Steven,
I use a dremmel tool to cut my antlers and have had good success with that. Around here the deer are already losing their antlers I wouldn't wait until spring to start looking. I have already found a couple of sheds and have lots of pics on my deer cam of bucks that have already lost both antlers. I usually start activelylooking for sheds the first weekend in february and continue into march. If you wait too long around here they get chewed up by squirrels and mice.

Good luck,
Chad