Time to Hunt for Shed Deer Antlers
BuckManager.com | March 10 | Breeding and Rutting Activity, Non-typical Stuff
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.
Related Posts:
New Texas Non-Typical Record!
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
I’m 14 and only found 1 shed my whole life, a five point. I got my first whitetail buck on December 29, 2009. It was a nice 10 pointer. I’m in Ohio, so what time do bucks lose their antlers around here? I’m kinda new at this so, I can use all the help I can get! Thanks.
Jensen | Feb 14, 2010 | Reply
White-tailed deer do shed their antlers at different times of the year depending upon where they live. Much of this has to do with the environment, which is related to latitude, which also affects food availability. In general, you have the best chances of finding shed antlers after the majority of bucks have lost their antlers.
If you head out too early, only a small percentage of bucks will have lost their antlers, making it difficult or next to impossible to stumble across any. If you wait too late, then the new-growth spring vegetation gets too thick, and you can’t see anything. As such, I recommend searching for antlers right at spring green-up. This gives you a good window because the maximum number of antlers will be on the ground and you will have your best chance at seeing them. When things just begin to turn green, brown antlers stand out on a bed of green.
This effect will not be the same in forested areas where the ground is devoid of growth, but it still offers your best shot at locating shed antlers.
Buck Manager | Feb 14, 2010 | Reply
The whitetail deer population in Arkansas is not the problem. We have good deer numbers. Landscape and groundcover, maybe. Just because we are not in Iowa does not mean there are no deer here.
Robert | Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
It’s Friday, Febuary 26th here in Arkansas and this morning 12 or better deer have just walked past my kitchen window. Nary a rack on any of them. A few have white “spots” where their antlers should have been, so I’m assuming that at least here in Northwest Arkansas the deer have shed. I’m going looking and will report back.
Steve | Feb 26, 2010 | Reply
Steve, thanks for the report. I’m sure the shed hunters in your area will appreciate the information. Let us know what you find!
Buck Manager | Feb 26, 2010 | Reply
Yeah, I know. I did too! Great find!
John | Feb 28, 2010 | Reply
Hello, I’m from western Maryland I just saw a buck tonight along the road and he was still carrying his rack. I was very surpised. I also hunt in Southeast Ohio, so anyone from that area please let me know if the bucks are dropping so I can plan a trip. Thanks!
Alan Crawford | Mar 8, 2010 | Reply
Hello, I’m 15 and have ben shed hunting many areas around southern Ohio and have yet to find one shed. This is my first year looking for sheds. I lived most of my life in Texas, but I did shoot my first deer, a doe, in Ohio this year. I was wondering when deer drop there antlers in Ohio and and where I should look to find them?
Tyler R. | Mar 8, 2010 | Reply
You better start now before they all get picked up. Check bedding areas, food sources, heavy trails, thickets, and most importantly south facing hill sides–thats were your mostly gonna find shed horns.
Luke | Mar 13, 2010 | Reply
It’s 3/14/2010. I live in northeast Ohio and I got about 8 bucks living on my property and they still have their antlers! I video and glass them at the feeders every night .
Brian | Mar 14, 2010 | Reply
I found a set of matching antlers that scored 168 inches on March 8, 2010 in southern Missouri.
Tom Rathbun | Mar 16, 2010 | Reply
Luke is a dumb yankee. Another Arkansas man here. We have plenty of deer. You had a good point about the brush and woods. All it takes is knowing your land and knowing where the deer travel. I like to trap sheds. Get on youtube and look at some of the antler traps. I have tried the chicken wire and it works. Good luck man, good luck Chris.
Brandon | Nov 22, 2010 | Reply
I was just wondering when is it time to find deer sheds? I try to go every year.
