Time to Hunt for Shed Deer Antlers
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If you’re like most deer hunters, you spend the majority of your time in the woods during the fall and winter of each year. However, the habitat that deer live in, just like the animals themselves, are found there year-round — so get out and explore it, learn more about it, and find some shed antlers!
With spring just around the corner and whitetail bucks starting to shed antlers, there is a good opportunity to learn more about your hunting area and the deer that live there. Most hunters get excited when bucks start growing their antlers each year — it’s a chance to witness the impact of past management and look forward to future harvests. It really is something to get pumped up about.
But on the other hand, there are those hunters that get excited as the hunting season ends. It marks the fact that soon bucks will be dropping their coveted antlers. You know, there are ways to get a huge set of antlers on your wall other than shooting the big boy. He may have eluded you during the season, but you can still find his shed antlers!
Click to enlarge.
Finding shed deer antlers not only ends with great rewards you get to take home, but also with some valuable information you can tuck away in your back pocket for next season. Information such as the quality of bucks that made it through the last hunting season, the number of different bucks that were in the area, and specific areas that these bucks used while in your area.
Shed antlers also allow you to physically track bucks that you may have been keeping a close eye on. Measurements that can be taken from year to year include common measurements such as beam length, tine length, and mass measurements.
A few tips to increase your chances of finding deer sheds:
- Look in and around late-season food plots.
- Examine travel corridors and water sources.
- Use a game camera to ensure most bucks have shed.
- Don’t wait too long. Rodents will eat and destroy antlers due to the coveted minerals they contain. In addition, warming weather will spur grass growth and make finding antlers more difficult.
- Keep an eye out for new hunting locations.
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This is my third year hunting sheds and I’m not about to get skunked now. Does anyone know if the Illinois bucks have started dropping their antlers yet or do you think it’s still too early? I know it’s not an exact science, but I thought maybe some of you more experienced hunters could help me out.
Al | Feb 12, 2009 | Reply
How about South Central Pennsylvania? Is it too early to find antler sheds? When do bucks begin losing their antlers in this area? Thanks to anyone with info on this.
Mike | Feb 13, 2009 | Reply
Bucks are dropping antlers in Ohio. I found a match set today.
Eli | Feb 15, 2009 | Reply
I live Northern Missouri and I’ve found fresh shed antlers already, have seen some whitetail bucks with half-racks, and seen big deer still with their racks. I’ve found most of my sheds just over fences they’ve jumped or tried to squeeze though.
Charlie | Feb 16, 2009 | Reply
I live in Ohio. When is the best time to start looking for sheds in southwest Ohio? Any help appreciated!
shawn | Feb 21, 2009 | Reply
I have found 2 nice sets of antlers and my dad has found some too. We went out in mid-January and into this month we are having great luck. It’s a great, cold winter this year.
Brian Wheaton | Mar 2, 2009 | Reply
I am in Iowa and I’ve found 35 sheds this year. One set scored 182 and the other good set I found went 160. Yeah, the bucks were dropping their antlers pretty early this year. Found my first one on January 1, but around this time its really getting good. Good luck everyone.
luke | Mar 4, 2009 | Reply
I have found 4 shed sides and even a complete skull already. And some friends have been finding sheds for about 3 weeks now. We are located in Fulton County, Illinois.
Mike D | Mar 12, 2009 | Reply
I have just started getting into shed hunting over the last couple of years. We have two different locations we hunt whitetails here in southeastern Arkansas. One area is a relativly narrow but long tract of old oaks and hickory surrounded by bean and wheat fields and cattle pastures. The other land is 160 acres of old hardwoods and thick bottoms with a large bayou running right through the middle of the property. Being new to shed hunting, I was just looking for some tips to improve our success rate at finding the sheds. Anyone with ideas can shoot them my way at shabbythat@hotmail.com. Thanks.
Chris Cunningham | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Hey man, there is very little chance of finding antler sheds in Arkansas. Too much cover for the deer, and also very few deer down there. But anyways, look in bedding areas, places where they feed, and deer trails moving in and out of food sources. You might come across a few sheds this way. Nothing big–the reason for that is you are in Arkansas man, not Iowa!
Luke | Apr 20, 2009 | Reply