FINDING SHED ANTLERS

- The most important part of shed hunting is pre season scouting. You must find out where the animals are wintering like the picture above. You keep watching them from December threw Febuary maybe even into March. Animals shed their antlers at different times in different parts of the world. They just might move from one food source to another. This is why you keep checking where they are. Once you know where they are at this time you can bet that shed antlers will be close to these areas. This pre season scouting will save you alot of time searching for sheds in places where the animals might not have been. This will give you a good starting point to start looking for their sheds. Some animals will stay close to their core areas dureing the winter months but it's not to often they do.

                                        HABITAT

- You must look for thick bedding areas that are close to their feeding areas. This is a rule for all of the deer family.. Mule deer and elk will travel farther distances from their bedding area to their feeding areas. Usualy the animals like older timber or bush.. Taller trees with some mixed transition areas that the bush/forest has shorter trees and bushes. They feel safe there.. Bucks usualy like to bed on top of a hill or on the hill side.. They get a better view this way. Down in the U.S.A. animals will go deep into swamps and places like that. To find your animals there always has to be a bushy bedding area. There always must be a good food source near is type of treed areas.. If the food source is no good the animals wont be there.

                                           FOOD

- To have animals in an area there must be a good food source for them. Dureing the winter months they will feed on buds, grain, grass, alfalpha. It all depends on what is the most around at the time in their part of the world. They all love grains and alfalpha.. During winter check out these kinds of fields. Also don't forget to look at leaky grain bins and hay bails. These places are a sure bet for antlers if deer are in the area.Elk on the other hand like mostly grasses and buds.In farmland areas elk will feed on the same foods as a deer.Moose like to eat parts of the bushes. Like ripping off some of a small branch at a time. Animals feeding in the fields will dig threw the snow leaving good sized holes. These places are easy to see from a distance. You will want to check these places for shed antlers.

        WHERE TO START LOOKING FOR SHEDS

- We started on this subject in the food section. Once you have found where the animals are feeding the hardest part is over. Now  the physical part begins. When it's time in your part of the world when sheds are dropping you can start going to the feeding areas first..Go all over this area going in a zig zag pattern. Follow main trails from the feeding areas towards the bedding areas. The animals won't always stay on the main trails in the trees so always keep looking to your left and right while walking the trails. If there is snow in your areas at this time you will have to come back again when the snow has melted..I've walked passed alot when the snow was on the ground. I came back when the snow was gone and there they were. I wondered how I missed them. The snow will cover many of the sheds. Thats why you always go back again.I always cover the fields first and then I head into the bush..This way I find I can cover more area better.If you like you could ride a snowmoble around the fields when the snow is deep and flag the main trails that the animals are useing. I use a ATV when the snow is about a foot deep first around the fields. I later when the snow melts start walking the bush trails. Elk are the last of the deer family to shed their antlers. They drop them around early April.

- Stick with this type of game plan and you will find more shed antlers.