Shed Hunting Begins at Timber Life

The time has come to get out and search for the antlers that had been gracing the stately bucks of the timber just a couple week ago...Yes, it's shed hunting season!

I was viewing my Facebook thread around the 3rd when I saw that Tiffany Lakosky posted that her little Lab/shed hunter had starting finding sheds at their place in southeast Iowa. My thoughts had shifted in that direction about that time when the deer were showing up without bucks being evident any longer and the bunching up behavior had begun .

The last picture I took of a buck still carrying was of this guy the evening of December 30th, when he was on his way out of the timber for the evening browsing in the neighborhood.

I have been a little slow in getting out, because of the snow depth we still have around from the storm that arrived not long before Christmas.

Being short in stature I find the drifts to be a challenge to navigate even with the melting that has occurred the last few days. That being said I have been out looking around in an attempt to find the trophy sized tines this year before all the little creatures use them for chew sticks. High coyote activity in our area has them gnawed up before I can get to them.

                                                      Some Examples of Shedding Rubs
These are just a few of the shedding rubs I discovered on my second day of searching. My total hunting experiences in the past and so far today haven't automatically led to the immediate reward of finding antlers.

  
I usually find sheds along trails, beside fences, tucked under bushes, or tall grass and occasionally on the remains of mature bucks too tired to leave the comforts of home.

Our forecast for the next couple of days is rain and warmer temperatures. My hope for the short-term future is that the leftover antlers will be revealed once this snow has been washed away and I can see their contrast to the landscape.

I enjoy the time out looking around the timber, not only for the sheds, but for the birds flitting by and identifying tracks of animals that passed sometime ago.

It is my hope to be able to bring some pictures of "where-it-lays" soon, to let you know of the possibilities you could search in your situation.



Do you find shed collecting to be a hobby you pursue every year?

Golden Tongued Orators

Question of the day...Who do you consider to be down to earth individuals using their everyday existences to provide an entertaining point of view?

I digress a bit here to build my thought process.

Turning on the television  early A.M. Sunday I found the US Farm Report just getting started. I watched the reports for the crop markets and continued drought forecast. Although I am not a producer myself part of my income is derived from the success of my cropland renter. So I see it as a good thing to keep informed of the current news in farming.

Getting back to the program - a little while later another part of the show brought a smile to my lips.We need some humor in our lives to temper the difficult moments...

It was time for Baxter Black to bring his cowboy poetry to us. Maybe you know of Mr. Black? My first exposure to him came when he used to provide his humor to local Public Broadcasting Systems on late Saturday evenings,they would use his quotes for the day as lead-ins to the next show.

Please find one of his take on the rigors of a rancher borrowing money from the banker.


Another man whose humor I found to keep one thinking was Garrison Keillor of "A Prairie Home Companion" fame.I was first introduced to his story telling skills also on the Iowa Public Broadcasting system a long time ago.

Our trips back and forth to Jamestown,ND. over Interstate 94 passed the Anoka, Minnesota  exit brought my memories back to Mr. Keillor's " The News from Lake Wobegon."

Here is one of his monologues about the fictitious little town he calls home,  Lake Wobegon.

                                            The Lake Wobegon Philosophy by Garrison Keillor

I hope I could add something to your listening enjoyment during these winter months when a change of pace may be what the Dr. ordered...