Ever see it happen?

[James Riley]

While reading Bugle many years ago I saw a photo sequence of a large Tule Bull sneezing and dumping both antlers, with one shot where they were still in the air. I figured out of 365 days in a year, to catch that one split second would be once in a life time.

A few years ago my son spotted some muleys out of our family room window so I picked up the binos to see if there were any decent bucks. Just as I said: "There's a little forky" he jerked his head down and to the right, dropping his right antler. Just a fork horn but I felt blessed to have seen it happen.

My wife and I were hiking once and found a large set of antlers, side by side, and both still had fresh blood on them. Close, but no cigar.

Just curious if anyone else has seen it happen. I'd like here the story.

 

[LCH]

I've seen a couple small bucks with antlers barely hanging. Never seen one fall.

 

[antlerradar]

I have seen it happen three times. The last time my son and I were looking of a big set of mule deer antlers the 18th of March. We were taking a rest on the top of a ridge when I heard something moving about 200 yards below us. I looked down and there was two bull elk moving in the trees, one had his antlers and the other had shed. They walked behind some trees and we heard a loud crack. When they left the trees the bull only had one antler. He was shaking his head up down and side to side. I told my son "that antler isn't staying on his head long if he keeps up the shaking." He made it about 50 yards and the antler hit the ground. We let the bulls move out of the aria and went and got the antlers. One of the better memories I have with my boy.

Antlerradar

 

[Griztrax]

I consider myself one of the luckiest persons alive to have been able to photograph a bull in Yellowstone while he shed his antlers back in the day of print film. I was watching a group of perhaps a dozen bulls and one approached a small tree and slammed one side against the tree and that antler popped off and slid down the hill a ways on the crusty snow. After that first antler came off, the bull went absolutely nuts and kicked and bucked his way across the hillside shaking his head wildly - a true rodeo on the mountain. With only a few pictures left on my role of film, I wanted to capture THE moment so badly and what do you know....I did! Of course I didn't know I did until after I got the film developed. A true once in a lifetime moment for me. Below is a picture of the bull with both antlers just minutes before he shed and the second shows the second antler in the air as he shook it from his head. I have the whold sequence framed and on the wall in my office to remind me of that amazing adventure. Of course I couldn't go grab the antlers as this was Yellowstone, but sure enough somebody else did as they were gone about 2 hours later (pretty close to main road).

 

[Nameless Range]

Heck of a capture Griztrax!

 

[Dinkshooter]

Not quite as lucky as above to get it on film but I saw both of these come off.

I was going at good clip headed back to the truck through some really thick stuff. This bull was bedded tight to the Juniper tree. We were plenty close when he saw me and jumped straight up out of his bed. When his front feet hit the ground the first horn flew off. Then as he jumped through the tight trees ahead the other one hit a branch and flew off.

I was standing there saying "no way that just happened".

The bases were warm to the touch, the "Freshest" sheds I ever picked up.

 

[James Riley]

Wonderful stories and pictures. I did the math. There are 31,536,000 seconds in the year. I think I can safely say we all won the lottery. Getting it on camera is a double prize.

 

[----]

It happened to me for the first time a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately I didn't have the video going when he dropped it.

https://vimeo.com/115945001

Shed hunting is the dumbest thing in the world, and I was not the person to pick this horn up.

 

[reloder28]

I have seen Axis lose their antlers upon being shot. Their reaction to the impact of the bullet was enough to topple the headgear.