For those deer hunters that read my blog you know the lure of the almighty antler can be just as strong in the Spring as it is in the fall. Our hobby, our tradition, sport, lifestyle whatever you want to call it has become antler obsessed and whats better that going hunting with the opportunity to bring home a big set of antlers? Well its shed hunting, there is no limit on the number of “horns” you can bring home and you don’t have to be obsessively prepared for it, you can take family and friends and just head out and enjoy yourself.
For me shed hunting may be funner than hunting just for those reasons. I love deer hunting but I also love growing things and one of those things is antlers. I mentioned above our antler obsession and I don’t call it that in shame. No doubt that obsession has caused some to commit horrible acts but for the 98% that are good honest people that obsession has done more to better our sport than hurt it. Today as people treat deer hunting as more of a lifestyle than a hobby and manage farms for the deer hunting experience we’ve seen the bar raised on what people are willing to take. I think some people like myself have become more obsessed with growing super bucks than taking them. It gives us the ability to watch them year to year and see what natural means produce the best results. Where I live I frequently hear 150 as a minimum and that’s a great standard if you are a bone measuring addict. I tend to think more in terms of maturity but the two go hand in hand, as a buck matures its antlers grow larger. Regardless we are on the right path toward improving deer hunting for everybody.
As Spring approaches and antlers begin to fall I wanted to share with you a bit about my strategy to get the antlers that you’ve watched grow all year. I don’t want to write another same old boring “shed hunting tips” so having sold hunting land for, with and to some of the best whitetail hunters in the Midwest I’ve been blessed with a collection of knowledge from the best and most successful shed hunters there are. Its always amazed me to be invited into “the secret room” that hides 20-25 year shed collections that have rarely been seen by others. You’d be surprised at the number of collections out there and the people that have 6-7-8 deer generations of sheds dating well back into the 70′s and earlier. What do those guys have in common that has helped them collect thousands and thousands of sheds over the years? Here is what I’ve gleaned from their knowledge.
#1 Food- High quality food sources almost always turn up the first sheds and the most sheds every year. It seems that clover and alfalfa are top choices for the best shed hunters, corn, soybeans and grains follow but don’t overlook a winter water source. I’ve found some of the most successful shed hunters know where there is a secret water hole that stays open year round, sometimes no bigger than a hole big enough to get a whiletail nose in and its yielded them hundreds of sheds walking the trails to it every year.
#2 Bedding- High quality bedding areas are a close second to food sources. By high quality I mean that bedding should be thick, undisturbed and close to food. Some people do not understand what thick cover is until they have actually been in it. If you have ever been in whitetail cover that you look and and say “there is no way I can walk through that” then you have seen thick cover. I’ve heard people say “thats really thick in there” yet you could walk straight across it. Thicker cover is usually a result of forest manipulation that has allowed sunlight to the forest flood and created a tangled jungle of whitetail bedding. It is fallen trees, hinge cut trees, vines, thorn bushes, sapplings, cedars and whatever else will grow. A good stand of switchgrass also offers great cover and seems to be an indicator of someones success as a shed hunter. I’ve noticed that not only do these guys have switch grass on their farms, but they also find every available spot they can with switch grass and get permission to shed hunt it.
#3 Trails between bedding and food sources can be the most difficult to nail down because in reality it can be any trail. A huge shed can take up less than 1 sq foot of space and a winter buck can take up home anywhere he feels safe. There are 43,560 square feet in an acre and 6,969,600 square foot on a 160 acre farm. There could be a shed on any one of those sq foot so most people key in on hot spots only, but the most successful shed hunters know the prize is not easily found and getting off the most heavily traveled paths will yield the biggest sheds.
#4 Timing is important in terms of pressure. Winter whitetails especially big bucks are recovering from rut and they are just laying up getting some rest. If you go in an bump them early they could relocate to a neighbors, go to late and you’ll sit fearing someone is stealing your sheds before you can get to them. The most successful guys seem to have an ability to nail down timing and kick their restlessness by hunting neighboring properties with permission or outlying properties with permission before hitting their own. If you have non-hunting neighbors its a no brainer if they will give you permission to shed hunt to hit them first and early to put some pressure on them and move deer to your own property where hopefully you have good food sources and bedding where they might take up refuge at least until they do shed.
Need to boost the food on your property to try to attract a few deer in? Its a great time to do some tree cutting, the crops are out, the ground is froze and the sap is out of the trees and those trees are a great whitetail food source. Its a great time to drop a few Mulberry trees for the deer to much on and add some food. I’ll usually scatter a few bales of alfalfa in food plots as well where there is no much food left or fill a spreader with corn and spread it in the food plot. Many people are tempted to just dump out a file of corn which I’ve done many times but one shed hunter told me that when you have little or no snow you can use a spreader and just fling the corn all over, the deer have to work harder to get it, it lasts longer and keeps them on the property longer than giving them a buffet style meal.
I didn’t even mention it above but the best advice and #1 quality I have seen in the best shed hunters is patience and hard work. The ability to keep focused, not get off track and going at it day and and day out. Shed hunting can last 4 months for some of these guys. Between their ATV, snowmobile, horses and feet they cover hundreds of miles. Good luck out there this year, bring a pile of em home!
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