Suddenly, a doe blew across the sendero in front of my truck. She was running full speed, forcing me to apply the brakes to avoid hitting her. Then, in another blur, a mature buck bolted across in hot pursuit of the doe. The buck continued chasing the doe across the open savanna to my right until they disappeared into a brush motte. Moments later, a second mature buck appeared, and then quickly disappeared, following the same trail.

The chase scene left little doubt that the doe was in heat and the bucks were trying to take advantage of the opportunity. What was unusual however was the time of the year that this occurred – late February! Out of curiosity, I turned the truck around to try to catch up to the breeding group.

I reached the other side of the brush motte just in time to see the three deer disappear into a second brush clump. By this time, the second buck had caught up to the first buck and doe. I then drove around the second motte, but the deer were nowhere in sight. As I slowly drove between the motte and a fence bordering the pasture, the doe came running out of the motte. She quickly jumped the fence and headed away from me. Seconds later, the first mature buck I had seen appeared. He crossed in front of me and jumped the fence. Then a third antlerless deer burst out of the motte and jumped the fence behind the doe and first buck.

At first sight, I assumed this third antlerless deer was a doe. However, after watching the deer cross in front of me, I recognized that it wasn’t a doe at all, but the second mature buck – he had shed both of his antlers somewhere in the second motte! Obviously, when the second buck caught up to the first buck, a fight ensued between the two bucks. The second buck then had the misfortune of getting his antlers jarred loose during the scuffle that must have occurred while they were out of sight.

After I realized what must have happened, I jumped out of the truck and ran into the motte searching the ground for the buck’s shed antlers. Amazingly, within minutes I found both antlers, one shed was almost laying on top of the other! Later that summer, I was lucky enough to find a third shed antler from this same buck from the previous year – what a great brush country treasure to go with the matched set!

A Great Hobby

Interest in shed antler hunting is growing by leaps and bounds. Amazingly, it is now possible to book package hunts in the upper Midwest and Canada solely for hunting shed antlers. Outfitters provide lodging, meals, and several likely areas for clients to hunt for shed antlers. Some shed hunting enthusiasts are paying upwards of $3,000 for a week of guided shed hunting!

Shed antler hunting is growing in popularity because the excitement of finding the next shed never fades. Shed hunting is similar to treasure hunting or hunting for arrowheads and is great exercise. Kids of all ages can also take part because no hunting licenses or permits are required. The inherent dangers of kids handling guns is also non-existent, making antler hunting an activity for the whole family and a great way to get kids started in outdoor activities.

Why Hunt For Sheds?

Shed antler hunting provides an excellent opportunity to scout before the next deer season. Often times, deer trails, scrapes, and rubs from the previous fall are still visible. While searching for sheds, hunters can try to decipher deer movement patterns based on these signs at a more relaxed pace. In addition, the extra time spent in the brush will help to further familiarize the hunter with his favorite haunt. Potential leases and new hunting areas can also be scouted while hunting for sheds.

Most trophy deer hunters that I know are also avid shed antler hunters. When a large shed is found, the hunter knows that a big buck is in the general area. Further scouting can narrow down the best areas to ambush the buck that dropped the shed. If a high number of sheds are found, the hunter knows that a lot of bucks are in the area. Hunters interested in antler scores can also measure any sheds that are found to get a more accurate idea of what the buck’s rack would have measured.

Shed antlers also provide clues to the age of the buck that cast the antler. Generally, the heavier the antler, the older the buck. A shed antler with a massive beam and base was no doubt dropped by a mature buck. An antler with average mass measurements was likely cast by a middle-aged buck, while a thin diameter antler most likely came from a young buck. It is also suspected that beam circumference in relation to burr circumference indicates age. A shed with a beam circumference at the base noticeably smaller than the burr circumference, likely came from a young buck. In most cases, by the time a buck reaches maturity (6.5+ years old), the beam circumference has increased to the point that it is only slightly less than the circumference around the burr.

