COLUMN: Driftwood Outdoors: Time is right to hunt for shed antlers

Antlers are a big reason why many hunt for deer and elk. I’m not saying it’s right, but it is the truth. The desire for big bucks continues to increase as the number of big bucks also increases on the landscape. In most states, hunters can only kill one or two bucks each season, so collecting big antlers one buck at a time doesn’t add up too fast. Shed hunting is the answer for how to amass a pile of antlers in a far faster way. Here are a few tips on how to improve your chances of success.

Each year about this time, deer, elk, moose and other species lose or “shed” their antlers. This is where the name “shed antler” comes from. On private and most public lands, you can pick up as many shed antlers as you can find. So, if trophy antlers are your thing, then strap on your boots and head for high deer density locations. You never know what you might come across.

I admit to loving antlers. Not nearly as much as I love food, especially medium-rare back straps covered with sautéed Vidalia onions, baby portabellas and blue cheese crumbles then lightly drizzled with Worcestershire sauce, but I do love antlers nonetheless. Sheds are nice because they can be accumulated quickly and put on display in various manners.

I have a pile of whitetail deer shed on my fireplace hearth and elk antlers in my man cave. Some people turn sheds into chandeliers; others throw them in the rocks outside their house. My neighbor has a chain of sheds hanging on his front porch. Sheds are great for decorating.

Shed antlers are also great for educating. Sheds let us know which bucks made it through the season and help keep us motivated until next September. Four hours into a freezing cold December hunt, many of us fall under the impression not a single deer made it through the season. Sheds prove they did. Find a promising shed, and I guarantee you’re more likely to get out and put up a trail camera come August and plant a food plot in June.

Shed hunting isn’t rocket science. The basic premise is bucks drop their antlers in late winter, and you hike around trying to find them. However, just like in all other types of hunting, he who is prepared is most likely to be successful. Serious shed hunters develop and work a strategy.

So, where do you look for sheds? They show up everywhere. I once found one in the middle of a gravel road. A buck must have jumped the fence and jarred it loose right there. Bedding areas, feeding areas, fence lines and trails connecting such are key locations. Bedding and feeding areas are prime because this is where deer spend most of their time. Fencerows are often successful spots because they often follow fence lines and jar antlers loose when jumping them. Ditches are the same way.

Antlers could just as easily fall off while a buck is traveling to or from these areas. Walking major trails on the property you’re shed hunting may turn up some antlers. Mature bucks, though, usually stick to traveling in the thickest cover, even in the off-season. Be sure to work your way through the tight spots on your property.

South-facing slopes attract deer during daylight hours looking to take advantage of the sun’s warmth during cold months. If you can locate a bench, which is a level shelf of land running through a declivity on a south-facing slope, you’ve located a high-probability shed hunting location.

Shed hunting not only often turns up prized antlers, it gives you a great excuse to get out and exercise in the winter. If you’re wondering what to do one weekend afternoon this month, get out and shed hunt before squirrels eat the antlers.

See you down the trail…

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