Needle In A Haystack

Many have compared looking for shed deer antlers (shed hunting) to trying to find a “needle in a haystack”. Over the course of the past year, I have found this to be a pretty accurate statement. As many of you know, last year I ventured into shed hunting and upon finding my first antler, was instantly hooked.

We closed up camp just after the first of the year, and I was already looking forward to shed hunting once the snow had come and gone. The past few weeks have left me more and more eager to get back in the woods.

Day by day, I watched the weather forecast, wondering when the snow would melt so I could put some miles on my boots in search of fresh sheds. Finally, this past week seemed to bring the weather I had been itching for.

Each day more snow began to melt, and by the middle of the week my hopes came true. The warm weather Wednesday melted the last of the snow at home, and the forecast looked like it should finish off any snow at camp by the end of the week. Saturday was the day.

I set my alarm for 6 AM and was out the door by 6:30. As I headed northeast, it didn’t take long for snow visibility to begin accumulating. First, on the side of the roads…then, along the barren hillsides. As I neared closer and closer to camp, the amount of snow grew in lockstep.

I drove straight to the Government Road to assess the situation. Remember that needle in a haystack analogy? Well, drop a 6-8 inch blanket of snow over top of said haystack and now you’re really in for a treat.

I scrapped my Government Road plan and decided to head out behind camp. I came all this way, I might as well go for a hike – even if this greatly diminished my chances at finding any antlers.

As I walked into the woods, my boots sunk with each step. This wasn’t going to be easy. I wasn’t too far along when a steady drizzle of rain began to fall because…well…why not?

I was about 1 mile into my hike when I crested a steep hillside where I suspected deer to be bedded. Then, a snort. I watched as the whole landscape erupted. Deer scattered and finally, one-by-one crossed the logging road/trail I was walking on. I counted as thirteen deer ran in front of me deeper into the woods.

Well, if I was going to find a shed, this would be the place. I made my way down the steep slope and to the point they had crossed the trail. Here, along with the entire hillside in which the deer came, was visibly torn up with sign. I took a few steps into the barren dirt and there it was.

A small two point antler lay blending in with the ground just like it was meant to be there. I nearly stepped on it or I am not sure I would have seen it at all. As I picked it up, I could see that it still had the smallest fraction of blood from the pedicle.

I was very pleasantly surprised and all of the sudden the challenging conditions faded away – I was confident I could find some antlers yet.

However, it didn’t take long for the deep snow to put that confidence right back into place. I ended up putting about 3 miles in and was happy to have the antler to show for it. It wasn’t quite the day I was expecting, but a great one nonetheless. Already, it has me itching to come back for more.