6TH ANNUAL OSH GROUP SHED HUNT

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Matilda Marsh
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www.oregonshedhunters.com Volume 6, Issue 1 January - March.

again come and gone. Troy and I would like to extend a huge thank you to everybody that was able to make the trip.

In total we had about 50 people attend the event.

Scappoose, Coos Bay, Klamath Falls and Burns.

This is an amazing statistic and is our best total to date.

There were a few more sheds found on Sunday which are not included in the tally but would push the total well over 160

We handed out maps and everybody went their own way for the day.

The nice thing about this area is that there are literally thousands of acres in every direction from camp that people

1 Volume 6, Issue 1 January - March OREGON SHED HUNTERS 6 TH ANNUAL OSH GROUP SHED HUNT B Y R OB T A N N E R The 6th Annual Group Shed Hunt has once again come and gone. Troy and I would like to extend a huge thank you to everybody that was able to make the trip. There were a lot of hunters that sacrificed a lot of sleep (for driving) just to attend the hunt. In total we had about 50 people attend the event. We had folks from all over the state including Bend, Redmond, La Pine, Eugene, Salem, Hood River, Medford, Portland, Scappoose, Coos Bay, Klamath Falls and Burns. The final shed count at the end of Saturday came in at 143 sheds for the group! This is an amazing statistic and is our best total to date. Out of the 143 sheds, one group of four hunters found 61 of those! There were a few more sheds found on Sunday which are not included in the tally but would push the total well over 160 sheds for the weekend. The day started off by meeting in La Pine at 7 a.m. on March 12, We handed out maps and everybody went their own way for the day. This was our second year in this location and we think most people had fun. The nice thing about this area is that there are literally thousands of acres in every direction from camp that people can hunt. So the hunting pressure is very low. The weather was dry for the most part, with short periods of light snow and rain. Around 4 p.m. most of the group met back at camp and OSH gave out prizes to the male, female and youth shed hunters who found the biggest, smallest, most unique, biggest set, smallest set, furthest distance traveled, etc. We even had one youth that won the prize for finding his first mule deer shed and losing a tooth! We had several other hunters that found their first mule deer shed, first matching set, or set a personal best for total sheds in a day or biggest shed ever found. It was great to see shed hunters of all ages achieving milestones. Each year it seems like we have an increasing number of kids and women participating in the event, which is inspiring. Everybody that attended the prizes banquet went home with something. The

c o m Page 2 prizes included 4 custom framed

Photography, Danner, Leupold, Nosler, Gerber,

Cabela s mini-tools, Danner flashlights,

with a special Thank You Award for all their

After the prizes were all awarded most people

the huge mule deer they used to hunt in the

And as usual, the bonfire was larger than

A good number of folks stayed the night,

home. Sunday morning came early and some of

There is a lot more to the story on Sunday,

2 Or e g o n S h e d H u n t er s ww w. Or e g on S h e d H u n t er s. c o m Page 2 prizes included 4 custom framed photos compliments of Camera Guy s Photography, Danner, Leupold, Nosler, Gerber, Sportsman s Warehouse and Cabela s hats, Cabela s mini-tools, Danner flashlights, t-shirts, boot grease, and socks, Gerber knives and mugs and much more. Camera Guy and his wife Gayle were presented with a special Thank You Award for all their support to OSH and keeping the website up and running over the past six years. We truly appreciate their help and couldn t keep OSH running without their devoted assistance! After the prizes were all awarded most people sat around the fire and reminisced on the day s events and other hunting excursions. Camera Guy and family told us stories about the huge mule deer they used to hunt in the area in the 1970 s. And as usual, the bonfire was larger than normal. No problem with staying warm! A good number of folks stayed the night, while others made a several hour trek back home. Sunday morning came early and some of us set out for a short hike. There is a lot more to the story on Sunday, which you can read on page 8 under the article titled, It s a Short Hike...I Don t Need a GPS! What a great weekend of fun it was! Troy and I met a lot of great people and truly appreciate everybody s support. Thanks also to our sponsors for helping make the event successful! We look forward to the 7th Annual Group Hunt next year!

Page 3 N O S L E RCUSTO M T RO P H Y GRADE AMMUNITION Early this year Nosler announced that they would now be expanding their NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition to include 14 more cartridges in

Using the same technology and precision that brought you NolserCustom ammunition, Nosler has gone one better with its NoslerCustom Trophy Grade utilizing the strictest quality standards ever.

