Habitat86

Since I am in a great mood (Partly because the snow is melting, partly because my teething, 6mo. daughter is sleeping), I will share some pointers that I have learned over several years. Any veterans feel free to throw in anything in you want! ENJOY

#1: Look for 1-2" of antler (tines of course, but also main beams and bases) instead of the whole thing. You would be surprised at the ones that you walk right by. (And how stupid you feel when your buddy finds one BEHIND you)

#2: Search in bedding areas near food sources. These can be a 10 ft. wide filter strip or an 80 acre patch of pines. Many times the bucks will bed down, the chemicals will be released that cause them to drop, leaving the oh so beautiful set of sheds laying two feet apart.

#3: Search where other people don't. Put your time in. Pack a lunch and go all day, go remote, and go often. Try to avoid any competition. Consider taking a canoe.

#4: Food sources are a high priority. They are a high priority for deer, and should also be a high priority for you. Flat farm fields are easy to cover, especially from a vantage point with good optics. Cornfields are difficult to search, but when done right, they can yield amazing results.

#5: Get a decent pair of binoculars. They can save you hundreds of trips of walking 50-100 yards to check out that stick that looks like an antler.

#6: Don't put too much pressure on the deer before they have shed. Spread your efforts out to a larger area. If you see shredded bark on top of a fresh snow under a big rub that you find, you may be a little early.

#7: Get to know your local herd. Deer are usually fairly predictable. Even if you only see does, don't be discouraged. Pay attention to how they react to harsh winter weather. In my area (50-60 deer per sq. mi.), I have noticed that deer migrate out from their home areas towards late winter, mostly because the food has been eaten. Fence rows in Ag fields can be prime.

#8: Go squirrel hunting. Squirrels eat sheds faster than most people think. I have found antlers with blood on the base that are halfway gone. They taste good, and you can sell the tails to Mepps for free/discounted fishing lures.

#9: Don't be too hardcore. You should enjoy what you are doing, because 90% of the time, you will come back empty-handed, with a fresh mental image of an early spring sunset. If you enjoy going and not finding, you will never be disappointed.



Happy shedding!