Pennsylvania Game News - March 2022 - 58

Stumbling Upon Sheds
The calendar puts the first day of spring about three weeks into March.
Unofficially, it could arrive earlier or later.
Ushered in by balmy breezes, sudden spring-like warmth - whenever it comes - is welcomed
like an old friend dropping by. We hope it settles in and stays a while, but in any case, we enjoy it
while it's here. A late afternoon hike at a nearby state park was our way to make the most of one
such day. With dogs on leashes, my wife and I took a trail to and from the lake's dam breast, but I
got sidetracked on the return trip and began to lag behind.
Hustling to catch up, I snaked downhill, left then right, when something caught my eye and I
slammed to a stop. It was an antler - a small but handsome 4-point side - stuck like a fork into a
honeysuckle bush, about 3 feet off the ground, where it apparently was pulled from a buck's head.
Having never before found a shed, I excitedly grabbed it, then just as quickly, tore off again,
almost as if I'd stolen it - much like the bush had snatched it from the buck.
After only a few long strides, though, I stopped again as a thought hit me: if one antler is there
maybe the other one is, too. Walking back to the bush, I found the rack's other half - a three-point
antler with a longer and higher-reaching main beam, lying in plain sight on the ground.
I proudly walked away with a new pair of rattling antlers that fit perfectly into my deer-hunting
pack.
For seasoned shed hunters who might find dozens and dozens of antlers each year, my story
might seem ordinary. Picking up multiple sheds or matching sets, even on the same day, can happen
regularly for those who spend time looking, especially if they have the knack for finding.
I've grown to know a few good shed hunters, and I always marvel at their abilities.
I, on the other hand, am proof that anybody who spends time outdoors can stumble upon a shed
here or there, though they might not be so easy to pick out as when sticking in the side of a bush.
Last winter, I was hunting rabbits in a favorite spot when my beagles hit a track and started
running it. I took a stand along the rabbit's likely escape route, and within minutes, it was clear I'd
played things perfectly. Up until the shot, that is, when a bouncing bunny darted away unscathed.
What followed was a wild, long-distance chase filled with twists, turns and other doglegs, all
revealed by the legging dogs and their steady pursuit. I dug in my heels at the spot where I'd
missed, thinking that if the chase went on long enough, I'd get another chance. I might have been
standing there an hour when I looked down and a strange shape came into focus next to my left
foot.
" What is that?!? " I asked myself aloud.
Digging the pale white frame out from the weeds frozen in place above it, I admired a sweeping
left-side antler. Even with a broken G-3, it was an absolute beauty - a five-point side with a crab
claw at the end and a 10-inch bayonet for a G-2.
I was shocked I'd stood over it for so long without seeing it.
Remembering the lesson from my first find, I instantly began looking for the other side, but
never found it, on that day or any after.
But I have to wonder how close I might have stood to it on one occasion or another, not quite
close enough to stumble upon it.
Travis Lau
58

Pennsylvania Game News - March 2022

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