There may also be some young or fallen cedar or pine branches to browse on while in this type of bedding area. The general price changes every year, and locations will . The only other restriction that is also in place is the harassment of wildlife statute, which can be written to any individual who is harassing wildlife, including shed collectors. Many hunting dog trainers now add shed antler training to their list of services. More importantly, fields like these are such a powerful magnet for whitetails that you could find shed antlers from deer youve never even seen on your property before. From January through March, 80 percent of the whitetails are congregated in 20 percent of any given habitat that has the best food sources, which are limited this time of year. Deer will often rub their antlers on trees or other objects to shed them. Top 3 Places to Find Deer Sheds. Steep South. You might find some bone in these places, or you might not. Youll want to leave most oaks and fruit trees that provide mast for deer, which will further enhance it as a feeding area. The act of shed antler hunting, as well as the illegal possession of each shed antler, are now viewed as separate offenses subject to individual fines. The entire purpose of my blog is to document my findings as I embrace a new lifestyle in a much more extreme terrain and environment. Deer antlers loosen, so obstacles in their path a branch, a patch of brush, a fence can knock them off. But the winter had been milder than usual, and elk were shedding their antlers early. Deer tend to shed their antlers in areas where they spend a lot of time, such as feeding areas or watering holes. And I have been looking for just over 10 years. Aron Snyder, Check your area as often as possible. yes I will try looking in places where it good to find em! Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Colorado prohibits shed antler hunting west of Interstate 25 from January 1 through April 30. Its not only fun, but great exerciseespecially when youve been shut in for days. The Labrador retriever is by far most popular, but Dokken says that any breed with a strong instinct to retrieve can pick it up quickly. Matthew L. Miller is director of science communications for The Nature Conservancy and editor of the Cool Green Science blog. The best places to look for elk antlers are where the herds, themselves, hang out. * Target the areas where deer bed and where they move from bedding areas to feeding areas. Assuming the bucks other antler taped 75 and that he had a decent rack spread, that giant would have pushed 170. One of the best ways to find antlers is to look for antlers. When an antler is ready to drop, pushed off by the new growth from below, any . I concur with Susan (although I am not biologist). Brown or white antlers are easiest to spot on an overcast day. As a pup I included shed antler hunting training into her role as an all-around outdoor dog. Do your homework before heading into the hills by checking specific regional snowpack reports and webcams to determine the elevation and depth of snow in a specific zone. Grassy Buffer Strips. I never bypass a location when I watch her stop to investigate. Bone will shine and catch your eye. Most elk shed in March or April. Shed Antler Hunting Tip #4 - Use high quality optics. So, how does one play this game of hide and seek? Yesterdays blog explored the enthusiasm some of us have for finding shed antlers and how that enthusiasm can turn into an obsession that threatens wintering mule deer and elk. When the snow gets deep, food can be hard to find, but the tops of hills provide areas where the snow is blown off and the food is easier to access. South-Facing Hillsides Where I live in Utah, last night as a matter of fact my wife and I counted over 150 big bull elk, some bedding down for the night, others eating the hay we have supplied them. Antlers are easier to see when you look straight down from a horse. Michael Hanback. Although the CPW Commission decided not to require a permit at its latest meeting, it is an issue it may revisit in the future. These agencies maynotify CPW if they catch violators and coordinate with CPW officers to take enforcement action.. When youre glassing a mountainside, stare a little deeper at the edges of game trails. Like a good family recipe or secret bait, a lot of morel honey holes go to the grave with whomever found them. Antler Obsession: Can the Search for Sheds Threaten Wildlife? COLORADO. If you dont have any fields, you can also try supplemental feeders. Deer are adapted to rest during the day and feed throughout the night. This shed antler hunting season, dont take the scatter gun approach by looking everywhere. Mule deer and elk often gather in wintering areas making finding sheds easier but also increasing the threat to these animals. But theres something even more rewarding and mystifying about finding an older, moss-covered antler that has been hidden for who-knows-how long. If you focus on the areas above, you should come out ahead when it comes to the search for shed antlers. . The pace picks up. This year no overnight parking will be allowed on the Refuge road on April 30, nor will visitor use will be allowed on the Refuge after sunset. If you find several good-sized sheds on a ridge or in a creek bottom, mark those spots on a map or drop a pin on Google Earth or an app like onX Hunt. It includes the best descriptions yet of what a deer experiences when it sheds an antler his firsthand observations (and photos) suggest its as disorienting as you might imagine. "In all deer species, antlers are biological 'luxuries.' When this kind of place comes into view, you can feel the energy change in a group of shed hunters. My dad has been looking for 40 years! Also, the CPW Commission does not regulate other forms of recreation such as hikers and bikers on other land-use agency properties such as the Bureau of Land Management lands or National Forest land. Then get out there, explore, stretch your legs, and work on honing in those hunting and glassing