Finding Freddy's Sheds
"These antlers are definitely one of a kind, and that makes them even more special." - Tom Murphy
By Carol Mulvihill

No stranger to massive elk antlers, Tom Murphy is pictured here with what might be the most impressive set of sheds he's ever found.

It was a typical morning in mid-March at the Benezette Restaurant with local residents Ron Rishel and Tom Murphy sitting at the counter reminiscing about all the fun they had during the good old days when they searched together every spring for elk antlers. Now, both men are older and don't have the same level of agility they had twenty-five years ago. Trekking over the forest trails was something neither had done in recent years. But the happy memories of past success and the longing for the thrill of the search remained.

The conversation turned to the famous town bull elk, nicknamed "Freddy" (Pennsylvania Game Commission elk collar #36). He hadn't been seen in the past few days, and there was still no word in the village about anyone finding his trophy antler sheds.

Out of the blue, Ron suggested that they take a ride up on Winslow Hill, "just to check things out." The duo hadn't looked for sheds together in many years. On their drive, they were lucky enough to spot Freddy....without his antlers. What they did not know is exactly when he might have shed them and whether or not someone had already confiscated the prized set. After driving around the area and scanning the ground that was visible from their vehicle, they returned home, empty handed.

Murphy was restless with antler fever. He had double knee replacements in November, and his new knees were working far better than the old ones did. He couldn't shake the idea of searching for those sheds. That same afternoon, he decided to go back up on the hill and backtrack from where he and Ron had spotted Freddy that morning, to see if he could locate the antlers.

It was March 13 and there was still snow on the ground. Being a veteran shed hunter, Murphy knew the trails as well as the property lines. He located elk tracks and followed them through trails on State Game Lands 311. After two hours of combing the area back and forth on foot, he spotted what looked to him to be a huge odd-shaped tree limb, just over a rise. He knew the basic rule: "When in doubt, check it out."

As he approached, he was awe-struck as he recognized the unusual configuration of Freddy's massive right shed, which sported 10 scorable points. If that wasn't astounding enough, the 8-point left antler was lying there beside it, barely touching the right!

He later measured the circumference of the burrs at the base of the antlers at 14 inches and 14 1/2 inches. The diameter of each burr was roughly 4". The antlers were non-typical and there was a lot of palmation between some of the tines on the right antler, which also had two odd points that resembled crooked fingers. "These antlers are definitely one of a kind, and that makes them even more special," Murphy concluded.

For Tom Murphy, finding Freddy's sheds was a dream come true. Over the years, he has taken hundreds of video clips and photographs of his favorite bull during all seasons, but had never been fortunate enough to find a set of the magnificent bull's trophy antlers, until this year. Sometimes dreams eventually do come true.

Murphy estimates the bull elk's age at 15, which is old in elk years, since a bull is in his prime between 7 and 12 years of age. Murphy, who turned 70 in February, said , "Freddy and I had an agreement this year that he would give me a set of his antlers for my birthday, since we were both getting older and might not have the opportunity to do this again." During his prime, the big bull had shed his antlers on Murphy's birthday in late February on more than one occasion.

According to Murphy, who has lived in Benezette and observed the elk for several decades," Freddy has been the most photographed bull elk in Pennsylvania, and maybe anywhere. The bull's disposition is generally calm, and years ago when he came to town to make it his home range, the first thing the bull did was make friends with the local dogs, which never bark at or bother him. He tolerates a lot of pressure from crowds of tourists. He'd make a good politician."

Ron Rishel was astounded to see Tom pull up to the restaurant with both sheds piled high in his Subaru. When word got around that Tom had found Freddy's sheds, people moaned and coveted the prize. He had won the jackpot at "Elk Bingo." Then the crowd hovered in the parking lot to admire the spectacular find.