How to find antler sheds
Wisconsin
Contributors to this thread:
Hey all, I'd like to share some tips for anyone wanting to find more antler sheds this winter and early spring. I'm not a expert, many of you may already know these tips. But if 1 person finds a antler from reading this, it will be worth it. Add any tips or pics you would like to!
Walk those deer trails to feeding and bedding areas. In snowy areas these trails will be beat down hard and really easy to find. Walk the trails both ways and also the trails that cut off of them.
Find the feeding areas. This will prob be where you have your best luck. Deer spend alot of time in the fields, or under oaks feeding. Also woods between food sources is a goldmine. Even if it's just a little chunk. Deer want to be close to food this time of year. This gives them a greater chance of shedding in these spots.
Find those south slopes. I've found many antlers in these spots. Those bucks will sun themselves on the south slopes soaking up heat. Spending lots of time there increases chances of shedding there.
Fencelines, creeks or anywhere they need to jump. Do you know of spots like this? Anytime a deer jumps this increases the likelihood of them losing a antler. Find those creek spots or fence lines and walk em.
Bedding areas. Find these areas are your chances are very good at finding some antler. Thick pines, blowdown of trees, marshes, small islands between water.
Ridges and knolls. These are the high points and bucks love sitting on top looking for danger. Maybe a bedding area and a staging point before going to feed.
Dont walk fast when antler hunting. You gotta slow down and look for white or the tips of antler stick up. Always look behind you cause things will blend in and that gives it a different perspective. Sometimes even grid searching needs to be done.
Looking at maps-when I go to a new place I look at OnX. I look for contour lines of likely ridges or open fields and creeks. Mark waypoints as you find important details. After all we are actually scouting too. Most people dont venture far and they stay on the trails. This can give you very good info for next year. Finding rubs, scrapes, other human sign. Its all intel for your next successful hunt. Get out there, check NEW public spots. Get some fresh air! And when you find a antler, post it for us all to see your hard work! And sometimes it's just dumb luck finding them!
Bring binoculars! Your mind will play tricks on you, it'll help save your sanity. Foggy or hazy damp days things like sheds and rubs are easier for me to spot, maybe it's just my eyes not everyone idk? Also yell at your dog alot then people will think your chasing down a dog not trespassing.
Thick pines or cedars on a south slope near food are a great combination. Good spots always have lots of tracks and lots of deer shi#.
+1 on south facing slopes with beds.
"Also yell at your dog alot then people will think your chasing down a dog not trespassing."
Good one Northbound, I like that. Does that work for hunting/fishing also?
Yep, pretty much sums up a great: How to thread! Something whitetails on bowsite, REFRESHING!! Good post Grunter!
Good post Grunter! Checked cams yesterday and bucks still holding both sides.
Good points, Grunter.
After grabbing most of my cameras last weekend I’d say 95% of the bucks around me in central WI have dropped last two weeks.
^^^^ Wow do your bucks always drop this early? . I'm also in central and they hardly ever drop this early. Will be checking cams next week
Grunter: I’d say that they are probably a little early, maybe a week or so, but the bitter cold week probably played a big factor? We don’t have much ag where I’m at either.
Cold weather, long rainy seasons, no ag, and a low doe population will definitely play a role in a early antler drop. Added stress in any way can cause a buck to cast earlier from one year to the next too. Anyone else see that in specific deer? Something I have noticed through a couple deer over the years and through conversation with other hunters and of course paying close attention to other guys on here.
Great thread! I've put on many miles doing all the thing noted in the first post and really have not had much luck finding sheds. Since I don't trespass, maybe most of the areas that I have permission don't hold bucks as much outside of the rut. Either that, or the rodents just get to them before me. The few I've found were in pretty bad shape from something gnawing on them.
Make sure not to miss rainy overcast days. The antlers pop out in the woods. Bright sun makes it a lot harder. Especially in cut corn
Where I hunt up here a lot of the bucks drop by 3rd week of Dec. The nice buck I shot two years ago half the rack came off when we dragged him about 10 yards and that was Dec. 18th .
Noc,,,, you have a lot of knowledge on deer hunting, enjoy your posts
GH- I’ve been paying close attention to guys like you!
With the snow we got and another storm predicted for Tuesday it will be a long spell before sheds will be found in my area. I’m a long legged critter and the snow is up to my knees on the open flats. I would love to walk some of those farms that guys have that seem to be magnets for bucks around the time they start dropping horns.
-18* tonight here so stay warm fellas.
I trained several of my Labs to find sheds . I quit doing it when the Wolf population increased. Not worth losing a dog .
I trained several of my Labs to find sheds . I quit doing it when the Wolf population increased. Not worth losing a dog .
I trained several of my Labs to find sheds . I quit doing it when the Wolf population increased. Not worth losing a dog .
I trained several of my Labs to find sheds . I quit doing it when the Wolf population increased. Not worth losing a dog .
