Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Not a deer hunter but maybe you VA hunters can answer this for me: Since deer season is winding down, when do the bucks start shedding their antlers, if they do it here. There is a park near me that is loaded with deer and I'd like for hike and find a few if I could.

Hi fiasconva - there is no "if" they do it here - all deer, elk, moose, etc shed antlers annually. When they do it, depends on herd health. With good food source and the mild winter we're having, I wouldn't be surprised if it's Feb/Mar when they start falling. Two years ago, there was very little oak mast, and the bucks where I live started dropping in mid-Dec. It can vary greatly.

You can always just go for a short walk and see what you can find. If you see bucks running around, you know to wait a while. If you see nothing but antlerless deer running around, start shed hunting!

Thanks for the reply. I saw a big old fat buck this summer with about 8 points so I'd like to find his rack. Not much of a chance of that but I think I'll do a little hiking in the next few weeks.

They don't last long once they drop... forest critters find them tasty.

Antler growth in bucks is tied timewise to lactation in the does, that's why a big rack is like a billboard saying " I've got good genes for calcium production".

Good luck on when and where they drop, though!

I scanned a wood full of nice bucks last week and saw nothing, I don't think they've dropped their antlers yet.

fiasconva wrote:Since deer season is winding down,

Up in NoVa we still have 3 more months of deer season. =)

BTW Squirrel season is still open, and runs through 31 Jan.

IMO it would be prudent to wear some blaze orange if you are out in areas where hunting occurs.

There is a park near me that is loaded with deer and I'd like for hike and find a few if I could.

General range of shed time is January - March.

I won't need the blaze orange since this is a city park with hiking trails but loaded with deer. I've seen herds with at least 20 deer in it at one time. Just thought it would be a good place to find a shed or two. My grandson would love to have one or two.