[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/shed-hunting-what-you-need-to-succeed\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/shed-hunting-what-you-need-to-succeed\/","headline":"Shed Hunting: What You Need to Succeed","name":"Shed Hunting: What You Need to Succeed","description":"You can see success shed hunting from December until April. Not only is it fun, but you can gain knowledge that will benefit you when deer season returns.","datePublished":"2019-01-20","dateModified":"2019-01-25","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\/2019\/01\/IMG_1579.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/IMG_1579.jpg","height":3000,"width":4000},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/shed-hunting-what-you-need-to-succeed\/","about":["Hunting"],"wordCount":799,"keywords":["Shed Hunting"],"articleBody":"The new year means an old season. But that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t get your hands on those antlers you\u2019ve been chasing since the end of summer. Now is the perfect time to start looking for sheds. The best part? There\u2019s no limit to how many you can pick up!Although rare, some antlers drop as early as December. Still, there are possibilities behind the early drops, like disease or injury, that cause osteoclasts cells to cast antlers earlier than normal. Other factors that may cause antlers to shed earlier than normal are harsh living conditions, starvation, or being run down from the rut. But some deer will hold on to their antlers as late as March, or early April. So moral of the story, when a buck sheds his antlers is relatively unpredictable.Be Prepared to Put in Some MilesI\u2019ve been fortunate to grow up with some very active and successful shed antler hunters. I\u2019ve learned a lot from them over the years. There are two things in particular that I\u2019ve found lead to successful shed hunts. A lot of scouting and a lot of walking.If you don\u2019t scout areas to zone in on, you\u2019ll walk aimlessly with little more than a prayer that you may come across a shed. Scouting for shed hunting areas is no different than scouting for the actual season. More successful shed hunters spend massive amounts of time observing yarded deer. When a buck they\u2019ve been watching casts his antlers, you can bet there will be a race to find them. This is especially true if the deer are yarding in plain view of roadways or frequenting public land.Understand Your Public Land OptionsThe term, \u201cpublic land,\u201d is often misunderstood in the world of shed hunting. As a deer hunter, hearing the term public land is assumed as a public hunting area. However, to the hiker who keeps an eye out for antlers, public land could mean city or county owned lands closed to hunters. Other public lands open to recreational shed hunters include park systems, undeveloped neighborhood association lands, hunting preserves, and more.If you don\u2019t put in the miles, your odds of finding shed antlers will be slim to none. Consistently successful shed hunters will tell you finding bone isn\u2019t as easy as walking into predictable areas. Sure, some areas will just give you a lucky break, but in reality, consistent success is earned, not lucked into.Expect CompetitionNow is the perfect time to start scouting for areas hosting yarded up deer. However, if you\u2019re looking at public land, expect competition. If you think you\u2019re the only one hunting a public area, you\u2019ll be sadly disappointed when you find someone else\u2019s boot tracks. Expect to see others out there and stay on top of your intel by observing from a safe distance. You want to stay far enough away to avoid pressuring the deer out of the area they\u2019re yarding in, but close enough to keep tabs on them.Pursue Both SidesWhen you find an antler, spend time looking for the other side. Some deer may carry one side for weeks. But a deer will usually cast both sides within a few hundred yards of one another. I always walk in circles looking for a match set when I find a shed antler. It may be buried (like the one pictured above). But trust me. The reward is well worth the extra effort.Shed hunting keeps us in the woods and more in tune with deer behavior. I\u2019ve learned a lot about deer by shed hunting and even used that knowledge for late season hunting tactics.Get outside. The sportsman lifestyle lasts 365-days of the year and is full of rewards.Gear up for shed hunting season! 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