When to shed hunt ?

[CC Hurl]

Just looking for some unfo and ideas on shed hunting. I would like to give it a shot this year.

What is the best time to do it and are there any tricks to having better success?

Thanks for your help.

CC HURL

[sticknstring]

Depends on whether you walk public or private land. If private, I'd wait until March to start walking. You won't push any bucks out of the area and most of the antlers will be shed by then. If public, start anytime. There are plenty of bucks that drop late December. Start in the bedding areas and south-facing hillsides. Try the feeding areas and transitions between as well. Don't expect to find a shed on every trip out. It's truly finding a needle in a haystack unless you've got a great private deer yard to walk. It's all worth it when you find that first one though. Have fun & good luck!

[Musky Buck]

I'll 2nd sticknstring. Areas vary greatly. Where I'm at I had multiple bucks on trail cam full racks in March last year, that's just the way that area is year to year. The earliest we've found an antler there is mid-february. So it depends on where you are and the tendency of timing in your area. I usually wait till mid-march. In the duluth area and I'm guessing northern Minnesota the process is underway or so it seems they shed earlier than where I'm at. My tips would be when you get into an area that is heavily trampled stop and dissect that area thoroughly, for me it's a matter of not looking to soon, I want to, but we're 3 months away from shed time.

[CC Hurl]

These are great tips you guys. I plan to hunt for sheds in the Red Wing area were i hunt on private land.

Beleive it or not but i have found two sheds there in the last four years during the bow season. Was not trying, but just came upon them. Why they were not consumed i do not know. They were both in the ground a little so maybe the little critters just could not drag them were they wanted to and they never got consumed. One was an awsome 10 point and the other was a nice 8 point. Only one side each.

Looks like i will wait until early March to look for new sheds.

I seen some nice bucks this year and have good ideas were they bed and eat so hopefully this will help me out.

I also read one time that affter the first good snow melt is a good time because them sheds stick out nice at that time.

I have never went looking for them and found one. Yes that would be rewarding to find one when looking for them.

Thanks again and i welcome any more tips.

CC HURL

[Musky Buck]

The worst part for me like last year a full melt was underway forcing the bucks/deer out of there wintering grounds and it made for a quick shed scouting mission as there were still racked bucks, but they dispersed from where they were holed up, managed to find a set the weekend before the thaw, but by the next weekend I was swimming in water. Ideally, if they shed before the end of February I'd have much better success meaning actually a longer time to look. Red Wing not familiar with the usual shed time there, although my Twin City boyz last April were seeing full racked bucks, but it definitely doesn't hurt to start looking mid February on as there is no clock they follow precisely.

[Musky Buck]

As far as where to look, for me it depends on the condition of the herd and how tough of a winter/spring it is, the easier on them, not as worried about jumping them as near there bedding areas is a good place to look. Tougher winters and I'll scout perimeters like the food source, trails leading to the bedding areas, but we stay out of there homes. They need no extra stressors in their lives. But, where I'm at for the most part winter is over and late march early April generally they are home free. We'll see what mother nature dishes out to us in the next 2 to 3 months. MB

[CC Hurl]

MB If i understand this right you are saying to treat this shed hunting like i would deer hunting as long as there is a chance the racks are still attached. This would be for the purpose of keeping them in the area until all bucks have lost there racks and to have more chances of finding some?

This makes good sence to me.

I was thinking you were telling me not to scare them out of the area so as to not jepodize next years hunting.

This area i hunt down there has very little presure and with the sheds i have found and the bucks i have seen this year my chances should be some what OK. When i say little presure i mean in the hole area not just the 80 acers i hunt.

I sat the gun seasons down there the last two years and the shots i heard were very few and a good distance away.

Not saying they dont get shot down there but it just seems that i see much bigger bucks down there than i do on the land i hunt in Princeton. I dont even think i would attempt to shed hunt in the Princeton hunting land.

I am looking forward to giving it a try this year. If nothing else it is a good excuse to get out in the woods. Lol

CC HURL

[buckhunter21]

I do it exactly like Musky Buck, I will walk our food plot we leave for them and along the main trails they use every couple weeks but I will not enter their bedding area until late March or even later when I am positive they have all shed and will be returning back to their summer home ranges. If you have the only food source around they wont go far but they might move to the neighbors where you might not have permission to look and like MB said it puts a little added stress on them. I keep my trail cams year round as long as it doesnt get too cold for them to see what bucks moved onto our land for the winter and how far along they are in the shedding process. Once I dont see anymore antlers attached then as soon as the snow starts to dissappear I am out doing as much walking as I can handle.

[BLACKJACK]

I saw a buck just the other day with only one antler.

Some years can be great shed hunting and some are duds. Just keep following the trails between the the feed areas and bedding areas. South facing slopes and south edges of woodlots are good!! I usually wait until March and that first good meltdown of the snow.

[Musky Buck]

And I do likewise buckhunter21. Not concerned over next years hunting, no, just if we get the mother load of snow this winter and conditions are tough and if the herd in the area has had a tough winter, I then just daylight look the field edges, the main trails I follow back in a ways, but I don't want to flush this herd into a tizzy, I'll wait until closer to official spring to head into where they bed the most and after 26 years of scouting/shed hunting they use the same wintering bedding areas. If winter is a cake walk I'm not as concerned if I'm jumping deer because food is abundant, snow fall isn't ridiculously deep, and spooking them once a weekend won't provide much undo stress. Time will tell.

[certified jumbo]

I spend all Jan. Feb. March and April looking hard for deer antlers. Yes, I agree some bucks drop in dec. but from my encounters it is very few. I hunt in 3 seperate areas of the state. In general the 3rd week of February i have seen the most drops. Now that being said it can vary every year.

Its actually fairly simple, the only way your going to have great success is to find area's with large populations of wintering deer. If you are looking in an area that is harboring 8-10 deer, you will find very few sheds if any. Find big numbers of deer and you will find deer antlers, that is the key.

As soon as our group starts finding sheds I will post pics. I can't wait for the shed forum to start again.

Good luck to all who look, also, have a camera with you!! I've taken a pic of every antler i've ever found.

[lungdeflator]

we should resurect (SP?) the shed thread from last year. there was alot of good info in the one with pics

[shedfreak]

Wow, I cant believe you guys wait until March!! I guess its because I walk all public land. I start about the 2nd week of december every year. The earliest I ever picked up a fresh one was december 6th. Between 6 of us, we have 15 sheds this year so far. We still see a bunch still carrying, and we will continue to all year, its just the way it goes, some early, some late, alot in the middle.

[shedfreak]

pics of my measely 2 are up in the deer forum under the shed hunting thread