Sheds on the ground?

[Shedmaster]

First post. Need 3 to message. Curious if there are any shed antler addicts on this forum for starters. Let’s hear you?

 

[Jesselegend01]

Find a few while doing early season scouting wish I had more time to search more got an antler less buck in December this year they may b losing them early

 

[greenjeepguy100]

I also shed hunt with my dog. She loves it. We go in early spring for deer antlers in Eastern Ontario and late august for moose (pre-hunt recon) in Northern Ontario.

Shed hunters typically fiercely protect their spots (as do foragers). As a shed hunter, I won't share exact locations.

However, I decided a while back to stop being a gate keeper and share knowledge so here goes:

Crown land is managed for logging by the province of Ontario with moose and deer wintering needs considered. Consequently, there are areas where loggers working crown land must maintain minimum evergreen winter cover % for winter condition protection and winter browse availability. These areas are outlined in the Wildlife Values Maps below. The location of publicly accessible crown land is presented in the crown land atlas.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/white-tailed-deer-management-policy-ontario

Go to the following Ontario Wildlife Values Area and look for Deer Wintering Yards (Stratum 2). Those will be marked in dark blue. You will find sheds where deer spent the winter:

https://geohub.lio.gov.on.ca/datase...a/explore?location=45.155722,-76.705950,10.64

Cross reference the Deer Wintering Yard locations with the Ontario Crown Land Atlas:

https://www.lioapplications.lrc.gov.on.ca/CLUPA/index.html?viewer=CLUPA.CLUPA&locale=en-CA

This is the best way to public areas to find sheds. Find where deer winter and go in early spring. Don't be surprised to find other shed hunters in the woods. Go in early Spring once the snow melts but before the plants (and bugs) come out.

Pro tip:

Look up public lands owned by municipalities and Conservation Authorities (CA). They usually have GIS systems online providing the location of publicly accessible lands owned by the municipalities and CA's.

Examples:

https://www.countyofrenfrew.on.ca/en/business-and-development/maps.aspx

https://www.lanarkcounty.ca/en/roads-trails-and-transit/maps.aspx

https://mvc.on.ca/development-permits/interactive-property-map/

Best of luck!

We started training indoors with shed antlers (hide and seek). We then moved it outside in the park and at our country property. Now the dog just randomly brings back antlers whenever we go on walks in the woods.

 

[Shedmaster]

Great advice and tips for beginners. I shoulda mentioned I’m a well seasoned shed hunter. Was addicted to the sport years ago. But have found medication for that since.

 

[fingers284]

had a herd of 20 Mule deer milling around the house for the last few days, 3 bucks still carrying their bone in the bunch

 

[Waterfowler]

I love looking for them. Don't usually start till March though.

Give the bucks a chance to recoup after the rut. They can be very weak this time of year and don't need to be getting pushed unnecessarily.

 

[Shedmaster]

I love looking for them. Don't usually start till March though.

Give the bucks a chance to recoup after the rut. They can be very weak this time of year and don't need to be getting pushed unnecessarily.

Agree 100% with leaving them undisturbed in their bedding areas. I Can’t wait till March is my addiction problem. So I look where I know I don’t disturb them. And I do well. Been shed hunting long before it was a thing. Nowadays the sport has exploded and the competition is ridiculous.
So if you wait till March nowadays you’ll be out picked.
But I’m getting too old to really care anymore anyhow. I like to give young guys advice I’ve gained over the years and let them do the finding. And I do the holding.

 

[jbmauser]

Found my first shed Boxing Day. Too much snow now to effectively look for them so I’m impatiently waiting for spring. I put on many, many miles hiking every year for sheds, particularly from the deer I hunt and watch all year. I find it very rewarding to have the sheds from a buck that I later shoot.

Any chalky or unimportant sheds get thrown into a big pile at my cabin for a future shed arbor build. Would have had enough but I lost a huge pile in a fire

 

[Shedmaster]

Found my first shed Boxing Day. Too much snow now to effectively look for them so I’m impatiently waiting for spring. I put on many, many miles hiking every year for sheds, particularly from the deer I hunt and watch all year. I find it very rewarding to have the sheds from a buck that I later shoot.

Any chalky or unimportant sheds get thrown into a big pile at my cabin for a future shed arbor build. Would have had enough but I lost a huge pile in a fire

That’s sad. I sold my collection a while back. Taking a long time to rebuild it. That’s sad too.

 

[Licensed to kill]

my son-in-law is an avid shed hunter. He has been buying/selling and picking sheds for years. This is his pile of run-of-the-mill sheds. The best ones are displayed in the living room and the other “best” ones are stored elsewhere. This pile probably represents about half of his total but that changes constantly.

 

[Shedmaster]

my son-in-law is an avid shed hunter. He has been buying/selling and picking sheds for years. This is his pile of run-of-the-mill sheds. The best ones are displayed in the living room and the other “best” ones are stored elsewhere. This pile probably represents about half of his total but that changes constantly. View attachment 893669

Very nice. My pile wouldn’t fit on this forum.

 

[jbmauser]

Most of the bucks on cam had dropped by Christmas and there wasn’t much snow so I headed out Boxing Day. Didn’t put too many miles on or pushed through any bedding areas but I had to look lol

 

[Suther]

What do you guys do with the sheds? Just put them in a big pile at the foot of your bed to stare at as you go to sleep every night? My wife probably wouldn't approve of that, and my dog would ABSOLUTELY think they're hers...

 

[powdergun]

Cut a thick shed in half length ways and smear the holes with peanut butter. Keeps my lab happy for quite a while. And when it needs to be recharged he brings it to me and lets me know lol...

 

[jbmauser]

What do you guys do with the sheds? Just put them in a big pile at the foot of your bed to stare at as you go to sleep every night? My wife probably wouldn't approve of that, and my dog would ABSOLUTELY think they're hers...

The best ones I display and the rest are going to be turned into an arbor at my cabin. Should be able to make a pretty big arch and just keep adding as I collect.

 

[dpopl8r]

These are fresh drops from last weekend, not all of them that we found, but these were the biggest 2. Both bucks we passed on this past fall hunting season estimating them at 4 1/2 years old. Central Alberta

 

[Smitz]

For reference I have basically no experience shed hunting... Do you guys ever find them close to rub lines from the rut? Or just generally spread around their area?

 

[dpopl8r]

We mostly find them where deer have been feeding (crop fields), field edges and along deer trails heading to and from bedding and feeding areas. But it can be pretty random where you find them, you need to cover lots of ground.

 

[jbmauser]

Just for fun some pics of my best days of shed hunting. Have more but not on my phone.

 

[Shedmaster]

Just for fun some pics of my best days of shed hunting. Have more but not on my phone.

Just for fun some pics of my best days of shed hunting. Have more but not on my phone.

Youze looks to be southern AB or Sk.
I’m not that lucky to walk open terrain. Have small fields and heavy boreal forest. But no hills. Nice pics.
Good thing I don’t know how to post pics on this forum or I would probably overload the system.