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Hey guys, its been awhile. So is anyone starting to find a lot of sheds yet?
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Welcome back. I am really hoping that you are doing better than me since I have found a whopping total of ZERO sheds. I did find one broken off antler towards the end of archery season though. Towards the end of march is really the only time I go out looking for sheds. I am color blind and have a hard time spotting them this early. -
Non for me yet although someone has been through my woods already so maybe they got to them first. I'll keep looking I'm sure some bucks are still holding theirs. Besides finding sheds it's just an awesome time to be in the woods. You can see and get a feel for your property so well with the trees and brush bare and figure out where the deer bed and what trails get used heavily. The little snow that we have in MN helps getting around also no doubt.Comment
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How do you blood trail deer then JM? That's got to be a challenge.Originally posted by JM View PostComment
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One of my brothers and I have found 5 between us, but ironically 4 of them were a year old - dropped in early 2014. Kind of strange that we're finding old sheds but not new ones. I'm sure almost all bucks here in my part of IA have shed by now; our winter's been pretty hard. Still a lot of snow on the ground here, so I anticipate better luck when it finally melts.Comment
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When I first started hunting deer I had to call in backup. Unless the drop of blood was dime sized or bigger there was no change I would see it. There was one time where a 3x3 foot area was covered in blood(deer bedded down for a bit) and I basically walked over it...I did not see it until someone pointed it out to me. Luckily I started hunting at a young age and I have had the opportunity to get lots of practice. The second I see blood a twig or something gets stuck in the ground to keep the track. Now I can see blood better than most and actually have the same people calling me for help now(their eyes are getting older, etc.). People get mad at me sometimes for how slow I am going, but I am just being cautious. Direct sunlight is my Achilles heel though. I still can not see anything if the sun is shining bright.Originally posted by JM View PostComment
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Nothing yet, but I hope to get out more when the snow all melts. The way this winter feels, that seems like it should be sometime around August. Earlier this month my oldest son did find an intact skull from a buck that measured in the mid 140's. Because of the laws in Iowa though, we had to leave it in the woods for squirrels to eat. Hated to leave it, but right is right.Comment
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As I understood it, on public land in IA the rack from a dead buck is finders keepers, and on private land the finder could have it if the landowner didn't want it. Am I wrong about that?Originally posted by 4everAutumn View PostComment
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I should've specified, whether on public or private land a conservation officer first needs to inspect the carcass and issue a salvage tag. Why couldn't you have done that, if you really wanted the rack?Originally posted by 4everAutumn View PostComment
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Without a tag, any skull you would find whether it be from public or private land would be considered illegal possession of a deer. From what I've heard, while it is possible to get a salvage tag for a skull, it isn't common practice for an officer to provide one. With the onset of EHD and some huge deer being found, there have been a few salvage tags for skulls issued, but not too many. There was no carcass to inspect with this head, so I would have been hard pressed to get a tag for it. Besides, we didn't shoot the deer, so there was really no reason to keep it.Originally posted by 4everAutumn View PostComment
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Another thought: If an officer gave out tags for any skull every time they were called upon to do so, there would be many deer poached and hidden away to be "found" and legally possessed later. I'd say the intent of a salvage tag is to utilize an accidentally killed deer that would otherwise be wasted. I don't think they are really meant to allow a person to keep any big deer head they find.Originally posted by 4everAutumn View PostComment
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I guess I never enterpreted the law that way, re: salvage tags being for the whole animal. I know on a hunting show I watch, the host (who lives in IA) has had CO's out to his farm on several occasions to issue a salvage tag for a buck they'd found dead. But maybe a celebrity hunter has more influence than you or I would have. Another thought - when do you not have to have the tag on the rack any more? I do my own European mounts, and I always just cut the tag off before boiling the skull. So none of the racks in my house have tags on them. Is that technically illegal?Originally posted by 4everAutumn View PostComment
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571—80.1(481A) Salvage. Salvage is authorizing the possession of accidentally killed game for the purpose of human consumption or the feeding of domestic animals.(www.legis.iowa.gov)Originally posted by 4everAutumn View Post
The tag only has to remain on the animal until processed for consumption so our Euro or shoulder mounts would be fine. With modern reporting systems, I suppose an officer could check to establish provenance of any legally taken deer head if it came right down to it.Comment
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Interesting. I did not know the salvage law was that specific.Originally posted by 4everAutumn View PostComment
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