Horn hunting any tips
- Thread starter Little White Dove
- Start date
Looking for sheds at this time of year can cause the animals that havn't dropped yet extra stress as you spook them causing them to burn up vital body reserves. Also if the snow is deep, they will sink into the snow making them impossible to find. I shed hunted for many years when I lived in Manitoba, but I always started as the snow was melted out of the fields and was going/gone out of the bush. They don't all drop at the same time, could all take 3-4 months to come off for deer. Moose should all be off soon. I've heard of guy's making antler traps, but I would never go that route as I would be afraid a buck that's not ready to drop could be entangled in it and starve to death or make him an easy meal for predators.
Super easy, get some page wire (like national park fences), basically spread some barley, oats, or other attractant just inside a small fenced area and a little outside of it (for your fenced area, just wrap the fencing around large trees in a 8 or 10 foot area.
This allows them to put their heads in the holes and knock off antlers.
You can also place your fencing just 2 ft off the ground, the deer will crawl under the fence to get at the feed, their horns will get knocked off that way too.
Only ever found them while wandering a ways into the bush. Found a nice matched set form a moose last summer while taking a dump. Looked up and about 15 yards away there was the first one, second one was less than a stride away. First time finding a pair.
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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A friend of mine strings up a pair of 2x4's just far enough apart that bucks have to turn their heads slightly to get between the boards at the feed below on the far side. They lose lots of antlers at his place when they butt their heads on the boards when pulling out to quit feeding or to look around. Just make sure the bottom board is set not too high up from the ground too or they feed under it without bumping.
Yep and I have found with my dogs they don't even have to be trained to do it but will help find way more than walking alone.
Cheers
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
And don't bend over in front of Cleftwynd or you may get a horn you didn't count on!!
And don't bend over in front of Cleftwynd or you may get a horn you didn't count on!!
She doesn't need to hunt for that horn....lol
Around here in southwestern Ontario, with the small bush lots, deer will typically bed in the southwest corner to catch the afternoon sun and avoid cold north winds. First thing I do is check that corner really well. If there are any antlers to be found, they are usually there.
I've found lots around my haystacks, they tend to drop them while they are eating, rubbing them up against a bale. I found seven sheds in the same spot one year, which included one matched set. The new antlers pushing the old ones off is very itchy, and if they have a place to rub them off chances of finding them increase. That's part of the reason people find them on fence lines, and low tree branches.
I threw a couple of bales under a hay wagon one year, and that produced two sheds. A picnic table also works.
But I've also found them in the middle of a field, and on the edge of a coulee. They fall when they're ready, helping that happen works once in a while.
The deer around my place won't start losing theirs for at least another month, and most usually, closer to March.