3 Page 3 N O S L E RCUSTO M T RO P H Y GRADE AMMUNITION Early this year Nosler announced that they would now be expanding their NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition to include 14 more cartridges in response to the high demand for discriminating hunters and shooters worldwide. Using the same technology and precision that brought you NolserCustom ammunition, Nosler has gone one better with its NoslerCustom Trophy Grade utilizing the strictest quality standards ever. Trophy Grade Ammunition uses NoslerCustom Brass and Nosler Bullets to attain optimum performance, no matter where your hunting trip takes you. Whether you want your ammunition loaded with AccuBond, Partition, Ballistic Tip or E-Tip, NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition will have the right load for the right game. Trophy Grade Ammunition brings Nosler s unsurpassed quality standards in accuracy and consistency directly to the shelf of your favorite gun shop or outdoor retailer Using the finest components such as Nosler bullets and NoslerCustom Brass, the optimum performance of Trophy Grade Ammunition competes head to head with hand-loads. Nosler is so confident in their Trophy Grade Ammunition that it is used to back up all of Nosler s rifle accuracy guarantees. The Nosler ballistics team, long respected in the hunting and shooting industry for reliable and precise reloading data, is the driving force behind NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition. This ammunition is held to the strictest quality standards including; Cases are checked for the correct length Necks are sized, chamfered and trued Flash holes are checked for proper alignment Powder charges are meticulously weighed Finished rounds are visually inspected and polished High-performance powder and bullet combinations Currently, Nosler is offering a "Buy Two, Get One Free" promotion on select boxes of NoslerCustom Trophy Grade and Trophy Grade Varmint Ammunition. This promotion, known as the Sportsman's Stimulus Plan began on November 15, 2010 and will run through May 15, To participate, purchases may be made at all Nosler dealers or at Here s how the promotion works. Buyers must purchase a minimum of two boxes of identical ammunition from the five choices below, and submit the original dated receipt with store name, and either a copy of, or the original bar codes from each box along with a return shipping address to Nosler, Inc., Attn: Sales Department, P.O Box 671, Bend, OR and an additional box of ammo will be sent to the customer at no charge. All receipts and internet orders must be received by Nosler no later than May 15, 2011 in order to honor the promotion. Nosler will not ship ammunition to P.O. Box addresses or to persons younger than 18 years of age as it is prohibited by law. If purchasing from just enter in the number of boxes wished to be purchased from the promotional list and the free box(es) of ammunition will be summarily added to the order. The five Sportsman's Stimulus Plan ammunition choices are as follows: 1. (60001) 223 Remington 40gr Ballistic Tip 2. (60003) Remington 55gr Ballistic Tip 3. (60049) 308 Winchester 165gr AccuBond 4. (60054) 308 Winchester Match 168gr Custom Competition 5. (60057) Springfield 165gr AccuBond For more information go to /stimulus.

4 Page 4 F I N D MORE SHEDS WITH YOUR SUNGLASSES B Y T R O Y C A P P S Can sunglasses or shooting glasses help you find more sheds? After reading about lenses, and talking to an optometrist about lens colors and how they help you see in different lighting conditions, I decided I wanted to test it out for myself. I have a pair of shooting glasses that have three different colored interchangeable lenses; bronze, yellow, and orange. I wanted to find out if it really made any difference, so I took the glasses with me to the field. The first day that I went outside there was about six inches of snow on the ground and it was a bright sunny day, so I used the bronze polarized lens. Now this study wasn t an actual shed hunt, but instead a series of staged antlers out in different areas to view as I walked by. I set some sheds in the shade and some in the open. Some were fresh, dark colored and some chalk white. The bronze color lens really helped me see better in the bright snow, and I felt that the antlers stuck out more against the bright white of the snow. Both the brown and chalk antlers were easier to find with the help of the bronze lens. Both the shaded areas and the wide open areas seemed to be better with the tinted glasses. I tried the other two colors and found that sheds were more difficult to see as the lenses really increased the light and made it too bright to hunt for very long. My conclusion on this bright snow covered day was that the bronze lenses really made a difference, and my eyes did not hurt from squinting in the bright light. Day two of the experiment came a week later when the snow was gone and it was an overcast day. I did the same test by placing antlers in the open and some in the shade. I started off with the yellow lens and found out right away that everything was much brighter and more clear. The antlers in the shaded areas really stood out against the dark shadows. I found myself really liking the way it took the darkness away. The antlers in the open were almost as easy to find as the ones in the shadows. I liked using the yellow lens on the darker day. The only drawback was if I took them off to hunt without them, it took my eyes awhile to adjust to the normal light. I then switched over to the orange lenses and found similar results. They made things much easier to see in the darker shades. The bronze lenses were the worst of the three, making the surroundings darker and the antlers more difficult to locate. I think that my testing was very simple and could be improved upon, but I like the results I had. I will be carrying a pair with me the next time I go out and check to see it they help. So if you have a pair of shooting glasses give them a try and see what you have been missing. If you don t have a pair, go get yourself some and try them out. Everybody will have a different view, so the best way to figure out what works best for you is to go try them out for yourself. Today's shooting glasses come in many different colored lenses. Below is a guide for choosing lens colors for different sky conditions, target colors and backgrounds. Recommended Lenses for Low Light Conditions Clear - Best for poor lighting and shooting indoors when no contrast is needed. Also, an excellent safety lens when hand loading. Pale Yellow - The lens has a brightening effect in low light conditions, dusk or dawn. A very light color tint allows this lens to be used indoors, outdoors, in flat light or at night. Yellow - Great lens choice for overcast foggy days or late afternoon. Good lens for rifle or pistol shooting with black and white targets. Can be used while shooting at an indoor range. Medium Yellow - Maximum enhancement of orange clay targets in low light conditions. - continued on next page -

