Time to Hunt for Shed Deer Antlers

Hunting for shed antlers means getting out in the woods at a different time of the year. If you’re like most white-tailed deer hunters, then you spend the majority of your time in the woods during the fall and winter of each year. However, the habitat that white-tailed deer live in — just like the animals themselves — are found there year-round. Shed hunting is a good opportunity to get out and explore the area you hunt, learn more about it, and possibly even find some nice shed antlers.

With spring just around the corner and whitetail bucks beginning to shed last year’s antler growth, there is a good opportunity to learn more about your deer hunting area as well as the deer that live there. Hunters get excited when bucks start growing their antlers each year because it’s a chance to witness the affect of past management activities and offers a look ahead to, hopefully, future harvests. It really is something to get pumped up about.

Best Time to Look for Shed Antlers

Shed Hunting Season

Then, on the other hand, there are some hunters that also get pumped up after the hunting seasons have already ended. Those guys and gals are the shed hunters. Once winter sets in, it marks the fact that soon whitetail bucks will be dropping, casting their coveted antlers. As it turns out, 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!

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.

Best Time to Find Cast Antlers

Shed Hunting Tips

  • Look in and around late-season food plots and other food sources.
  • Examine deer travel corridors, water sources and anywhere deer commonly travel.
  • Use a game camera to monitor the deer herd and ensure most of the bucks in the area have already shed their antlers before your start. More antlers on the ground ups your chances at finding them.
  • Don’t wait too long to hunt for sheds. Rodents will eat and destroy cast antlers due to the coveted minerals they contain. In addition, warming weather will spur forb and grass growth and make finding antlers much more difficult.
  • Keep an eye out for new hunting locations. This may inspire you to cover more ground, increasing your chances of finding deer sheds.

51 thoughts on “Time to Hunt for Shed Deer Antlers”

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. I live in Ohio. When is the best time to start looking for sheds in southwest Ohio? Any help appreciated!

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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!

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.

  13. 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.

  14. 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!

  15. 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?

  16. 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.

  17. 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 .

  18. I found a set of matching antlers that scored 168 inches on March 8, 2010 in southern Missouri.

  19. 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.

  20. 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

  21. 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.

  22. 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.

  23. Anytime from the middle February to the start of April is good. I just found two sheds, an 8 point and a 6 point.

  24. 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.

  25. 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.

  26. 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.

  27. 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

  28. 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.

  29. Hey, I live in North Carolina out in the boondocks and I’m wondering when I can find sheds off the bucks out here?

  30. 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.

  31. Anyone ever thought about creating a trap to knock a bucks weakened antlers off when he is feeding in front of a trail cam? I just got back from Iraq after the North Carolina deer hunting season ended, but I threw up my cam anyway and some acorn mash; low an behold I have a monster 8pt, a 3pt, and 12 does coming to the bio rock regularly. I want to try and “catch” his horns when he goes in for a taste.

    Any “antler trap” ideas? I was thinking about 4 stakes with fishing leaders or 100 pound test line running chris-cross between them to make an “x” above the bio rock. I was thinking 6-8″ off the ground. Maybe the wire would catch his horns and knock them off before his trail or bedding area does. Thoughts?

  32. I was just wanting to reply on the concepts of deer dropping their horns. I been doing some research on this because myself and one of my friends was interested in trying to find some sheds this year. We are avid deers hunters. So we decided in mid Janurary to start corn piles and put our game cameras on them in different locations on the farms we have to hunt.

    What we have learned thus far, is that we’re getting pics of bucks, none of which have lost either side. We check our cameras and freshen our corn piles every Saturday. A lot of them are just pics of the same bucks we had on camera back in September and October. So were waiting to see when they are going to start shedding in our area. We live on the Kentucky- Tennessee line on the Cumberland Plateau region.

    Thanks for your time and I hope this has been helpful for those of you that live in this region.

  33. Normally in Oklahoma the bucks don’t shed until February 3rd, however this year I had not found any until today, February 25th. I don’t know if this is a late year because of the weather patterns or what, but definitely different. Good luck in your search.

  34. I saw 18 deer today, no sheds. Five bucks all still had both sides. I’ll just wait another week or two before heading out shed hunting again.

  35. Hi Mario, glad to see another Vermonter on here (rare lol). I was just looking to see if horns were dropping yet up here. On March 3rd a buddy of mine up around Charlotte-Monkton area almost hit a 6-8 pt with its horns. He was shocked lol. Where are you located, roughly north or south of Chittenden County? I’m in Burlington.

  36. Does anyone know about the timing of antler shedding in the San Juan Islands, north of Seattle, Washington? Our climate is quite different from most of the country, and I think that would affect the rutting season. Very little below-freezing temps or snow.

  37. I live in northwest Ohio. This year I found a massive 8 point shed and 2 skulls. One was 6 pt and the other is a 10 pt the 10 pt had a 4 inch drop tine on it!!! And this year is just getting started!

  38. Has anyone found any sheds in mid Michigan this year? I saw a monster about three weeks ago but he still had his antlers.

  39. Hey, I’m from Michigan and I have been interested in finding sheds. I was wondering when the right time is to go find sheds in Michigan?

  40. Tye, I would think the time is getting close. The best bet is to wait as long as you can but before the growing season starts then get out there. Of course, rodents will be chewing on them once they hit the ground. A good idea is to keep a camera out so that you can monitor bucks in the area. Good luck!

  41. How long does does it take for rodents to chew up the antlers? It’s the end of February in Ohio, and I checked my game camera and lots of bucks have only one antler. I’m afraid it’s too early but I don’t want the rodents to eat them before I get out.

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