skills for fall. Any number of things could have caused the bucks demise: hit by a car, lost by a bowhunter last season, Hemorrhagic or even Chronic Wasting Disease. The tall, fallow grass that runs along or through crop fields are what Im always seeking out. In the winter, steeper slopes will also help elk save a few more ounces of energy because they dont have to move as far from bed to food. Gary Lewis / For The BulletinA pair of mule deer bucks on winter. Loud, fast-moving OHVs and snowmobiles are major sources of wildlife stress. We have seen sheds but never been able to get to them! And in the spring, he hunts sheds. Worth $1-$2 a pound if youre lucky. Between the bedding and feeding areas, there will often be pretty dominant travel corridors the deer use. Wardens watch social media, as they should, so dont get jammed up. Just substitute an antler, get your dog used to finding and picking it up and having fun with it, and youve got the makings of a shed dog., READ NEXT: 7 Myths About Shed Hunting Dogs. I cant tell you how many times Im walking and my brain says go this way, so I do and find a big antler.. I completely agree with the comments about not collecting antlers. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Luckily, there are several great places to find shed antlers that you can pinpoint before you even leave the house. Youve got to look close, real close, says Drury. This year the National Elk Refuge Road will open at midnight on May 1st. Walk every muddy deer trail that you can, and youll find bone. Protecting our wintering wildlife is something we have to do together. Once youre allowed onto the land, get to where you watched a bull group shrink, and start looking. If your dog likes to retrieve anything, a ball or training dummy or whatever, thats the game. A severe winter with a lot of snow can also cause stressed deer to shed earlier. The key word here is seclusion. My friend Charlie glassed up this nice 6 point side in a secluded basin on a south-facing, grass covered slope. Tread softly. Frozen cattail swamps offer a similar level of protection as they will grow extremely densely to protect deer from any cold winds. In more northern regions outside of the farm belt, dense conifer stands offer a similar level of protection from winter, with some additional benefits. Just be sure to respect the animals and please stay out of their wintering areas. One of the greatest features about OnXMaps is that it shows public and private land ownership, giving you peace of mind when accessing hunting areas. Please turn on JavaScript and try again. Thanks for the tips . A shed hunt starts with glassing those small herds over time. Scout: Just like deer hunting, scouting is essential to shed hunting. Its a work of art, isnt it? Here's four places where whitetail antler sheds like to hide. Try the Soft Shoe Roaming his Iowa farm one April day, Don Kisky stepped on what felt like a stick. Unfortunately, too many shed collectors are focusing on financial gain rather than protecting wildlife, creating the need for new regulations. Basically, any palatable woody species can be called browse, but some of the winter favorites include maples, oaks, basswood, fruit trees, white pine, and white cedar. But you should wait to go shed hunting. This option will reset the home page of this site. Most Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields are perfect for this purpose. It makes sense then that deer are more likely to shed antlers in one of these two areas since thats simply where they spend most of their time. Its no secret that quality destination food sources are an ace in the hole for piling up sheds on hunting property. Look in a wooded area that was recently grazed by a herd of cattle. It can be really intimidating if you own a very large property or look primarily on vast public lands; where do you even begin to search for something so small in an area so big? But while everyone is consumed with the idea of looking for these magical shed antlers, they often get confused about where to look for shed antlers. Now that weve covered the two dominant sites to find shed antlers, lets look at the last place you can find them. Montana shed-hunting expert Dick Idol told me he finds his biggest sheds in thick cover where mature bucks stage in winter, and along multiple trails that link sanctuaries with nearby feed fields. I actually find few antlers in the same area I hunt, its just not the place where the deer spend the winter, says South Dakota shed fanatic Kelly Kirsch, who picks up more than 100 antlers each year. Walk each grid and look straight down around your feet for sheds, then move on to the next grid. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Grade B: Antler in good condition, still natural brown color, may be a bit dull or faded on one side and slightly weathered, probably last years drop. It is also importantto be in very good physical shape if you want to attempt getting into secluded areas of elk country. One of the best ways to find antlers is to look for antlers. In most parts of the whitetail range, winter browse is actually a much more important part of a whitetails diet than any food plot or agricultural field. It's big business for a lot of people and with the introduction of mountain snowmobiles, many shed hunters can get into moose territory . Deer will often be pretty dominant travel corridors the deer use, lets look the! Now that weve covered the two dominant sites to find shed antlers, lets look at the last you... Also be some young or fallen cedar or pine branches to browse on while in this type of bedding.. In places where whitetail antler sheds like to hide $ 1- $ a... Fence can knock them off supplemental feeders in very good physical shape if you focus the... If youre lucky purchases made which enable us to share in the of... To hide likes to retrieve anything, a ball or training dummy or whatever, thats game! I have been looking for just over 10 years been looking for just 10. 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