[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/11-advanced-shed-hunting-tips\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/11-advanced-shed-hunting-tips\/","headline":"11 Advanced Shed Hunting Tips","name":"11 Advanced Shed Hunting Tips","description":"Search the feeding areas, search the bedding areas, and search the trails in-between, yadda-yadda-yadda.\u00a0 While I certainly agree with the...","datePublished":"2015-02-25","dateModified":"2018-12-27","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Shed-Antler_01-e1430855938995.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Shed-Antler_01-e1430855938995.jpg","height":405,"width":588},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/11-advanced-shed-hunting-tips\/","about":["Hunting"],"wordCount":1638,"keywords":["Hunting","Shed Hunting","Tips"],"articleBody":"Search the feeding areas, search the bedding areas, and search the trails in-between, yadda-yadda-yadda.\u00a0 While I certainly agree with the basics of shed hunting, you can find the same generic shed hunting tips just about anywhere you look.\u00a0 Heck, we even covered them in a recent article because they are important tips, especially for those new to the sport.\u00a0 However, this is not another generic shed hunting article, here you will learn the finer details and skills it takes to become an ultra-successful shed hunter.Finding a matched set is always the ultimate prize. \u00a0@colesickafoose found a dandy set in Ohio recently.1 \u2013 Shed hunting is a numbers gameBy \u201cnumbers game\u201d I mean both number of eyes and number of miles walked.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let shed hunting become a selfish sport.\u00a0 The more eyes you have, the more thorough the search will be, thus the more antlers you are likely to find.\u00a0 Shed hunting with friends and family not only yields more antler, but it\u2019s also a blast!\u00a0 How the antlers are divvied up is usually up to the landowner.\u00a0 If it\u2019s a highly managed property, the antlers are usually given back to the landowner if they want them.\u00a0 On the property I hunt, I let whoever finds them keep them. The only exception would be if I happen to shoot that specific buck during a later season, I would ask for them back.2 \u2013 Slow it downSlow it way down, to a point that almost feels awkward and lackadaisical.\u00a0 Personally, it\u2019s much easier to slow down when I\u2019m alone.\u00a0 Admittedly so, shed hunting with a group makes me a bit selfish, which I know contradicts the previous tip.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying I\u2019d rather shed hunt alone than with friends, but sometimes I find myself hastily walking through the woods to beat a buddy to a good looking trail.\u00a0 Side note \u2013 I\u2019ve never found a shed by racing ahead to a \u201cgood\u201d area. \u00a0Slow down enough to let your brain process everything you see because in the end you really have no idea where an antler could be laying.3 \u2013 Come to complete stopsWhen you\u2019re out walking and scanning for sheds, it\u2019s important to come to a complete stop every 50 yards or so.\u00a0 Giving your brain a rest from the back and forth scanning and constant movement is important for staying focused on the task at hand.\u00a0 Finding a shed while standing perfectly still happens more frequently than one may think.\u00a0 While resting, it\u2019s important to look in all directions, especially down at your feet and behind you.\u00a0 A different angle often displays tines that may have been missed.4 \u2013 Spike bucks shed tooIt\u2019s hard to think small when all you can envision is massive 5 point side laying tines-up in a bed, but the statistics say otherwise.\u00a0 Simply stated, there are more yearling bucks running around than any other age class that supports head gear.\u00a0 You will have a better chance of spotting both small and big antlers by looking for small pieces or tips poking through a mat of grass or above a leafy surface.\u00a0 Combine this tip with the next and you will be well on your way to becoming a great shed hunter.5 – Train your eyesWe discussed this in a recent video tip.\u00a0 Training is defined as, to be taught the skills needed to do something.\u00a0 Developing an eye for bone requires practicing with bone.\u00a0 It\u2019s like the real world . . . you can go to school for several years (reading tips) and think you know what you are doing, but the real learning happens on-the-job (actively looking for sheds).