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November 2003. While deer hunting, Mike Lindquist found this small 9pt matched set just 40 yards from his deer stand. It's been out there for over a year, but didn't suffer from any rodent chewing. It's a small, young buck, but it's still nice to know he might still be out there. As you can see from the "as it lay" photo, it was fairly difficult to see. I actually stepped on the left side, causing it to flip up into my shin. I don't know how many times I've done that and looked down just to see another stick.

October 2003. Here's a few things Mike Lindquist came across while bowhunting and scouting for whitetails. The big skull was old and chewed up, but it would've been a dandy 150 class ten point with good spread, good mass and a nice sticker point. The whitetail shed is an average 4pt in great shape, a hair under 50 inches.  The moose antler would've been a nice one to find fresh. It's just over 36" long. It was out there awhile, busted and chewed by bears.

June 2003. On a spring camping trek, Mike Lindquist and Lena wandered around the forest and saw a few interesting things. The black bears are on the move and the lady slippers were peaking. The Showy Lady's Slipper, the state flower is a fairly rare plant to come across, especially in full bloom. It was a nice treat. The moose antler had been out there a number of years, probably close to 8 or so. It's from a big old bull, definitely the boss of the woods. The base on this paddle was 8 3/8". Now that's some heft. It was weathered and busted, but still worth hauling out.

May 2003. Jim Price found this dandy moose antler up north on a spring shed hunt. It was just off a moose trail under some balsams. This nice scoop is in great shape:  very little chew marks and excellent dark color on the backside. It measures right around 55". A nice find right at sundown.

May 2003. On a recent camping trip up in the north country, Mike Lindquist and his good luck charm Lena roamed the forest in search of moose antlers. They ended up with these two, deep in the boreal swamps. Both of them are good-sized, but pretty old. They had been out there awhile, getting snacked on by wolves, and slowly being swallowed up by the mighty coniferous bog. I really had to yank on these to get them out.

May 2003. Mike Lindquist jerked out 3 moose sheds one Saturday up north. The first one isn't huge, but it's got a 7 inch droptine, a fairly unique feature among moose antlers. The second pair were lying only 8 feet apart. At first glance, I figured I'd stumbled upon a match. After checking them out, they were both left sides, one fresh, the other a year old. Both were in great shape with good color. I GPS'd that spot, thinking it might be a shed boulevard for a couple of bachelor bulls.

May 2003. Shed hunters Jim Price, Clayton Lamppa, Jason Lamppa and Mike Lindquist took to the northwoods for a 3-day antler hunt and accumulated an impressive mixture of bones for the weekend. We scooped up 10 whitetail antlers, 4 moose antlers, 2 whitetail winterkills and a bear skull. Among the finds were 4 record book deer sheds measuring in at 65 0/8", 65 5/8", 69 7/8" and 86 5/8".  Jason found a couple large, fresh deer sheds in the same piece of woods. These two big bucks were brothers, no doubt. Note the similarity in their frame and the split brow tines. Clayton found the 85 inch bruiser, a shed of a lifetime. Talk about character, this buck has it all. Jim found a nice moose antler in great shape, his first ever. Mike found a small matched set of moose antlers and a rare record book bear skull measuring 19 1/8". The other incisor was recovered nearby. A very successful shed hunt in the big woods.

April 2003. This month started out fairly well for Michael's shed hunting quest. The first one was a small 4 point, found on an island in Carlos Avery WMA. Lena smelled pretty swampy after that trek. The next one was a heartbreaker: a giant antler,  base measuring in at 5 2/8", only to be devoured by rodents. Makes you wonder. The middle one was a small 4pt find from up north.  The last two were found the same day in Hennepin County. The bigger one, of course was slightly chewed. I found another one that day, but it isn't worth posting: an old and small 2pt.

March 2003. Here's three winterkills found by Hannah Miller and Michael Lindquist. Hannah found the one on the left up north. It's a year old and has provided lots of calcium nutrients to porcupines and the like. It's still a great first find for an aspiring young woodswoman. The next two were both found the same day within 300 yards of each other. Hannah found the middle one. It's a one pointer. It'll make for an interesting wine corkscrew project. Michael found the one on the right, a small 8 point. Another good ornament for the chicken coop or woodshed.

March 2003. As luck would have it, Michael Lindquist found this good 5pt. shed on St. Patrick's Day. This buck knew a thing or two about barbed-wire. In this case, he used it to his advantage, liberating himself from the excess antler weight. This one scores 66 1/8", with an incredible 12" G2.  Side note:  Michael enjoyed a shamrock-green bismark that morning with his coffee for good luck.

March 2003. Chris and Stephanie Potter, of Two Harbors teamed up to find this great match. Without a spread, this set scores 153 2/8".  This matched set earned 1st Place at the Minnesota Deer Classic. Amazingly, the Potter's found this buck's antlers from 2001. Check the photo in the 2002 shed page.

February 2003.  Michael Lindquist and his dog Lena often cruise the Minnesota River Valley, tromping around scouting for deer and wild turkey. Today they'd find a prize.  Lena had scented a gnawed deer leg in the snow, and that really got Michael's radar going.  They discovered this phenomenal 14pt. moments later behind a log.  An incredible rack, scoring 161 1/8" gross NT, 143 1/8" net typical, with lots of unique features. With the lower jaw still in tact, he aged this one to be a 7 to 9 1/2 year old buck.  Because this particular piece of woods is off limits to hunters, this old monarch may have been nicked by a car or just conked out from old age. This find ranks in the top ten all-time for Hennepin County.

February 2003.  While out looking for sheds, Michael Lindquist picked up this decent 5pt out of the snow.  Too bad about the busted G2 (looks like it could've gone 10 inches). This one scores 58 3/8", as is.  He'll be a good buck next fall!  On an interesting angle, Michael spoke to another shed hunter who walks the same woods.  After comparing notes, we think he may have found the matching right side the same day! Same woods, same buck, same day, different guy.