Profile Of A Whitetail Shed Antler Addict

Before I met Frank Menini a few years ago I used to think I was obsessed with big whitetail deer antlers.  Not just with hunting them while they were still attached to giant whitetail bodies but with capturing them on my CamTrakker, looking for their sheds, and scouting for them in the off season.  I spent what I thought was a lot of time in the deer woods every year - until I met Frank that is.

Far exceeding the passion that most of us have for persuing whitetails both in and out of season Frank spends more time scouring the woods looking for antlers than many of spend in the woods hunting each fall.  When I asked him what fuels his passion for finding shed antlers he told me, "Its really just an extension of my hunting season.  If I can't chase them with my bow I can at least look for their antlers."  With numerous matched sets to his credit that score over 200" this Northern Illinois native is a true testament to what one man can do with a lot of time, determination, and walking!

Frank with a few of his more impressive sheds.

With over 10 years of shed hunting experience now under his belt Frank has really developed a keen eye for picking up antlers.  Any odd shapes or angles or what appear to be points sticking through grass, snow, mud, or brush must be investigated because you just never know what you're going to find.  Below are a few photos of some antlers Frank has picked up that many of us less experienced shed hunters may not have seen as easily.

Frank is now passing his love for deer hunting and antlers onto his son who has been shed hunting with him since age 5.  As you can see from this picture he's already picking up his dad's skills!

When Frank isn't hunting giant bucks or looking for their shed antlers he is an avid CamTrakker user and spends quite a bit of time strategically placing his cameras throughout the woods in hopes of getting a few monsters on film each fall.  Many of you may recognize the photo below as the winner of CamTrakker's Photo Contest several years ago.  Frank actually had multiple sets of antlers from this particular animal who unfortuantely was hit by a car several years ago.  The rack he is carrying in this photo scores roughly 198" while the rack he sported a year before that scored over 220"!

Great photo of a truely amazing buck. http://www.camtrakker.com

Here I am holding over 220" of whitetail antler.  Awesome!