I quit calling it "shed hunting" many years ago. My success rate was terrible! Now I call it "going for a walk in the woods". Makes me feel better! When i find sheds....."It was a good walk"
Grunter & others...thanks for the tips, good info. I've only found about 3-4 sheds and those were mostly by accident. My most unusual find happened in the 1980s when I was hunting south of Hwy.77, east of Hayward. It was rifle season, late November, with about 2-3" of snow on the ground and I was walking down a fire service trail when I happened to look down and there it was. It was a shed, half a rack, with four points to the side. Not very big, I am guessing it would have come from a nice eight-point with about a 16" spread. I picked it up, kept it, and what amazed me is that it was there! It was November, too early to have been shed that year. I figured it must have laid there for almost a year, since the previous year. It was bleached real white and had only just a couple of small "nibbles" where the mice would have been on it. Unusual that it would last a year!
Any comments on this? Did it lay there relatively unmolested since last year? Or, was it just shed early the year I found it? What do you think?
Ruger....I hear you use to train your dogs to find sheds but no longer do it due to wolves....lol
Some one asked me how the dogs find sheds....I said I wasn`t sure. Is it by "sight" or the scent from a fresh bloody pedicle?
^^^ it's from the scent.
Case-id say if it was bleached white already definetly from the year before. It being Nov would be pretty rare to find a fresh one. I am itching to get out there and look for some. Gotta get rid of some snow, prob wait a few weeks yet
My were trained to find sheds visually . They were rewarded with a treat when they brought me a shed . Sometimes they showed up with a stick that looked like a shed ( sort of ) & fot their treat .
Too many Wolves in Lincoln & Langlade counties to let a dog wander off .
Cant you just yank them off there heads when they are stuck in the snow? Couldn't resist.
I trained my dog to find sheds by sight and smell. I bought a cast antler scent online and used my own method into training her. After they understand what they are doing. You'll find more success using simple common sense for shed hunting with a dog while out looking. Meaning, try and stay on the down wind side of where you expect. Because dogs do use their nose. Sometimes letting your dog work a trail without resetting them has gotten me a few sheds and also discovered numerous expired carcasses
I know trapper would have advice regarding a shed dog. He's trained a few to my knowledge.
Start them young. I only use sheds for retrieving dummies when the pups are small. Highly praise them when they bring back to you. After a few weeks I start throwing the antler so the dog cant see where it went and then tell her " Find the Bone". After another few weeks I started to hide the antler in the yard at night and then release her in the morning " Find the Bone" again, when she brings back, greatly praise her or give treats. I actually think mine appreciates the petting more than the treats. Every time I go shed hunting I "prime" her a little by throwing an antler for her, to get her mind focused.
Trapper . I agree . Good post . My current Lab demands a Milkbone in trade . Fran ( in the picture about 10 years ago ) prefered an atta Boy .
This is the Shed that I'm the most proud of, as I was trying to call Skyy off of digging in the leaves as I assumed she was chasing a mouse. Dummie me.
Skyy had a 4 Shed day. That still remains as her best.
My advice to anyone Shed hunting, especially if you have limited time and have no dog, is to hunt food sources. Corn fields, Bean fields, logging areas, etc. I seldom find a shed on a trail unless it is jumping a fence. Bedding areas are also hit and miss. But with the pictures that I get from feeding areas, there may be 2-5 bucks in the preferred food areas and they always seem to be sparring, thus knocking antlers off. I probably have 75 or so Sheds at the Cabin and I bet 65 came from food sources. Good Luck everyone.
I agree with the above posts and on the food source.... that is the number one place... BUT, like hunting, its not so much how you look, but where you look.... My shed trips in March, down to Iowa on private land have been ridiculously easy at times,,,, when it comes to public down, there, and here, I like to walk the drainage systems,,,,,
most of the few sheds, I have found in the far north, were always at crossings, and along drainage systems,,,,, they spend a lot of time there, in winter, as they do all fall
My black lab now, is pretty good, but let me share with you a funny story.... I had a rescued Springer, with papers, who was a hell of a dog, and a big boy at 54lbs. He could do it all, so I tried to train him, for shed hunting, using the methods developed by the guy from Wisconsin. I thought it was sinking in, and one day, he comes back with a half of a 6 in his mouth.....
I was so proud of him, I gave him a treat and made a big fuss. Few moments later, my farmer neighbor comes by, and asks if "Rocky" came home. I said yes he is right here. He said he came in the pole shed, got a treat from the boys,,, ran over to the corner, picked up one of our sheds in the corner, and took off...........
That dog never found a shed on his own his whole life, but he knew to come back with something,,, ha ha.... I buried him awhile back, but thought that was a funny shed story
Good tips Trapper. Funny story GH, think I read that before on a different thread too.
Grunter, Don't worry so much about the bucks all being shed in Central Wisconsin. At least in my area, 90% were still holding 9th. Historically in my area the main drop will be around Feb 20th.
Same here, to much snow. For our area this is the time the bucks start. I'm thinking this weekend I will be getting a workout walking through 2' of snow.
I'll go you all one worse. Found a dead buck a couple of weeks ago.