Where to Find More Shed Antlers

Everyone wants to find more sheds. Just where to look is a broad topic that varies across whitetail range, depending on what habitat is available. But two things are universal: Deer spend most of their time during the shedding period either feeding or resting. Identifying those areas locally will go a long way to helping you find sheds.

Food Sources

In agricultural areas, preferred food sources are often easy to identify. Drive back roads in the evenings to see which fields deer prefer, then try to get landowner permission to shed hunt. Youxe2x80x99ll find deer may show a preference for some fields over others. In winter, deer readily eat corn, soybeans and alfalfa, but not all fields are created equal. Crops that were left unharvested obviously have more attraction power. The equipments used to harvest fields can make a difference as well. Modern implements harvest crops quite efficiently, but less-efficient models may leave more grain behind.

Waterways xe2x80x94 low, grassy strips in agricultural fields xe2x80x94 can be dynamite shed hunting spots. Deer travel these low spots for cover and may be able to find water and grassy bedding cover. Plus, itxe2x80x99s easier to cover these narrow strips more effectively than sprawling fields that could cover hundreds of acres.

In cattle country, feedlots are antler havens. Ranchers put out hay or other feed for their livestock, and deer help themselves. Not only do feedlots attract deer; these areas are usually easy to search. And donxe2x80x99t forget to look around stored hay bales.

A shed was found lying where deer had been feeding on a balsam fir.

If a good field is just too large to cover on your limited time, walk the edges, especially those close to good bedding cover. If you donxe2x80x99t have time to cover the whole field, use binoculars to spot large sheds, then make a pass or two near the edge. Donxe2x80x99t forget to make a few more passes in the first 100 yards of adjacent bedding cover.

Mast trees may attract deer in winter too, whether itxe2x80x99s an entire oak forest or a lone crab apple tree. Tracks, beds and droppings will tell you if deer are feeding on mast in and around these areas. If youxe2x80x99re looking in oaks, where deer fed on acorns, search early and often to find antlers before squirrels chew on them.

In forested regions, food sources are usually less defined than in agricultural areas. Look for clearcuts. Deer feed on slash in areas that are being actively logged. Theyxe2x80x99ll continue to feed in these areas for several years, feeding on shrubs, forbs and young trees that sprout up.

Bedding Cover

Bedding areas are good bets for finding antlers because deer spend hours at a time in one location. When a buck stands from his bed, he may shake an antler loose.

Shed Hunting Guide by Joe Shead — Get Joe Sheadxe2x80x99s shed hunting book and DVD here.

When considering bedding cover, keep direction in mind. In winter, deer usually bed on the south side of standing or fallen trees, hillsides or other objects. Doing so allows them to soak up radiant heat from the sun.

Coniferous forests, including cedar, spruce, fir and pine, serve as excellent bedding habitat. The branches serve as windbreaks and will hold snow off the ground, making it easier for deer to travel. Plus, cedars are an excellent food source in the north, and deer also utilize balsam fir when they get hungry enough.

Although coniferous forests harbor deer, searching them is difficult because therexe2x80x99s so much ground that could harbor antlers. Areas with scattered evergreens provide ideal bedding spots and are much easier to search. Whether these evergreens are in an open pasture or scattered among hardwoods, deer go out of their way to bed under them. Check them out, particularly on the south side.

South-facing hillsides are particularly good. Whether youxe2x80x99re talking about a mountain or a hump sticking up three feet higher than the surrounding swamp, the presence of at least some elevation is all that matters. Deer will bed there, often on the south side of fallen or standing trees.

In open areas, deer will bed in any available cover. It could be a grove of cottonwoods along a river bottom, a shelterbelt near buildings or an old rotten log. Where cover is lacking, they may bed in tall grass, particularly on south-facing hills.

Deer use agricultural areas as feeding spots and will drop their antlers here.

One final thought: when people start out shed hunting, theyxe2x80x99re often told to look at fence crossings. Itxe2x80x99s true, deer knock off antlers when jumping over fences, but herexe2x80x99s a tip: donxe2x80x99t look just at the fence. A deerxe2x80x99s momentum can propel the antler several feet from the fence.

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xe2x80x94 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. xe2x80x9cShed Hunting: A Guide to Finding White-Tailed Deer Antlersxe2x80x9d is recognized as the ultimate guide to finding whitetail sheds and can be purchased on his website.