Shed Hunting Tactics

[TN Whitetail Freak]

Me....ive never found a shed.....do u guys hit the woods specifically looking for sheds or do most of your finds come when turkey hunting or squirrel hunting...i guess one of the main reasons ive never found one is because im rarely in the woods btw Feb-Sept.....how long does it take for sheds to become victims to squirrels

 

[catman529]

Look wherever the deer are, especially close to bedding, fence crossings, travel routes, fields, clearings, thickets etc. I found one while turkey hunting last year in a CRP field, but usually find em while specifically shed hunting before turkey season. Squirrels will get to em, if there are squirrels in the area... However the time varies. I've found a perfect 5 pt shed in August in hardwoods, and I've found chewed-up fresh sheds in march in bottomland. I'm sure mice and other rodents also chew on them. More motivation to shed hunt more before the critters get em! Good luck

 

[J-WO]

I'm with TN Whitetail Freak. I've only found a couple of sheds in all of my years hunting,but have also only gone out shed hunting a few times (never actually found any while out). Do you guys usually try and hit big tracks of land?

 

[nate17]

If you want to find lots of sheds, be prepared to put in lots of miles. Late season food sources and travel corridors would be a good starting point.

 

[Solo Hunter]

Cloudy days are the best days to go on. The sheds will stand out better then on a sunny day. On sunny days everything in the woods shine including the leaves making them harder to spot. Trails to and from feeding areas as well feeding areas are good places to look this time of year. They're dropping some now but your odds will be better in a couple of weeks or more.

 

[deerhunter10]

walk walk walk and walk some more you gotta put your time in to find them. I find the majority of mine, thick trails to and from bedding areas and fence crossing. but you just never know. gotta be out there to find them. also if it even some what resembles an antler go look at it. and the vast majority of the horns fall tines down so you really gotta look.

 

[Hollar Hunter]

Since your in the shed hunting contest I will let you in on a insider secret! You want to check the bottoms of all the creeks and rivers where deer USUALLY drop them off at. A good treble hook dragging across the bottom works real well!

 

[TENN.BOY]

Had some friends go to a farm in Iowa this past thurs. that they hunt and stayed til sunday and found 64 sheds and give them all to the farmer that owns the land.

 

[catman529]

Since your in the shed hunting contest I will let you in on a insider secret! You want to check the bottoms of all the creeks and rivers where deer USUALLY drop them off at. A good treble hook dragging across the bottom works real well!

Don't listen to this guy's advice, he has lost all shed hunting skill, due to using a dog. :D

 

[catman529]

Cloudy days are the best days to go on. The sheds will stand out better then on a sunny day. On sunny days everything in the woods shine including the leaves making them harder to spot. Trails to and from feeding areas as well feeding areas are good places to look this time of year. They're dropping some now but your odds will be better in a couple of weeks or more.

This is true, I prefer cloudy days too.

I forgot to mention in my above post, how to train your eyes... don't go around looking for a whole antler lying in plain sight. You will find them that way sometimes, but you will have better luck if you train your eyes to pick up on any light colored, slender object that could be a tine, curved main beam, a couple tines coming up from a main beam, etc. Once you have honed in your looking skills you will probably notice a lot of bones and pale faded twigs. I love finding a bone pile too. I always look for the skull... last 2 skulls I found were keepers, a very old doe and the buck one I just picked up, never discount a bone pile, there may be something worth keeping there too.

 

[Hollar Hunter]

Snorkeling is where I find the most...

 

[nate17]

Snorkeling is where I find the most...

LOL

 

[Winchester]

Wherever the deer in your area are spending the most time in the next 6 weeks will be your best bet! Ive found them in all types of terrain and cover, but feeding areas and thick areas such as powerlines have been very good to me over the years, when I actually took the time to shed hunt.

 

[TheLBLman]

One tactic is to act like you're looking for a bone-colored marble instead of an antler. Or a small bone, instead of an antler. You will seldom see the whole antler from the first position you can see a small portion of it.

When antlers are lying tines up, and especially one with 4 or more points, from a distance, it may appear as 3 to 5 marbles close together in a row (as all you see are the tine points protruding above the grass line or leaves.

Another place to be looking is ABOVE the ground, especially in honeysuckle where they're feeding. Last year I found a beautiful shed from a 130-plus buck about 4 feet above the ground, hanging in some honeysuckle.

 

[Mike Belt]

My baby Tn rattlin antlers...