[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/using-trail-cameras-to-find-shed-antlers\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/using-trail-cameras-to-find-shed-antlers\/","headline":"Using Trail Cameras to Find Shed Antlers","name":"Using Trail Cameras to Find Shed Antlers","description":"Did you hear that? An antler just fell off that prized buck of yours . . . oh . ....","datePublished":"2016-02-10","dateModified":"2018-11-15","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\/2016\/02\/IMG_3049-e1455123071820.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3049-e1455123071820.jpg","height":900,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/using-trail-cameras-to-find-shed-antlers\/","about":["Hunting"],"wordCount":1015,"keywords":["Hunting","Shed Hunting","Tips"],"articleBody":"Did you hear that? An antler just fell off that prized buck of yours . . . oh . . . another one just fell off.\u00a0 Based on my quick math, roughly 4\u00a0shed antlers drop per second in the U.S. from January 15 \u2013 March 15, and that\u2019s just whitetails (you can check my math at the bottom).\u00a0 That\u2019s a crazy amount of bone hitting the forest floor\u00a0and it seems like we should be tripping over sheds everywhere.Obviously you know sheds are NOT laying everywhere and are actually extremely tough to find for even the best hunters.\u00a0 So how can you find more sheds on your hunting property this fall?One tool that can help you this season is your trail camera.You may say that it\u2019s impossible for a trail camera to actually help you find a shed antler (unless it falls off in front of it), to which I would agree, but they do provide you with plenty of quality shed hunting info.Are they dropping in your neck of the woods?This may be the number one question to ask yourself when you\u2019re checking your trail camera\u2019s SD cards during shed season.\u00a0 With social media connecting hunters with other hunters and hunting shows from across the country, you may see them picking up all sorts of sheds, leading you to take up the search for antlers in your area.\u00a0 Whoa, not so fast.\u00a0 Just because antlers are dropping in Kansas and Iowa doesn\u2019t mean they are necessarily dropping at the same rate in Wisconsin or Pennsylvania.The timing of shed season varies between locations.\u00a0 For instance, I just pulled cards on four of my trail cameras this past week and 85% of the bucks were still holding both sides here in Wisconsin.\u00a0 On the other hand, my friends in Iowa have been finding all kinds of sheds already.\u00a0 If it weren\u2019t for my cameras, I\u2019d probably be out there looking hard for antlers that haven\u2019t even dropped yet. \u00a0Vice versa, if other hunters from your state are finding a bunch, you’d better get to walking. \u00a0In the end, use your trail cameras to decide when it\u2019s best to search your hunting grounds.As of February 1st, roughly 85% of bucks were still holding both antlers on my hunting property in Southeast Wisconsin.Percentage of bucks that have shed their antlersExpanding off my last point, knowing the percentage of bucks that have shed their antlers is another benefit of running trail cameras into shed season.\u00a0 My target search percentage varies depending on the location.\u00a0 If I\u2019m searching a private piece with exclusive hunting rights, I\u2019ll likely wait until my cameras are showing that 80% of bucks have dropped. Conversely, I\u2019ll hit public areas much sooner.If those public areas are near your trail cameras (same region of the state), it\u2019s safe to assume a similar percentage of bucks have shed there as well.\u00a0 If you\u2019re itching to get looking, I see nothing wrong with getting out early and often, so long as your expectations are tempered.\u00a0 After all, there\u2019s nothing wrong with a little exercise and fresh air!\u00a0 Just remember that you should probably revisit some of those spots later in the season.Targeting a Specific Set of ShedsSimilar to targeting and patterning a buck all fall, you can use your trail cameras to find out where and when a specific buck shed its prized possessions.\u00a0 If you\u2019re getting trail cam pics of a particular buck several times a week and then all of a sudden there\u2019s a large bodied deer with raw pedicles, you better get out there!Not only will your trail cameras tell you where he likes to hang out (your target search area), but they also let you know exactly when he dropped.\u00a0 Squirrels and rodents don\u2019t wait, and neither should you.We had pictures of this buck holding one side the night before. \u00a0This shed was laying 50 yards from the camera and he ended up dropping the other side the same night after his picture was taken.To sum things up\u2026 If you are one to store your trail cameras inside during winter, hopefully this article convinced you otherwise.\u00a0 And if you\u2019re already running trail cams, hopefully you now know what to be paying attention to while checking your cards.\u00a0 Happy trails and happy shed hunting!\u00a0 And always remember, MILES = PILES.Sheds by the NumbersEstimated 30 Million Deer in the United StatesAverage ratio of 2 doe or fawns to 1 buck = 10 Million BucksTranslates into 20 Million Antlers20 Million Antlers \/ 60 days (average shed dates Jan. 15 \u2013 March 15)= 333,333 sheds fall off every day333,333 (sheds)\/1440 (minutes in a day) = 231 antlers drop per minuteMaking a whopping 4\u00a0whitetail shed antlers falling per second in the U.S.The best shed hunting jacket on the planet! "},{"@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\/using-trail-cameras-to-find-shed-antlers\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Using Trail Cameras to Find Shed Antlers"}}]}]