Now that Aaron and I are in Montana until next fall, we figured we should hit the hills in search of antlers.  We don't know much about shed hunting in Montana even though we both grew up here.  My first whitetail antler ever was found on a walk with my mom in one of her hunting spots.  I couldn't believe my luck and neither could my mom, we both weren't even sure they were dropping.  A fine first for my whitetail collection.

On another scouting trip in hopes of finding a whitetail antler, Aaron spotted this old boy through the snow.  Too bad the critters got ahold of it.  It would have been a real dandy.

We've been walking miles and miles and not finding anything but a bunch of sign and mostly seeing does and fawns.  It is pretty frustrating trying to learn an area and keep up with the local competition, which we are not.  After about a week of hunting, I have to admit I was getting bummed, but kept my hopes high for our weekend jaunt.

We were in some unusual country, but there was still alot of sign so we kept going.  I saw this little tine as I was walking at just the right angle. I could have missed this so easily.  Once Aaron made it to where I was, I walked over to it and saw the base was pretty darn big and figured it had to be a pretty nice antler.

It's a dandy,  scoring 68 4/8.  I don't know much about whitetail antlers yet but I knew it looked pretty big.  I found a little, year-old chewed antler not far from the big daddy.  I had to carry it out of course.  Can't leave any antler in the woods no matter how old or chewed.

The next day we went out again, and found ourselves in some serious country.  Our legs were screaming and so were our lungs, and we had nothing to show for it.  Once we were exhausted we went back to the truck and decided to drive and explore new country.  We were puttering along an old road when I spotted this little four point a split second before Aaron.  A very fresh drop.

I'm not allowed to look on Aaron's side of the road anymore.  I always see more than him even though I'm driving.   Sure we almost go in the ditch sometimes, but I have to look for animals and sheds too.  We were pretty happy we didn't go home skunked. 

After work, Aaron and I decided to take a walk with the dogs and see what we might find.  Aaron found two little fork-horns like this and two fresh winter kill bucks.

Aaron's first decent sized antler of the year. After a long walk in the woods we were heading back to the truck when he spotted the tines sticking out of the snow.

After camping that night, we woke to snow falling hard. We walked and walked until we were tired and took a drive. I almost ran over  it.  Not a record breaker, but I'll take it.

We joined forces today with another local shed hunter who knows his way around the woods here.  We were in a pretty good area with lots of sign and the walking was pretty easy.  We had just started on a new course through the woods when we heard Nate holler "I found one" and then we heard "it's nontypical." 

We weren't sure whether we should believe him, but we ran over to where he was and sure enough...

Sitting in absolutely no snow was a pretty amazing antler...ok an antler of a lifetime.  None of us could really believe what we were seeing. 

Doesn't this look like the luckiest guy in the world?  He knows it, and played the antler down until he got home and scored it at a whopping 85+ nontypical.

Aaron and I trying to get in on the action and cherish the short time we would have with the antler...

A close up of the monster....

Kind of hard to get excited about a normal little four point after you have the first find of the day setting the bar pretty high.... Aaron found this little guy right on a ridge.

Aaron found this old winter kill under a tree. Probably a couple years old, and the tines were in pretty good shape. Just a couple chew marks.

Aaron had to work today, so I went out on my own with the dogs of course.  We weren't too far from our house in a logging area that I'd been in the week before.  I was so excited when I spotted the first side to this little three point.  I was talking to Aaron on the phone when I turned and spotted the match to it not 10 feet away.

My first match set.....huge, I know.

A little further along, I looked up and saw this little four point.  His match was no where to be found.  The pedicle had fresh blood on it, so I'm sure he dropped it over night.  The temperatures were well below zero last night; and when I left the truck it was -4.  I think that helped get those sheds dropping.

About twenty minutes later... I saw this little four point match set.  It is so cute...a miniature four point.  Not a bad morning...5 sheds in less than two hours.

Aaron met me later in the day, and we went to another area.  I found this little guy as I walked along a deer trail.  Pretty cool how it landed in the snow.  The base had a few chew marks already.

