Over the last few years, shed hunting has become a major winter activity for me. When deer season has ended, the turkeys aren’t gobbling yet, and the fish aren’t biting, I need something to obsess over. This is where shed hunting has found a place in my heart. Finding a shed antler doesn’t quite recreate the feeling of harvesting a deer, but it sure is a close second. I’ve learned that shed hunting and deer hunting share many parallels, and if you want to be successful, you need to approach them the same way.
Shed hunting, like whitetail hunting, requires years of experience and observation to improve your annual success. I can remember my first few seasons of dedicated shed hunting. I didn’t find anything, but I realize now that I was just walking aimlessly and looking in areas where deer were not frequenting. As I started to learn what to look for, where to look, and when to look, I began finding more success. Doesn’t that sound just like whitetail hunting itself?
Another parallel I’ve noticed is that the most successful shed hunters demonstrate an increased passion and drive for the sport. In whitetail hunting, the weekend warriors may get lucky here and there, but it’s the hard-core hunters who consistently find the most success. Time and attention are the keys here.
The last parallel I want to highlight—and possibly the most important to success—is that in order to be successful, you have to be intentional and have a plan. Of course, you are going to wander into a good-sized shed antler or a lucky deer harvest every now and then, but having a specific and detailed plan will make regular success much more achievable. I would even go as far as to say that success won’t surprise you after a while.
Because these parallels between whitetail hunting and shed hunting are so strong, maybe there is some success to be had by approaching your shed hunts the same way you approach your actual hunts. This may sound a little far-fetched, but there are definitely some whitetail hunting practices that can be applied to shed hunts. Here’s how to shed hunt like you deer hunt.
Linda Arndt
Digital Scouting and Route Planning
Digital scouting has become a mainstay in the whitetail hunting world and consistently has public and private land applications, but many people don’t consider it when it comes to shed hunting. This is a practice I’ve adopted over the last couple of years, and I wholeheartedly believe that I’ve found more sheds because of it. I can remember a specific winter trip to northern Oklahoma in 2023 where this came in handy. Weeks of studying a state-owned parcel revealed every key area that needed to be hit. We were able to narrow the massive piece of acreage down to just a few hundred searchable acres, leading to a more concentrated search and a bigger pile of antlers.
While the mechanism and strategy of shed hunting differ from actual whitetail hunting, digital scouting is incredibly similar. The goal of scouting is to find deer, right? Well, to find shed antlers, the goal is the same: find deer. The only difference is that I’m not concerned about where the bucks are in October or November; I’m more focused on where they will be in February and March. These areas often include cut crop fields, lasting green food sources, and thermal cover—basically, where the bucks will be.
Digital maps are far more intuitive today than they used to be, with clearer satellite imagery updated monthly and available to the public. Finding food sources on a map is the easiest task when it comes to digital scouting. Green winter wheat fields are hard to miss and always a good place to start your shed hunts.
Finding bedding cover is slightly harder but still very doable. Clear satellite imagery can highlight differences in timber, allowing me to locate pine and cedar thickets within larger hardwood forests. These areas provide thermal cover and protection from predators. If you find these thickets on the edges of green food sources, you’ve got the closest thing to a sure thing in shed hunting.
I also like to use digital maps to plan walking routes. Walking aimlessly isn’t conducive to finding antlers and can cause you to miss a lot of good ground. I often draw a theoretical path within my OnX Hunt app or DeerCast maps. It’s not difficult to map a reasonable path, and it ensures you hit all the best areas efficiently while cutting down unnecessary steps. The biggest takeaway is that shed season can be prepared for like any other hunting season. Studying maps and planning your strategy can yield more and bigger finds.
Consider Your Timing
Proper timing is extremely valuable in shed hunting. No, shed antlers don’t just move at night or feed at certain times, but when and where they are cast depends on timing. Not all deer shed on the same day, week, or even month, which introduces variability to shed hunting. The simplest solution is to wait until late March or early April when most sheds have hit the ground—but this approach sacrifices antler condition and valuable winter scouting intel.
Searching too early—January or early February, depending on location—can be problematic. The biggest issue is that the antlers may not even be on the ground, making them impossible to find. Early searching can also pressure deer, causing them to change patterns or leave the property, which means fewer sheds to find.
I like to start searching in mid-to-late February, but I don’t go full force until March. To avoid stressing the deer, I stick to winter feeding areas like cut grain fields or lasting green food sources. Deer visit these areas at night, and searching them for sheds keeps you from encroaching on bedding areas. As March arrives, I slowly begin checking bedding and travel areas.
While using the calendar and past history is helpful, trail cameras provide a better indicator. Cellular trail cameras on food sources or supplemental feeding stations can show exactly when antlers have dropped. I wait until at least 75% of the bucks have shed before doing intense searching—unless I’m tracking a specific buck for antler condition.
Tips for Success
Shed hunting success increases with experience. You have to go out and learn to be consistently successful. Here are a few tips that have helped me find more sheds over the past couple of seasons:
- Have a plan. Timing and digital maps are more valuable than almost anything else.
- Carry binoculars. They reveal what the human eye cannot and save unnecessary steps when inspecting potential finds.
- Look behind you. Shadows, sun position, and vantage affect antler visibility. Turning occasionally can reveal sheds you’ve already passed.
- Go on the best days. Overcast days make antler spotting easier. If that’s not possible, hunt whenever you can.
- Bring others. An extra set of eyes doubles your chances. Kids love to search for sheds—make it a game.
- Revisit the same areas regularly. Timing varies, and I’ve found sheds from two different bucks in the same field months apart.
Shed hunting has evolved tremendously over the past decades, and it’s easy to get lost in all the information available today. To simplify: have a plan, go at the right time, and leave no stone unturned. If you follow that advice this shed season, you’ll find more antlers and enjoy the hunt even more.
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