Turkey hunters can search for shed antlers as they look for roosting sites and strutting areas. During turkey season, hunters can look for shed antlers as they move from one calling area to the next area. Shed antler hunters can also search for mushrooms or arrowheads while shed hunting as well. Even without finding any sheds or other treasures, the exercise will help to physically prepare hunters for the upcoming season. Walking is also now considered one of the better forms of cardiovascular exercise.

Many times while hunting for shed antlers, I have found complete racks and skulls from bucks that died. These remains not only make unique trophies but can provide the hunter or landowner with information regarding buck survival and mortality. Occasionally, the cause of death can even be determined from the remains.

When Is The Best Time?

Shed antler hunting is a past time that can be enjoyed anytime of the year. However, in most areas of the U.S., shed hunting is most productive during spring, immediately after bucks have dropped their antlers. If hunters in these areas wait until summer, most of the sheds will have already disappeared. Over most of the whitetail’s range, rodents quickly chew and gnaw antlers to nothing in an effort to obtain the minerals calcium and phosphorous. Spring is also a good time for shed hunting because all of the competing hunting seasons have closed.

In arid areas such as south Texas, shed antler hunting is effective year around because the lack of rainfall allows antlers to persist for longer periods. Year-round shed hunting is also productive in south Texas because populations of rats and mice are much lower due to high coyote densities. Squirrels and porcupines, additional shed antler “enemies,” are almost non-existent as well because of a lack of trees.

In south Texas, winter is the best season of the year to find shed antlers. During winter, all of the antlers dropped the previous spring have turned white from bleaching in the sun. And, as any novice shed hunter quickly learns, a bleached-out antler is a lot easier to spot than a freshly shed, dark-colored antler. Another wintertime advantage is that most of the vegetation has died back, exposing shed antlers that were previously obscured from view. Also during winter, the majority of the brush species found in south Texas have lost their leaves. After leaf drop, hunters are better able to peer through layers of brush in search of cast antlers.

Summer and times of drought during any season can also be good times to search for south Texas sheds because of a lack of ground vegetation. Springtime, normally the wettest time of the year in south Texas, can be the most difficult time to look for sheds if the area you hunt has received above-normal amounts of rainfall. This “green-up” period results in a tremendous amount of vegetation that can hide even the largest shed antlers from sight.

Techniques For Finding Sheds

A new shed antler hunting technique is getting even more people involved in this non-consumptive sport. The technique, called the “shed drive,” is similar to the deer drive hunting technique so popular in the Midwest. The shed drive involves organizing your partners in a line with each member evenly spaced across the line at the edge of the area to be searched. Drive members then walk through the area, picking up sheds along the way, until everyone meets at the opposite end of the area (where you have hopefully previously left a vehicle for transport back to the starting point!). This technique is growing in popularity because of the camaraderie shared between members and because all members can take part in the excitement when each member finds a shed. During shed drives, hunting becomes a team effort, strengthening friendships and providing for hours of free entertainment and lasting memories.

Another new shed antler hunting technique is also becoming more popular. This additional technique involves “man’s best friend.” It seems the technique was discovered by shed hunters who routinely brought their dogs with them when they hunted sheds. They soon learned that the dogs could find shed antlers as well. Evidently, the dogs first learned to find sheds by site. Eventually, after enough antlers were found, the dogs were able to find sheds by smell alone. Dogs have since been trained to find sheds, much like Border Patrol agents train dogs to sniff-out drugs.

The construction of a shed antler trap is another relatively new technique that can be used to increase the number of sheds you find. Shed antler traps are simple, easy to construct, inexpensive, and best of all, effective. Trap designs vary, but they all involve hanging grid fence or hog panels on T-posts in the figure of a “V” or “W.” Typically, the fence is hung with the bottom strand of wire eight to ten inches off the ground. Corn, the bait used to “set” the trap, is then spread underneath the fence, with the highest concentrations of corn placed at the inside corners. Once the trap is set, you simply return every couple of days to remove shed antlers and re-bait the trap.