Page 5 Recommended Lenses for Average Light Conditions Sunset Orange - Ideal for bright, hazy conditions. Slightly darker than orange, helps absorb scattered blue light and provides contrast.

5 Page 5 Recommended Lenses for Average Light Conditions Sunset Orange - Ideal for bright, hazy conditions. Slightly darker than orange, helps absorb scattered blue light and provides contrast. Also, enhances visual acuity. Orange - Excellent all around lens for orange clay targets. Enhances the orange of any target on dull cloudy days, and at dusk or dawn. Vermillion - Traditional choice for shooting against green backgrounds. Highlights conditions where there is a poor background. Highlights orange and dampens green. Good lens for those who see orange targets poorly. Light Purple - This lens provides excellent contrast of orange targets against green backgrounds or against the sky. Combines grey and vermillion. It dampens the green and enhances the orange target against trees. This antler set is located in the shade on a fairly cloudy day. Wearing a yellow lens would aid a shed hunter in locating these more easily. Recommended Lenses for Intense Light Conditions Deep Purple - Darker than purple this lens is a good choice for very bright sunlight and provides great contrast of orange targets against a deep blue sky. An excellent lens for glare reduction. Brown - This lens reduces brightness and gives good definition of orange targets. A good all around lens for shooting orange targets on bright glaring days with open background. Bronze - Offers high contrast for bright, glaring days with open background. Good choice for hunting in snow conditions. Grey - Reduces light and transmits all colors at the same level. Does not enhance orange targets. Use in bright sunlight. Popular choice for rifle or pistol shooters OSH C O N T E S T UPDA T E S The prizes for the 2011 Biggest Sheds Contest are about finalized (see page 7 for the current list). A huge thank you goes out to our sponsors for coming through with some very outstanding prizes for the 2011 season thus far! Be sure to check the OSH webpage for any potential updates on these prizes as we are still working on some sponsorship items. Remember that the Biggest Sheds Contest is open to paid OSH members only and you can enter sheds found from any given year, not just For example, you can enter a shed that you found in the early 1970 s or one that you found last year. Also, remember that this is our second year under the new Slam Prize award system. It works like this. The top shed entry for each of the five categories (mule deer, blacktail deer, whitetail deer, roosevelt elk, and rocky mtn elk) go into a drawing for the top five slam prizes. This gives all category winners an equal chance (20%) of winning the top five prizes. As a paid OSH member you can submit as many entries as you like, but remember you can only win one of the Slam prizes and two of the remaining 20 prizes, for a total of 3 prizes per person. As in past years, each paid OSH member gets two free entries (per annual membership) into the OSH Record book, while each additional entry is $10. Be sure to locate a scorer in your area by viewing the list of measurers on the OSH homepage. If you need assistance locating a scorer us at OSH@oregonshedhunters.com and we ll find one for you. Remember that we also have an annual Shed Hunting Photo Contest. Over the past several years we have had some really great photos submitted and have generally awarded first place to two or three of the entries. So be sure to keep your camera handy so that you can capture your shed hunting excursions and finds. Again, if there are any questions just send us an . We appreciate the support and look forward to a happy shed hunting season for OSH is working on taking the organization to the next level, so stay tuned for some exciting changes coming soon.

