Antler shedding in new york
 

I own land in southern tier when do you think would be a good time to start shed hunting and i am a newbie to it any help would be appreciated. How do any of you guys or gals do it.

RE: Antler shedding in new york
 

Well I shot a buck last week I thought was a doe but he had dropped his anlters. that is very early usually in NY they start dropping Mid to end of january-February but like naything bucks could drop anytime. thebest time to look is spring after first thaw but anytime in the woods spent looking is a good scouting and just plain good experience to learn your ground and deer movement

RE: Antler shedding in new york
 

I've seen mature bucks lose their antlers in December also. I think the dominant bucks that are doing the breeding often lose their antlers first, to help them survive the winter when the breeding is over. It is usually precipitated by a drop in testosterone after the rut.

As far as looking for sheds, feeding places and bedding areas are the best. It can happen amywhere however, so keep your eyes peeled at all times. It will be difficult to find them in the deep snow, so most guys go Late March, early april. Like the other poster said, the more you're out there, the better your chances, plus you get to learn the lay of the land and how they're using it

RE: Antler shedding in new york
 

If you are only interested in shed hunting and are done deer hunting I suggest waiting till after the end of all deer seasons. Those deer who have found a secure place to bed may be bumped right out of there and onto other land where the hunting pressure may be greater. I belong to a club and we do a shed hunt once a year and that is in April. By then all the antlers have dropped and we haven't spooked the deer off the property by repeated shed searches. They may have some gnaw marks from squirrels by that pointbut so what? We still have an idea of the size change of bucks we have pics and sheds from during the previous years. We use the sheds to help determine the score of the bucks we are hunting. We have a limit of 130" in Ohio and without the sheds we have a more difficult time determining size by the pics alone.

RE: Antler shedding in new york
 

March and Aptil are usually the best times. Anytime you get a decent thaw, get out there. The absolute best conditions IMHO are when the snow is melting and you still have an inch or so. The snow makes em stand out and they tend stick up through the thin snow. The other thing is that you gotta get to em before the squirrels do!

RE: Antler shedding in new york
 

i usually look in late march or early april, as soon as the snow is melted. this is the best time IMO because all the leaves and grass are tight to the ground and the antlers stick up a little.

RE: Antler shedding in new york
 

Thanks guys i will look into trying it out late march early April thanks for the info