wHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO ENTER THE WOODS TO LOOK FOR SHEDS I HUNT THE MIDWEST MAINLY IN ILLINOIS IN BEELEVILLE BOUT THIRTY MINUTES FROM SAINT LOUIS ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APRECIATED THANKS.

I'm curious about this also. I am in western PA. I have a good eye for spotting things such as feathers and hair. Are there better places to look - near trees, near thickets, anything specific?

Here in east central Illinois ( Champaign County and Vermillion County ) I start looking for sheds around the 20th of January usually. The bulk of the antlers I find are usually in February and the the 1st couple of weeks of March. I try to pattern the bucks in the areas that I shed hunt through the year, this helps to narrow my search areas down. I have to say my favorite place to find them is in bedding and stagging areas. I have also had good luck on field edges. Try starting at a food source and then start back tracking the deer tracks to find travel routes that lead to bedding areas. Just about anywhere the bucks travel you can find antlers. A fence line that a buck must jump over to cross and streams are good areas to look at also. I also recommend using binoculars for when you see something in the distance that looks like a antler, you can save yourself a lot of walking by using the binocs to see it is only a stick. I use a good pair of polarized glasses when shed hunting, this saves me from so much squinting and is much easier on the eyes if there is snow on the ground.I actually prefer to shed hunt on overcast days it just seems easier for me to see the sheds without the sun shining off everything in the woods. Take lots of water to drink, And have a good time <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Here in NW Iowa I've had my best luck from mid February through most of the month of March. Just as Lady Forge mentioed, I've also had my best luck around thick bedding areas and trails to feeding areas. fence crossing are also good. (The impact when the deer jumps the fence will sometimes jar a loose antler off.) South facing slopes where the deer often bed in the sun and out of the wind are a good starting place in my opinion.

Jon
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Lady Forge gave you some really good advice. Another place to try is along tight bushy trails where a buck bangs or drags his antlers along the brush. Have fun.