\u00a0 Throw out a previously found shed while you\u2019re walking to teach your eyes what to look for, remember to look for the small details.6 \u2013 Optimal weather conditionsJust like deer hunting, there are good days, bad days and great days to shed hunt.\u00a0 The best conditions are cloudy and overcast days following a recent rainfall or snowmelt.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Overcast is optimal because you don\u2019t have to fight the sun glaring off every branch or corn stalk on the ground.\u00a0 The dreary day helps those white antlers pop amongst the surrounding vegetation.\u00a0 Looking for sheds right after snowmelt or a recent rainfall helps mat down the vegetation, and the moisture gives the antlers a noticeable sheen.7 \u2013 Situational searchingWhen you search can have a tremendous effect on your results.\u00a0 Timing your search should be situational to the property or properties you are searching.\u00a0 For example, I\u2019m not going to wait until March to start walking public land or high traffic areas. I\u2019ll target these areas early and often.\u00a0 Compare that to a private property and I\u2019ll likely wait until mid-March to do the majority of shed hunting.\u00a0 Reason being, by mid-March most bucks have dropped their antlers, therefore I don\u2019t want to bump the deer onto the neighbors early on if I know more antlers will be on the ground later.8 \u2013 Search according to the sunAs a \u201csemi-flatlander\u201d here in southeastern Wisconsin, searching south and east facing slopes don\u2019t carry as much weight as they do in much of the whitetails range, but the concept certainly still applies.\u00a0 The reason for searching south and east facing slopes is because that\u2019s where the sun is the warmest and reaches the ground the earliest in the morning, therefore are preferred bedding areas.\u00a0 Applying the earliest and warmest sun concept, search the south and east sides of fallen down trees, cedars, spruce or any type of cover that deer use to bed up against.\u00a0 Just because the landscape is flat doesn\u2019t mean those deer won\u2019t take advantage of warm microhabitats to stay warm.\u00a0 So when you\u2019re out shed hunting be sure to check the south and east sides of any advantageous bedding features.9 \u2013 Label the antlers you findIf you shed hunt a lot, you are bound to end up with a pile of antlers sitting around and it won\u2019t be long before you start forgetting where and when you picked them up.\u00a0 A simple labelling system that includes the date, location and any other important notes is a great way to keep them referenced.\u00a0 I know some people who write right on the antler, some who use masking tape, and others who hang a tag around them.\u00a0 Whatever way you choose, it provides helpful knowledge for future shed hunts and those good ol\u2019 cabin conversations.10 \u2013 Train a dogShed hunting dogs are probably the fastest growing and hottest trend amongst the shed hunting community, and rightfully so.\u00a0 They\u2019ve always been recognized for their skills while hunting waterfowl, upland birds, and tracking game, but now they are retrieving antlers for you!\u00a0 It takes some patience and training, but a well-trained pup\u00a0can find way more antlers than you while covering way more ground.\u00a0 And you thought they couldn\u2019t give you any more reasons to be considered \u2018a man\u2019s best friend\u2019.11\u2013 Don\u2019t get discouraged, some people just have a better eyeI absolutely love shed hunting and spend many hours doing it, however, I have buddies who still find more sheds than me every year.\u00a0 Some just have a better eye and some are just able to get out more.\u00a0 It\u2019s embarrassing how many times I\u2019ve been practically stepping on a shed and a buddy comes running up and grabs it.\u00a0 It\u2019s happened once already this year with the first shed of the season.\u00a0 Being an obsessive wildlife manager, I was checking out all the deer sign and the condition of a food plot after a morning coyote hunt.\u00a0 All of a sudden my buddy Josh takes off towards a chocolate brown shed laying on top of the snow ten yards away. \u00a0\u00a0You could\u2019ve spotted that thing from outer space, but clearly my mind was elsewhere. \u00a0Though I may not be the best, I still love to do it and am decently successful.The bottom line is, you can\u2019t find any by sitting on a couch.\u00a0 Any bad day of shed hunting still beats a day at work or a day spent inside.\u00a0 Remember fellow shedders…\u00a0MILES = PILES!"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/11-advanced-shed-hunting-tips\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"11 Advanced Shed Hunting Tips"}}]}]