The dead of winter finds many hunters with cabin fever, but one activity peaks soon and offers a way to fight that fever – hunting for deer antler sheds.
Starting around February, whitetail bucks begin dropping their antlers they grew for the fall rut. The exact timing varies from year to year and from place to place, but if they are not already, you can be sure they will be on the ground very soon. Looking for them puts you in touch with nature. If you are a deer hunter, it could also provide clues to the location and habits of bucks that survived the hunting season.
In mid-winter, bucks spend most of their time looking for food, so smart antler hunters focus their attention on places where food is found. Travel paths between feeding and bedding areas are also worth checking.
Other promising places include harvested cornfields, places where grain has been spilled on the ground and food plots on conservation areas.
Game trails, logging roads, wooded fence rows and stream corridors are natural travel lanes for deer and should be checked. South facing slopes are favorite bedding areas because they offer maximum exposure to warm sunshine on clear days.
Hunting shed antlers is like any other kind of hunting. The more you do it, the better you become. Veteran antler hunters in productive areas might bring home dozens of trophies each year. Do not be discouraged if you just find one or two antlers or none at all on your first time out. You will find other rewards that will keep you coming back to the woods this time of year.
You might find antlers at any time of the year, but the best specimens are available February through April. Mice, squirrels and even deer chew on antlers to get the nutrients they contain, so whole antlers do not last long in the wild.
There are many uses for shed antlers, including making knife handles, lamps, pool table lights, dog chews, coast racks, rocking chairs and even chandeliers. If you notice some of the ads for deer chandeliers in log home magazines, they sell for a lot of money. Good, brown antlers can bring as much as $8 – $10 per pound. This a good way to supplement your income.
Should you hunt shed antlers on private property, be sure to get permission from the landowner. Also, if you find antlers attached to a deer’s skull, contact a conservation officer before taking them to receive possession authorization.
Otherwise, if the antlers are not attached to the deer’s skull, authorization is not needed.
Added tips to help you find sheds:
- Every 50 yards or so, do a slow walk then look around a full 350 degrees and scan the ground behind you. Often, antlers that are obscured from one angle could very well be noticeable from another angle.
- If you have the time and access to a property where you are the only one shed hunting, the number one thing you can do to improve your success is to slow down and be methodical and patient in your search.
- Use your GPS to mark places where you find sheds. Then add those places to your maps and journal. Keeping track of this information will help you determine where to hunt in future seasonings.
- Even if you are not a fan of glassing to scan for sheds, they can still be helpful, allowing you to verify something bright and antler shaped in the distance really is an antler and not a chunk of wood or a rock.
- Do not forget to dress in layers and try to bring along a hat and gloves. Moisture wicking fabrics like fleece are best and will help keep you from getting damp and cold should you become lost or injured.
In short, hunting for shed antlers is a lot of fun. Some days you will find more than others. To improve your odds, wait as long as you can, but before green-up, before going out to look. Some bucks drop early, others drop late. Waiting longer equates to more antlers on the ground, increasing the odds in your favor. Always head out before things warm up too much and the vegetation gets too tall, keeping you from seeing the sheds. Limited visibility as well as the temperature will work against you.
