BarnesX.308

Went out shed hunting again in Montgomery County and got a matching set. They were right next to each other - still on the deer's head. I found a cross bow bolt about 100 yards up the road so I guess someone didn't find their buck. It was badly decomposed and I still can't get the smell/taste out of my nose and back of my throat. Since I wanted the antlers, I had to rip the head off of this half-rotted buck and carry its stinky head about a half mile (gagging and puking all the way). Tomorrow I'm going to saw the antlers off and clean off the skull plate (that's gonna suck). I might as well gag myself tomorrow morning and get it over with.

It's a six pointer but a very big one. Very tall rack and as heavy as any big 8-pointer I've seen. I'll post pics when the maggots are all gone.

livbucks

Is that legal? Not that I think there is anything wrong with doing that.
I have a fairly nice rack with skullattached, sittingon the shelf in my
garage right now.Just be careful about carrying it around because I believe it IS illegal to take them from the woods. Dumb rules if you ask
me.

Steve F.in MD

Not legal in Maryland. I guess it's to keep poachers from claiming that they "found" the racks. I don't agree with this law either.

BarnesX.308

Is it legal? I don't know. Shed hunting is legal, isn't it? I see a nice pair of antlers on a rotten buck, I'm taken them. Might as well make some use of his death. Although it looks like the critters ate well.

PA Bow/Flinter

I guess I never thought it would be illegal to take a skull and antlers from a dead rotting deer. I pulled a 6 pt skull from the leaves two years ago and never gave it a thought.

Actually I just now thought of this. On the PGC website under the area where they have the big game records...don't they have a category for "pick-ups," meaning racks you find in the woods. I would think that this would mean that picking skulls up from the woods would be legal. Just a thought though.

Here is the link I'm taking about....
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/browse.asp?a=485&bc=0&c=69938

tj_cubin

last winter i found a dead 6 points under some pine trees, but he was smelling pretty bad so i didnt try to get in to him. This winter i check on him and all i saw was the antlers and skull sticking out of the snow, picked pretty clean. So i took it home and right now its hanging from our pool deck. I gotta clean it up next time im home from college. I kinda wish it was winter temperatures out to keep the smell down. I can see how it would be illegal, but its hard to see any way to allow for "pick ups", but stop poachers from claiming the deer was already dead.

cardeer

It is illegal to take anything or any part of any animal except sheds IN PA.. But I aint telling

Bionicrooster

Barnes, in some states like MD it is illegal to remove sheds from teh woods if they are still attached to the skull....

I found a huge non typical last year,I just called MDNR and they issued me a "non hunting" possesion tag, so there are ways to get around the law.

Bill Yox

You guys have it backwards. In PA its illegal to pick up sheds, but legal to possess antlers on skulls, like pick ups and roadkills, at ten dollars a point! I had a set of locks come in here a couple years ago from southern PA, the guy had to go to the Game Commission and pay the trophy fee. Two ten pointers @ ten bucks a point. The explanation I got on the sheds? You are depleting nature of its essential minerals! Hahaha, all of us who love PA still know theres no antler minerals, thus the small racks. (humor, boys, ease back down into your chairs!) I say, pick the darned sheds up, and this spring throw a bag of lime and mineral out the door!

All kidding aside, I know for FACT that fish and game people DO for sure monitor sites like these, posing as nice guys to hear stuff like this. Offering to buy illegal stuff, etc. Just to be forewarned, make sure youre legal, dont trust what we say.

cardeer

Bill respectfully your wrong.Yes roadkill antlers can be kept with permit and 10 dollars a point. Shed hunting has been made legal 2 years ago in pa.BUTany dead animals found in the wildno body parts may be taken. that is how it is written in the game laws