Hunting shed antlers from horseback is yet another excellent technique for finding sheds. This technique gives the rider many advantages over hunting sheds on foot. One advantage is being able to see further into the brush. Horses can also travel much faster, which means that more area can be covered. Hunters themselves will not tire nearly as fast on horseback, allowing more time to be spent hunting shed antlers as well.

Additional Tips For Finding Sheds

During the twelve years that I have lived in south Texas, I estimate that I have been fortunate enough to find more than 1,000 different shed antlers. Needless to say, I enjoy shed hunting! Although it is difficult to predict the best areas for finding sheds, without actually getting out and covering an area on foot, I have learned a few tricks.

By far the best way to find shed antlers is to walk areas that have recently been burned. Shed antler hunting over recently burned areas can be phenomenal – I have experienced times when I found more sheds than I could carry with two arms! After finding a shed antler, it’s often possible to spot the next shed by simply stopping for a moment and searching the horizon from that same spot. Obviously, sheds are easier to find in burned areas because most of the vegetation previously hiding the antlers from sight was removed by the fire. Unusually large, bleached sheds stand out like a “sore thumb” in areas that have been burned.

I prefer to hunt for shed antlers in areas near water. Creek bottoms and draws are especially productive. Creek bottoms also seem to be the best locations for finding skulls and other remains. I am sure that some skulls are washed into the creek bottom during heavy rains. But I also think that coyotes often drag dead bucks into the creek bottom so that they can remain hidden while they scavenge the remains. Areas near stock tanks are excellent locations to find shed antlers during drought years.

Several years ago, two friends and I were walking a creek bottom when one of the friends noticed what appeared to be an antler tine protruding from the creek bed. We stopped to look closer and noticed a second tine tip above the sediment about 22 inches away from the first tine. Could this be a rack buried in the creek bed?

We had to find out so we returned to the truck for some tools. After spending nearly two hours using screwdrivers (we didn’t have a shovel!) to dig out a hole in the creek bed three feet deep and two feet wide, we uncovered a rack of enormous proportions. The non-typical rack had 17 points, a 22-inch inside spread, and four tines over 10 inches in length. The gross Boone and Crockett Club score of the rack was an amazing 185-6/8 inches!

Bedding areas are another “hotbed” for sheds. Recent research on buck activity indicates that bucks are only active about 50% of the day. This means that bucks spend the other half of each day bedded and not active. Bedding areas are good shed hunting areas simply because of the large amount of time bucks spend here. In south Texas, bucks seem to choose bedding areas based more on shade cover and thermoregulatory needs than anything else. Typically, bucks in this region bed on the shady side of a tree (often a mesquite), under the canopy. Often, sites are selected that have little or no ground vegetation, allowing for more breeze to reach the bedded buck.

Feeding areas are another excellent source for shed antlers. If the property that you hunt has a farm field or food plot, be sure to thoroughly inspect it for shed antlers. Although bucks may spend the majority of their day bedded and inactive, many hours are also spent feeding. Trails connecting bedding and feeding areas are also likely areas for sheds.

Fence lines are yet another location to look for shed antlers. Occasionally, when bucks jolt against the ground after jumping a fence, one of the antlers will break free. Antlers are also knocked loose when bucks try to go under and between fence wires.

Obviously, additional areas to search for sheds include areas where big bucks were previously spotted. However, recent telemetry research has shown that many bucks shift home ranges during the breeding season. One radio-collared buck that I had the opportunity to track while working toward a Ph.D. degree, illustrated this movement behavior the best. This particular middle-aged buck could be found nine months out of the year in the same, fairly small area each day. But in November, he shifted to a totally different area and did not return to his original home range until after the rut was nearly complete in January. Obviously then, areas where bucks were sighted during the breeding season may not necessarily be the best areas to look for shed antlers – those bucks may have moved to a different area after the rut.

Now that “cabin fever” has set in, do something to break the monotony by going on a shed hunt. Try organizing a shed drive with your hunting buddies. Or, take your kids “treasure” hunting in the brush country, its great exercise and at times, very exciting. Best of all, the bigger the shed, the easier it is to find!

Straight Shots,
OrionWhitetails