Shed Hunting 101

[tooley]

Since there is not much to talk about now that the season is over, I think it time for a lesson on shed hunting. I would like to hear the experts advise on where you find most of your bigger sheds. And I don't mean exact locations. I am curious to know what kind of terrain, elevation, north, west, east, south, thick bush, open areas etc. Maybe by april I'll be an expert too.

[MattB]

Thats a nearly impossible question to answer. It might sound sarcastic but big sheds are where you find them! Once you find one big shed in an area keep looking in that area as you are bound to find more! They can be on steep ground, flat ground or anything inbetween. Typically, i do find them on ridgetops or benches...anywhere you would expect to see a bedded buck.Best advice i can give you is to get out looking for sign now and maybe find a few bucks. Concentrate on those spots once the snow melts.

[300H&H]

So much depends on the winter/spring weather.
If you get a winter like we are having, expect to find most of the sheds on SOUTH FACEING SLOPES. South slopes tend to have less snow and loose the snow faster in the spring. With that said you can find them every where. But the snow can/will push deer down to a leavel at which they can walk & forage easier. This means deer tend to YARD UP. Find these spots and you are more likely to have some luck. Quite often when there is lots of snow it keeps the bucks at one elevation so use your GPS.
When I go out; and there is snow, I look at deer trails to see if I can see tiny spots of blood. After a buck drops his antlers the pedicals bleed for a while. Follow the blood trail and you SHOULD find some antlers.
As for the saying "deer/moose/elk drop BOTH antlers in one spot", some times they do. But not always. I've found sheds just inches apart and hundreds of yards apart. I do try to look along fence lines. When bucks jump over and come down the jarring to the body is sometimes enough to nock off a antler. I've picked up sheds in juniper bushes. I guess the pedical gets itchey and they like to rub the bush to try and nock them off. If you find one, use flagging tape to mark a tree close by and start working your way around, circleing the tree and going 5 feet farther out each pass.
Just because you have looked over a area once does not mean you should not try it again. Ive walked in the fresh snow one week and came back the next week to find a shed in my boot track.
Sheds can drop as early as December to as late as May. Both months are at the extream ends of dropping but you never know.
You may even want to try and build a antler trap. But start baiting the trap soon to get as many deer in as possible.
Good luck & get out.

[dana]

I think the secret to finding sheds is just getting out there and pounding the ground. You can't pick up tine if you are slaving away at home doing honey do's. The amount of time I put it and the amount of ground I cover would blow your mind. I do it because I love trying to piece the puzzle together. It is like a huge treasure hunt. Sometimes I hit paydirt, but most of the time I come home beat and tired with nothing. But I still look at that as productive as well. When you go out in the off season, you are still learning. From getting to know the lay of the land to seeing fall rubs to seeing the early stages of velvet, it all gets put in the memory bank to help out come the fall hunts.

[bridger]

if you cam find a good food source such as an alfalfa field or something similiar where deer are congregating and feeding during the winter you will find some sheds

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

Just go over to shedhunters place they are laying all over the yard , Help your self!

[Shed Hunter]

Get out off bed in the mornings. Get permission from your wife so you can leave them all March and April. Walk 8 to 12 hrs a day( every day). But not at my place.

[#1fishslayer]

I found a 3 pt whitetail antler today in the middle of the road. I stoped picked it up and carried on my way to work. I forgot to mention it was a sawed off one, not a shed, but hey I found it. lol

[hunter1947]

Most sheds are found on the south sides ,hit an area where you see lots of animals in Feb on the south side and you will find what your looking for.