| I found my first shed deer antler purely by | | | | woods fifty yards are so. Bucks do continue to |
| accident. I nearly tripped over it while climbing a | | | | hang out in these "staging" areas before coming |
| fence on the way to the farm garden. It was so | | | | out into the field. |
| neat, I now spend time every year searching out | | | | Other key locations where deer shed antlers are |
| deer sheds. | | | | areas where deer may be forced to jump or jar |
| How do I find these shed antlers? I bear in mind | | | | their bodies: such places as fence crossings, creek |
| bedding areas and food sources and also the | | | | bottoms and gullies. |
| routes in between these areas. You must look | | | | A good pair of optics can save you a good |
| where the deer are concentrated during the | | | | amount of walking as well. I've been able to find a |
| process of shedding antlers. That oak flat which | | | | good number of shed antlers by simply glassing a |
| proved to be a hot spot when the mast was | | | | food source, such as a hay or soybean stubble |
| falling, may not have deer traffic in between | | | | field for example, and looking for something out |
| January and March when most deer will lose their | | | | of place. You can cover a lot of ground by simply |
| antlers. Don't forget to recheck locations more | | | | standing in one place and scanning an area with |
| than once, as an area may have had deer traffic | | | | your binoculars. |
| since you were last there. | | | | Another key factor in finding antler sheds is |
| But you should also keep the health of your herd | | | | actually being able to see them. Finding a shed |
| in mind as well. If you go traipsing around their | | | | antler is much like finding that first spring morel: |
| key bedding areas during January and early | | | | the first one is the most difficult to see. I know |
| February, these disturbances could cause the deer | | | | darn well I've looked right at a shed and my |
| to move and could put them under undue stress. | | | | minds-eye just didn't identify what I was actually |
| Early in the deer shed hunting season, through | | | | looking at. |
| January and early February, focus your attention | | | | Bring a shed antler with you and toss it out each |
| on those food source areas and make your best | | | | time the terrain, field type or cover type changes. |
| effort to stay out of the bedding areas. I may | | | | Sounds simple enough, but you do need to train |
| follow a few access trails back into the bedding | | | | your eyes and your mind to work together in |
| areas early solely to identify key spots to check | | | | order to identify what you are actually looking at. |
| later in the year. | | | | Without that recognition you may look right at a |
| Now that you know where the deer are, there | | | | shed you actually don't even see. |
| are some specific locations to key in on. While | | | | There is one experience somewhat comparable |
| checking the food sources, and fringe areas near | | | | to harvesting a trophy buck: picking up what he |
| these sources, you should easily be able to find | | | | left behind and the excitement of knowing he'll be |
| the entrance trails. Walk these trails back into the | | | | there next year. |