John | Feb 14, 2011 | Reply
John, I believe Buck Manager stated that they drop based upon your latitude, but I have another hint that could help you out. In the Texas Hill Country we know to look for them around late March to after Easter… but if you’re unfamiliar with when the deer in your area drop their antlers, here is my suggestion. If you have a trail camera, set it in area that you KNOW bucks travel through or around…such as a trail on a heavily used food source, or by a protein feeder, or even next to a water source that is known to bring bucks in. You may have to dump a pile of mineral in front of a tree so you can guarantee they show.
You should check the trail cam weekly (especially the first week to make sure bucks are showing up in the first place), but don’t check it more than that. You’ll notice when the bucks start dropping, and also keep in mind that a few bucks will hold on to theirs longer than others. You will definitely want to wait until the majority have dropped before you start looking unless we’re talking about small acreages.
I’ve had the itch to go out too early and spent 10 hours only to find one side of a very small 4 pointer… only to go the same places 4 weeks later and find more than I could carry in my pack. If you don’t have a trail camera or the means to get one, sitting on a stand in an area visited by bucks would work too. Best of luck to you
Hunter D | Feb 16, 2011 | Reply
Yes, antler shedding varies with latitude and even by location within the same latitude. Hunter D offers some great ideas on using game cameras to show when most of the antlers in an area have dropped. I’ve used this technique myself and it’s about as good as it gets.
Buck Manager | Feb 16, 2011 | Reply
I live in east Tennessee and went shed hunting today. Found 3 completes and another single. My favorite place to find them is along fence lines where the deer jump and where bucks go under the fence and get hung up. I found the shed off a good 10 point that I thought had been lost earlier in bow season. I guess deer can heal pretty well.
Conway | Feb 20, 2011 | Reply
Anytime from the middle February to the start of April is good. I just found two sheds, an 8 point and a 6 point.
Domanick | Feb 27, 2011 | Reply
I went out shed hunting the first time ever today with my husband and parents. Followed a deer trail near a creek and found one after two hours or searching! Very exciting, can’t wait to go back.
Jenny | Feb 27, 2011 | Reply
When is it the right time to find shed antlers if I live in southeast Ohio?
Frank | Mar 2, 2011 | Reply
I don’t think there is any thing about latitude that makes deer headgear fall off. I live in upstate New York where most of the time our winters are pretty brutal with upwards of 6 feet of snow for 5 months out of the year. I have found deer in one area where hail damaged a farmers soybean crop of about 60 acres, so he didn’t harvest them. The deer there had horns in April when I was shed hunting… and 3 miles away I was finding sheds in December.
Another example is last year we didn’t get a harsh winter and I got trail camera pictures the second week in April of several bucks with antlers. This year the same buck I saw the first week of December was antlerless. It all depends on food sources, buck to doe ratio and hunting pressure.
Curt Douglas | Mar 3, 2011 | Reply
Pennsylvania, G2 and G3 about 11 inches, found today. Looking on public ground, and second year in a row I scored! Not quite the monster I found last year, but I’m looking in PA, so I’m happy finding anything.
Matt | Mar 19, 2011 | Reply
Does anyone know any places in Texas where I can take my wife shed hunting. I’m in the military near the Hill Country. She’s new to all this and I want get her shed hunting and hopefully find a place to let her hunt this next deer season. Thanks. krisjasontipler@yahoo.com
Jason | Mar 23, 2011 | Reply
I have just found two antlers and my buddies are finding some as well, but I have found the biggest one so far. Live in Vermont.
Mario | Mar 24, 2011 | Reply
Hey, I live in North Carolina out in the boondocks and I’m wondering when I can find sheds off the bucks out here?
Patrick Huff | Nov 29, 2011 | Reply
I live in eastern Missouri and found 32 sheds last year. My first was Feb. 16th and my last was Easter weekend. If you don’t have your own land or your land is too far of a drive, try going to public lakes or conservation land near you. I would ask permission first, but that’s just me. Good luck to you all this season. I know I’m pumped for the 1st of Feb.
Dalton | Jan 15, 2012 | Reply