! Lol
 

themedic

Junior Member
755
0
OHIO
To answer your question Chad. It doesn't hurt them if they have good mass. A disk will usually just roll them over and put little shallow cuts on them. However, a brush hog will absolutely destroy one! Lol

The farmer that rents my ground uses a disk thingy called a McFarland?....that thing would f up any shed. Its like a disk and a lawn mower put together