Shed antler hunting is one of my favorite pre-season activities. It allows me an opportunity to scout an area in the spring time and get an idea of what bucks/bulls made it through the winter so I can focus my limited time and resources in a particular area for a particular animal. The end of March is when a guy should be able to start maximizing his time looking for sheds although I usually continue to look into the middle of May or as long as the woodticks and poison ivy are sparse. Personally I like to walk when I'm looking for sheds, but if you don't care about keeping up your physical conditioning or you have trouble walking but still love the activity or you want to cover a very large area quickly use your quad or horse. If you have a dog you can train it to find sheds. Here are a few rules to successful shed antler hunting:
1) Location - most important to find the area where wildlife such as deer, moose, elk are spending the most time during the winter. Typically called "deer yards" or wintering areas, you must find out where these animals are herded up and spending a majority of their lives. Usually it will be in areas close to nutritious and easily available food sources with decent cover nearby.
2) Density - you must concentrate your time in areas with the highest density of animals and preferably bucks/bulls because only males of the species shed their antlers each winter as their bodies sense daylight changes which signal hormonal changes and new antler growth resulting in the old ones falling off and being replaced usually with a larger set the next season.
3) Focus on edges and game trails - you will be most successful at finding antlers immediately around the edges or transition areas where forest or bluffs of bush/cover meet areas of meadow, grass or field. Also check the game trails leading from the bedding and feeding areas which can be easily identified by packed snow which usually melts less quickly than the surrounding snow in the forest or fields in general. If there is very little snow to no snow when the animals drop their antlers you will have harder time finding antlers as the animals patterns will be more sporadic because they can move more freely through bush without snow which would force them to make and follow trails. However animals usually use the same trails the whole winter so if you can locate a good trail that's the place to start.
Question: What can I learn from shed antler hunting?
Answer: Shed antlers will allow you to estimate the size, age and density of your deer herd. As well as estimate the health and buck to doe ratio of the species you're focusing on. Generally, if you find mostly large antlers which are thick and 5 point or better you will know that deer are reaching maturity in the area and this is good. I have noticed that in harsh winters I usually find bigger sheds because bigger bucks are usually older and have more experience surviving. Also bigger bucks can better defend themselves against predators.
Question: Why aren't I finding more sheds?
Answer: You may be looking in the wrong area or you must get out earlier than everyone else and look harder. There are many people who shed hunt and a deer only has 2 antlers, which usually drop around the same time and in the same area, so if you find one you are most likely to find the other nearby.
Question: I am finding only small antlers...why?
Answer: The antlers you find is a reflection of the animals that live in that area regarding age, density, and genetics, but also nutrition. If you find only spikes and 3 points your population of animals is likely in poor shape. This is usually the case in heavily hunted areas or areas that are poor habitat as smaller antler size can mean poor nutrition or a shortage of water that year.
Question: How can I find the trophy sheds from the big boys?
Answer: Trophy sheds are rare. I have found hundreds of sheds and very few will be old deer in the trophy age class of 5.5 years old or older. Most sheds I find are 4 points 2.5 or 3.5 year old animals, followed by 5 points. I find very few 6 point sheds and almost all the sheds I find are "typical" sheds. I find very few spikes as these antlers are so small they can easily be overlooked. Most sheds I find are tines up. This goes for whitetails, mule deer and moose. I find singles at least 10x as often as matched sets and sometimes it can be difficult to recognize a matched set as symetry can vary amogst animals. When an animal is injured for example one side can look considerably different from the other. In short if you want to find big sheds you have to let your deer reach maturity or 3.5 years old. I love looking for sheds so the older the deer the more opportunities I have to look for his antlers and the better they get every year. In short, you must let your deer grow old.
1) Location - most important to find the area where wildlife such as deer, moose, elk are spending the most time during the winter. Typically called "deer yards" or wintering areas, you must find out where these animals are herded up and spending a majority of their lives. Usually it will be in areas close to nutritious and easily available food sources with decent cover nearby.
2) Density - you must concentrate your time in areas with the highest density of animals and preferably bucks/bulls because only males of the species shed their antlers each winter as their bodies sense daylight changes which signal hormonal changes and new antler growth resulting in the old ones falling off and being replaced usually with a larger set the next season.
3) Focus on edges and game trails - you will be most successful at finding antlers immediately around the edges or transition areas where forest or bluffs of bush/cover meet areas of meadow, grass or field. Also check the game trails leading from the bedding and feeding areas which can be easily identified by packed snow which usually melts less quickly than the surrounding snow in the forest or fields in general. If there is very little snow to no snow when the animals drop their antlers you will have harder time finding antlers as the animals patterns will be more sporadic because they can move more freely through bush without snow which would force them to make and follow trails. However animals usually use the same trails the whole winter so if you can locate a good trail that's the place to start.
Question: What can I learn from shed antler hunting?
Answer: Shed antlers will allow you to estimate the size, age and density of your deer herd. As well as estimate the health and buck to doe ratio of the species you're focusing on. Generally, if you find mostly large antlers which are thick and 5 point or better you will know that deer are reaching maturity in the area and this is good. I have noticed that in harsh winters I usually find bigger sheds because bigger bucks are usually older and have more experience surviving. Also bigger bucks can better defend themselves against predators.
Question: Why aren't I finding more sheds?
Answer: You may be looking in the wrong area or you must get out earlier than everyone else and look harder. There are many people who shed hunt and a deer only has 2 antlers, which usually drop around the same time and in the same area, so if you find one you are most likely to find the other nearby.
Question: I am finding only small antlers...why?
Answer: The antlers you find is a reflection of the animals that live in that area regarding age, density, and genetics, but also nutrition. If you find only spikes and 3 points your population of animals is likely in poor shape. This is usually the case in heavily hunted areas or areas that are poor habitat as smaller antler size can mean poor nutrition or a shortage of water that year.
Question: How can I find the trophy sheds from the big boys?
Answer: Trophy sheds are rare. I have found hundreds of sheds and very few will be old deer in the trophy age class of 5.5 years old or older. Most sheds I find are 4 points 2.5 or 3.5 year old animals, followed by 5 points. I find very few 6 point sheds and almost all the sheds I find are "typical" sheds. I find very few spikes as these antlers are so small they can easily be overlooked. Most sheds I find are tines up. This goes for whitetails, mule deer and moose. I find singles at least 10x as often as matched sets and sometimes it can be difficult to recognize a matched set as symetry can vary amogst animals. When an animal is injured for example one side can look considerably different from the other. In short if you want to find big sheds you have to let your deer reach maturity or 3.5 years old. I love looking for sheds so the older the deer the more opportunities I have to look for his antlers and the better they get every year. In short, you must let your deer grow old.
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