Page 6 F I E L D GEAR REVIEW: LEUPOLD GOLDEN R I N G 10-17X42 SWITC H POW ER BINOCULAR S B Y S C O T T T I B B S First off I would like to personally thank Leupold for providing such a nice prize

6 Page 6 F I E L D GEAR REVIEW: LEUPOLD GOLDEN R I N G 10-17X42 SWITC H POW ER BINOCULAR S B Y S C O T T T I B B S First off I would like to personally thank Leupold for providing such a nice prize package to the OSH organization for their annual Biggest Sheds Contests. Most shed hunters today utilize binoculars in attempt to help spot antlers. The issue with the traditional binocular design is most standard magnifications in 8X or 10X can only find prospective sheds and leave the hunter questioning if an identified object is a shed or not. Leupold has designed the new golden ring switch power binoculars as an effective remedy to this issue. The switch power binoculars that I used would switch from 10X magnification to a staggering 17X with a simple flip of a switch. The glasses appear to actually switch optics internally instead of creating a less precise zoom feature. This feature keeps your target in the center of view when switching between powers. The Leupold engineering team put all this into a compact and lightweight frame making an all day carry a non issue. Some of the features that I particularly liked were: Lightweight/Compact - When putting them on the first time using the Leupold binocular straps I immediately found them much more comfortable than the glass I normally carry. All day comfort - They carried very well all day and did not create any of the fatigue that I was used to while carrying my normal glass of that magnification. Adjustable eyecups A must have feature for those of us fortunate enough to wear eyeglasses. Switch Power - Finding a spot of interest and hitting the switch power is a fantastic new option. I don t know how many sticks and other ground clutter was immediately ruled out of being a shed without taking another step. Flipcap objective covers - A very nice addition to protect your investment. The only downside I found was that the relatively small objectives create a narrower field of view and made it Specifications for Leupold Golden Ring Switch/Power 10/17x42mm Brown Binoculars: Generation II, Argon/Krypton Environmental Protection: Waterproofing System Actual Magnification: 10x / 17x Linear Field of View 1000 yd): feet on 10x; feet on 17x Angular Field of View (degrees): 5.0 / 2.6 Weight (ounces): 23.9 Length (in): TBD Objective Aperture (mm): 42 Twilight Factor: 20.5 / 26.7 Exit Pupil (mm): 4.1 / 2.4 Eye Relief (mm): 18.1 / 21.1 Close Focus Distance (ft): 12.8 / 13.1 more challenging when it came to scanning for sheds in open ground. Due to this limitation some younger users may have trouble with acquiring target objects. I have been using the glasses almost exclusively since I got them in January and love them. They definitely appear to be a great value; you get two pairs of binoculars all wrapped into one relatively small package.

Page 7 2011 OSH B I G G E S T SHEDS CONTEST PRIZES* 'Slam' Prizes Leupold Switch Power Binoculars ($1250) $250 Off Cabin Creek Kennels Pudelpointer Shed Puppy Danner Pronghorn

$50 Danner Gift Card 5. $50 Sportsman's Warehouse Blacktail Deer 2. NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition ($70) 3. $50 Danner Gift Card 4. $50 Sportsman's Warehouse Gift Card 5.

OSH Hat and T-shirt Roosevelt Elk 2. Gerber Package ($75) 3. NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition ($70) 4. $50 Danner Gift Card 5.

7 Page OSH B I G G E S T SHEDS CONTEST PRIZES* 'Slam' Prizes Leupold Switch Power Binoculars ($1250) $250 Off Cabin Creek Kennels Pudelpointer Shed Puppy Danner Pronghorn Boots ($200) Nosler Gift Card ($200) Deer Antler Lamp from Hamilton Antler Art ($200) Mule Deer 2. Gerber Package ($100) 3. NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition ($70) 4. $50 Danner Gift Card 5. $50 Sportsman's Warehouse Blacktail Deer 2. NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition ($70) 3. $50 Danner Gift Card 4. $50 Sportsman's Warehouse Gift Card 5. OSH Hat and T-shirt Whitetail Deer 2. NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition ($70) 3. $50 Danner Gift Card 4. $50 Sportsmans Warehouse Gift Card 5. OSH Hat and T-shirt Roosevelt Elk 2. Gerber Package ($75) 3. NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition ($70) 4. $50 Danner Gift Card 5. $50 Sportsman's Warehouse Gift Card Rocky Mtn. Elk 2. Gerber Package ($75) 3. NoslerCustom Trophy Grade Ammunition ($70) 4. $50 Danner Gift Card 5. $50 Sportsman's Warehouse Gift Card *Prizes subject to change prior to the contest deadline (Dec. 31, 2011)