Still pretty chilly outside.  I believe it was 4 above.  Almost felt like I was in AK again....just without the snow.  We cannot wait to get back!

We were nearing the truck, when Aaron called out that he'd found one.  Another four point, with fresh blood on the pedicle.

Not a bad day....7 freshies.

Aaron and I headed out early in the morning in hopes of bringing home a supply of fresh whitetail antlers.  It was way below zero when we started...I was even cold.  I started warming up a bit once I found this little three point.

I spotted one of these little guys from about 50 yards away, then while taking pictures, spotted the other side not 10 yards away...

I'm not sure how Aaron didn't find the match before me since he was standing right by me while I photographed the first shed.  He couldn't believe it when I saw the other side so close by.  My third match set of the year.  A fine little four point.

Probably 10 yards from the 4-point match set, was this little two point. Aaron pretty much walked right by it.  I know he's looking for the monsters!

Tundra with her find for the day.  I would have missed this year old five point had she not picked it up and carried it along.  Not a bad find, just a little chewed.

The first decent sized shed we found of the day.  I spotted this side from downhill, it was silhouetted against the sky.  I love the length of the 2nd tine and the little twist in the eye guard!

I sent Aaron on ahead, along the worn path in the snow, and 20 yards ahead he found the match.  A beautiful 4-point set.

Aaron found this four point along a trail.  The tines were a bit chewed already. 

We walked up the ridge a little further when I spotted this monster.  It is such a wonderful feeling to see a large whitetail shed.  I'm getting used to finding small ones, but these bigger ones are great!  We looked for the match, but couldn't seem to find it.

A great day for Aaron and I, we may be learning this whitetail thing...

I was able to get off work early today and it was Aaron's day off, so we made use of the afternoon and went on a shed hunt.   It was a clear sunny day, and the temperatures were finally in the teens which made walking comfortable. 

We'd already walked for about an hour or so, when I was getting anxious to find one.  I felt like I was in pretty good country,  so my excitement started to mount.  I saw this nice five point glistening in the sun.  I hollered to Aaron and he came down to where I was.  I have a bad habit, or maybe it is good, that when I find an antler, I don't look at it again until Aaron gets down to me and he sees it too.  As we both walked over to it, I scanned around in a hurry and saw another antler just feet from it.  We of course thought they were a match, but they definitely aren't.

The five point didn't have any fresh blood on the base, and the four point did.  The four point had fresh tracks near it, but the five didn't.  The pedicles were different, the color, and build of the antler in general were different.

So I was just super lucky to find two antlers from two different bucks at the same time!  So there are more antlers out there for us to find!

We walked on further when Aaron called out to me.  His foot had been inches from an antler, and he just happened to look down and see it.  Antlers with tines sticking out of the snow are the best. You never know what it is that will come out.  It could have sticker points, or drop tines.

It was a nice four point.  Makes for a perfect afternoon walk, taking home three fresh antlers.

I almost stepped on this couple year old antler sticking out of the snow. 

Went for a walk after work today with the dogs.  We found this year old whitetail antler right next to a fresh bed.  We found the match earlier this year in the same area.  Both have no chew marks.

It snowed a lot in the area that Aaron and I generally shed hunt.  I took some friends out shedding with me, while Aaron worked. We had to drive quite a ways further to get out of the snow.  Chad found a nice, but chewed, five point, and this nice split eye guard six point. 
 

Went out today with our friend Nate.  We hiked some serious country, went in some serious snow, and had a great time.  It felt like we were in AK again trudging through that snow.  We figured most of the big 'uns are buried now.

I found a good size three point on our way down. Our camera was wet so the pics didn't turn out.

We went to another area that Aaron and I liked the look of.    Aaron found this nice little four in a bed, just barely sticking out the snow.  A pretty good find!

Went out today with friends, Chad and Odin.  They took me to one of their secret muley spots....we hiked all day.   On our second hike of the day I found this awesome mule deer shed. I couldn't believe the blood on the base!  My first muley shed ever! I was so excited I called Aaron at work, wishing he were with!!

