Shed hunting requires virtually no gear. You can often get by with nothing more than a good pair of hiking boots. But if you’re going to be doing some serious shed hunting, where you expect to find a bunch of sheds or plan to be walking for several days, you might want to beef up your arsenal.

Footwear

Taking care of your feet should be your top priority, especially if you’ll be walking for multiple days. Foot powder is a good idea, especially if your feet are prone to sweating. Keeping your feet dry reduces the chance of getting a blister. Breathable socks also reduce sweat. Wear a pair that give your feet extra cushion for comfort.

Boots are probably the most important piece of equipment for shed hunting. First off, make sure they’re well broken in long before you hike in them. They should provide good ankle support. If they’re leather, make sure you treat the leather as well. In some situations, you’ll want knee-high rubber boots for walking in wet areas. These boots don’t provide good support and aren’t ideal for all-day hiking, but in wet areas, they’re essential.

Eyewear

Vision is critical to shed hunting success. You’ll need sharp eyes to spot antlers, so don’t be too proud to wear those glasses. On sunny days, sunglasses can be helpful as well. Another consideration is protecting those eyes when you’re in brushy or thorny areas. Consider putting on your shades in these situations, or even wearing safety glasses.

Binoculars

Good optics are beneficial in open areas. They’re ideal for quickly scanning a crop field for antlers or for picking apart a hillside or valley in big country. However, they may be unnecessary in thick woods where you can’t see very far. Let the terrain dictate whether they’ll prove useful or not.

Powder

This one might surprise some people, but serious shed hunters wouldn’t be caught without it. Foot powder is great for keeping your feet dry, but even more importantly, powder prevents chafing on your inner thighs and buttocks. All-day hiking produces a lot of friction, and powder makes the difference between striding and waddling back to the truck at the end of the day. And when chafing does occur, medicated powder does wonders.

Clothing

Shed hunters take to the field on brutally cold January days, steamy May days and everything in between. Bring appropriate clothing and realize the weather can change at any moment. It’s never a bad idea to at least put a jacket or a T-shirt in your truck, and having a change of clothing along can be valuable if you get wet.

GPS/Compass/Phone

When you’re staring at the ground all day, it’s not hard to get disoriented. Bring along a GPS, compass or your phone to help you find your way back at the end of the day.

Food and Drink

On an all-day hike, it’s critical to bring along food and drink to keep your body going.

Backpack

A backpack will hold all your gear … and hopefully a bunch of antlers.

Odds and Ends

Bring whatever else suits you: medication, bug and tick repellent, a knife, some rope to string up more sheds and of course, toilet paper.

— Joe Shead is a hard-core outdoorsman and a dedicated shed hunter. Professionally, Joe is an outdoor writer and a former managing editor of Deer & Deer Hunting magazine. His years of shed hunting experience inspired him to write the first full-length book about the topic. “Shed Hunting: A Guide to Finding White-Tailed Deer Antlers” is recognized as the ultimate guide to finding whitetail sheds and can be purchased on his website.