Page 8 I T S A SHORT HIKE...I DON T NEED A GPS! B Y R OB T A N N E R Hornhog warned us all to take gps units as it was an area easy to get lost. Well, it was just going to be a quick little hike.

8 Page 8 I T S A SHORT HIKE...I DON T NEED A GPS! B Y R OB T A N N E R Hornhog warned us all to take gps units as it was an area easy to get lost. Well, it was just going to be a quick little hike. Maybe an hour out and an hour back. We were going to head due west away from a main road, turn around and come straight back. There were about ten other people going and we were going to spread out and head in one direction. It would be an easy hike and no need for a gps or survival gear, right? As an avid shed hunter, you probably understand that a one-hour hike away from the pickup usually leads to a little longer hike as you keep dreaming about a monster shed around the next tree or over the next ridge. Well that s exactly what happened to us. Two hours into our hike we finally decided to turn around. By this time most people had gotten separated and so now it was just Royce and I. We turned around and started to head back towards the pickup. Shortly thereafter we ran into a fence, of which we hadn t seen before. It was then that we realized we were not sure which direction the pickup was in or even if we were headed somewhat in the right direction? It was a cloudy day so there was no sun to gauge. We were on relatively flat ground covered in mature Ponderosa Pine so there were no landmarks for bearing. We had no gps or compass, as again this was going to be a quick and easy hike. I had a map in my pack, but we were just north of the area covered by the map. I thought my cell phone had a compass on it, but it didn t. We knew we needed to bear east, but had no clue which way that was? We tried to differentiate aspect based on vegetation characteristics, but that too was getting us nowhere. It wasn t long after Royce and I discovered that we were turned around, that we got a phone call that Troy and his sister Teresa were also disoriented. Now if you have ever been lost or disoriented you know the feeling. It s a strange feeling of discomfort and fright. I consider myself pretty directionally gifted in the woods as I grew up wandering and hunting the outdoors and have worked in the brush for over 15 years. But today, I let my guard down. I by no means felt truly lost as I knew there were roads all around us, but the thought of walking four miles in the wrong direction before hitting a road was disconcerting. And then not having a map to tell us where that road was located was even more disturbing. Well, thankfully we had one item that most people have come accustomed to carrying no matter the situation, our cell phones. Of course the battery to mine was almost dead, so thankfully Royce s was charged. With a call to my buddy (who HAD and USED his gps unit and was already back at the pickup) we had him fire a gun shot to see if we could get a bearing. Well sure enough, a very faint gunshot was heard in the opposite direction as we were traveling. It was a welcome sound which over the next couple hours would lead us out of the brush. Troy and Teresa also followed the gunshots until they found a road and followed it out. Even with the gunshots we found ourselves getting turned slightly off course (sometimes by as much as 90 degrees) in between shots, which were every 15 minutes or so. It was something I ve never experienced and really couldn t figure out until that night when I looked at a map. Upon looking at the topographic map at home I instantly discovered what happened. The topography of the area was such that from the pickup the general downhill trend was towards the northwest. It was a very subtle downhill trend with some small undulations. We thought we were headed west when in actuality we were headed northwest and eventually north to northeast. Again the subtle downhill grade naturally funneled us to the north over a couple miles of hiking. So when we turned around we were now headed south and southeast, away from the pickup! Well everything turned out for the good, but our short hike ended up being a little longer than anticipated. There were many lessons learned on this short, little, easy hike, the main of which is to at least carry a compass. GPS units and cell phones are also handy, but they are useless with dead batteries...just ask Hornhog. His gps batteries died on this same excursion, but luckily he knew which way camp was. A compass will never let you down so long as you have a general idea where you are. If you don t already own one, get one. For ten dollars it takes up very little space in your pack. And if you have a cell phone, check to see if it has a compass on it. It may sound old school with all the tech gadgets on the market today, but I guarantee my compass is going back into my pack. It is too easy to get lost and it happens when you least expect it.

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