We hiked and hiked....I found two other old sheds, then I saw this from down below. I wasn't sure, but I thought it might be an antler. Once I got a little closer, I was so excited.  I called Aaron before I even walked up on it,  so he could be with me in all the excitement.  A real dandy of an antler. It scores 82.5 inches.  A very nice second muley shed!

My two freshies for the day.  The boys found a year old shed each, and I found one more ancient shed.  We had a great day!  Nice to get out of the snow and hike!

It was such a beautiful day today in Northwest Montana, it only seemed right that we should enjoy it, and honor it with a shed hunt  We had high hopes that with warmer temperatures the snow had melted somewhat, enough to show some tines at least. We started out in an area we'd considered walking before. Aaron walked the timber and I walked along the edge. He said I had deer running at him all over the woods, some twenty went by him in a line.

There was deer sign everywhere, and big beds everywhere!!!  It was very exciting. Aaron was the first to holler!!!!   He'd almost missed this one, but decided to move up higher on the ridge, and saw it. A record breaker for sure...with chew marks already!!!!!

We hit too much snow eventually and started side hilling, following the deer trails. We reached another ridge that was south facing and there were beds all over it. It was a pretty small ridge, so Aaron walked on the north side of it, and I was walking just off the ridge on the south side.
 

I noticed a tree that had blown over down below me with deer sign all over. I dropped down to check it out, meanwhile leaving my ridge....I told Aaron what I was doing, and next thing I knew he hollered at me ...He'd walked over onto my ridgeline to see what I was doing, and found a shed I would have found had I not dropped down the hill. Just as he said that, I looked over my shoulder and spotted another shed...It was great. I had to truck up the hill to see his shed first, before I could pick mine up.

Down to my shed now if I can find it. It was so hugeI thought I might miss it  ...no chew marks for me though!

Aaron hollered again, I hurried up to him and stood right by him for about thirty seconds looking for the shed...I thought I was blind for a minute because I couldn't find it....

Great find, for sure!!! Aaron's biggest shed yet....and it's chewed too...

Then it was Aaron's turn again...  It was glowing in the sun!!!

Under closer inspection, we realized it was the match to the nice chewed four point he found earlier!!! This one was pretty cool with a split eye guard!

We looped back around on our next swing across the hillside. I glanced up about 30 yards away and thought I saw a shed. It was about 10 yards below Aaron, under a tree. I asked him to look for me, and he didn't see it at first but then confirmed it was in fact a shed!!! A sigh of relief....I wasn't getting too skunked!  Not a chew mark on it!!!!

Today was a great day!!!  We closed on our first house this AM, and then headed for the hills....We went to a new spot, and thought it looked pretty good from the get-go.
 I looked down and right at my foot, Tundra was smelling a nice freshie....Aaron had walked about ten feet from it too.

A nice whitetail for sure with a sweet little drop tine....my first.   Of course it looked like I wasn't the only one that had taken a fancy to it....the squirrels must of thought it was a delicacy

My shed hunting buddies and I.  Kodi and Tundra posing for a pictures.

We worked our way up and then down a little ridge into some deep thick country. I told Aaron I bet a monster lived there .  I was hopeful at least! I was so excited when I heard Aaron yell at me! He always finds them buried, tine up....

It had a pretty awesome long mainbeam, but not much for tine length.

We started back along the hill making our way in big zig zags back to the truck. It was getting to be pretty dark in the woods with the overcast day. I was pretty excited when I saw this up ahead of me....

Kodi my wolf dog.....keeping track of  the sounds in the woods!!!!

We continued on sweeping down the hillside, when I spotted this....
(I was beginning to feel guilty; I was praying for Aaron to find one!!)

I'm not sure if Aaron was getting fed up with my luck or not, but he went over a different ridge and I continued on the same direction I'd been going. It was pretty dark in the woods, and I was moving slow as not to miss anything...

I love finding them with their butts in the air....had it dropped flat I may have walked right past that log and not rescued it from squirrel doom.