Mule deer and cow elk will be found closer to roads and human traffic, but dont be fooled by these visuals. To keep from wandering aimlessly the woods, it helps me to mark off grids with trees, rocks, logs, and other landmarks. While it is true that these restrictions may overlap with some hunting seasons, the amount of pressure put on the animals will be limited by the number of hunting license holders. Son of a bitch. Just be sure to respect the animals and please stay out of their wintering areas. PWC Commissioners and members of the public have noted seeing a substantial increase in shed collection around the state, likely due to the substantial profits collectors make from the sale of shed horns and antlers. But you should wait to go shed hunting. Copyright 2017 Transition Wild. 2. Conservation science, field reporting, and cool creatures. Todays top biologists nix that idea, saying deer are probably unaware of when and where theyll lose their headgear. Tread softly. Ask a local wildlife biologist or game warden for help. Ben McCanna/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images 1. Scout: Just like deer hunting, scouting is essential to shed hunting. Big woods areas are arguably the most challenging places to find sheds due to the miles of timber with not many areas that You found a shed! With everything you can learn about the deer you hunt or the habitat you hunt them in, shed hunting can be a great learning opportunity. Listen to your subconscious. There is no way for a CPW officer to differentiate between you and someone who entered the area for the purpose of shed collecting. Keep your search humane and. Game Trails Comparatively to both whitetails and mule deer, elk antlers always seemed to elude me while deer antlers were relatively easy to find. Required fields are marked *. Hello Access the newest seasons of MeatEater, save content, and join in discussions with the Crew and others in the MeatEater community. Pine forests with a tall canopy help filter out snow, which keeps the snow levels in the understory very shallow. Matthew L. Miller is director of science communications for The Nature Conservancy and editor of the Cool Green Science blog. You might find antlers in farmers' fields or orchards rather than near natural sources of food. Brown or white antlers are easiest to spot on an overcast day. Before bombing over to retrieve it, keep glassing from that vantage pointtheres likely another shed close by. In winter, deer often shift from the areas they frequented in the fall to take advantage of changing food availability and winter cover. May have a chip or slight broken tine. Grassy Buffer Strips. This year the National Elk Refuge Road will open at midnight on May 1st. Theyll shake their head to get rid of the other, for relief. Elk herds tend to range in the same general, often-open, areas, on a . If the area thats holding elk has drivable roads, fill up the tank and start driving. Once the snow melts, revisit those sites. Come back next March and search again. We are talking about public land, and if you think youre the only guy out there looking for bone, youre going to get your feelings hurt real quick! Its a work of art, isnt it? Maybe you know what Im talking about. In most parts of western Colorado, winter conditions affecting big game typically last into late April or early May, and big game are still losing weight and body condition. I find a few antler sheds is all but my point is there are just too many elk to worry about a mouse getting enough calcium. For additional shed hunting tips and helpful information, be sure to check out 4 New School Tips For The Beginner Colorado Shed Hunter. A study in Mississippi found that individual penned bucks usually shed their antlers during the same week each year. Well, its more of a slightly faded, brownish gold. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Im surprised at this article. But elk have been known to migrate up to 125 miles to seek these places to endure the winter. Chalk costs between $1 to $3 per pound and strong whites have an average cost between $8 to $11. Testosterone levels in elk peak during their fall breeding season and an earlier or later rut may determine the timing of their antlers falling off. Heres how. As those Sign in to access your profile, save content and more. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); https://www.gomuddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/best-places-to-find-shed-antlers_Feature.jpg, https://www.gomuddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Muddy_Logo_shadow-Low.png. Theres gold in them hills! "In all deer species, antlers are biological 'luxuries.' Crops high in carbohydrates, such as corn and soybeans, are excellent high-energy foods - far better than most natural browse - and thus are important winter food sources. Follow the Obstacle Course. Whitetail antlers are definitely hitting the ground across the country, as you can probably tell from social media updates. Get out early, you don't want to find a half chewed antler or even worse the tracks and imprint of a shed recently picked up by a trespasser in your favorite spot. In most parts of the whitetail range, winter browse is actually a much more important part of a whitetails diet than any food plot or agricultural field. Since no one is going to walk you into a big patch of the finest tasting mushies, youll need to find spots on your own. Small mammalian tooth marks on sheds reveal its purpose in providing scarce minerals. If it's steep country there's usually more snow and glassing is a good strategy. Loud, fast-moving OHVs and snowmobiles are major sources of wildlife stress. The fence was not high, so I have no idea why he didnt just jump. As bulls drop their antlers, they leave the gang. Now that weve covered the two dominant sites to find shed antlers, lets look at the last place you can find them. Here's four places where whitetail antler sheds like to hide. I dont know what amount of calcium is a source for a bear but I bet it is a lot more than it can get from an old or fresh shed. These sheds will be easy pickings and you want to get to these first. Well, its more of a slightly faded, brownish gold. Sheds are as visible as theyll ever be, and ripe for the taking. This one is obvious but very important for success. Its no secret that quality destination food sources are an ace in the hole for piling up sheds on hunting property. COLORADO. And theres a lot of online information, too, like my friend Hal Herrings definitive piece. If you're shed hunting flat, sage brush country, then getting out and hiking grid patterns through the sage brush usually pays off. Elk are vulnerable in the early spring after enduring a long, cold winter. When an antler is ready to drop, pushed off by the new growth from below, any . White-tailed deer are over-abundant in the eastern forest, and well adapted to humans. Grassy Buffer Strips After a while . The most accurate way is to use trail cameras for shed hunting. By keeping this information in mind, it will help you locate potential feeding areas that elk will utilize on a regular basis. Deer are adapted to have reduced metabolisms in the winter, and their digestive tracts even adapt to include the microorganisms to efficiently digest fibrous browse. The key thing to remember is that elk typically shed their antlers much later in the Spring than deer, so it is important to pay attention to snow accumulation. She enjoys engaging with coyotes more than shed antler hunting, but every time we hike Im amazed at the antlers she digs up buried in inches of forest duff. Evergreens provide terrific thermal cover by way of their thick-needled branches blocking wind and snow, whether its a solitary cedar, small patch of pines, or cluster of hemlocks. One of the best ways to find antlers is to look for antlers. Some habitat types to accomplish this goal include tall grass plantings or frozen, thick cattail swamps. Simply walk these corridors from one end to the other, paying particular attention to areas with obstacles across the trail. Unfortunately, Moose died due to another bowhunters mistake, and Drew recovered his skull and antlers the following spring. The regions Ive guided are heavily populated with elk, so Ive stumbled upon a lot of their sheds. But odds are good that 90 percent or more of the antlers you discover are going to be found in one of three locations: bedding areas, transition corridors, and feeding areas. these trails are obvious on a hillside. Deer antlers loosen, so obstacles in their path a branch, a patch of brush, a fence can knock them off. The only other restriction that is also in place is the harassment of wildlife statute, which can be written to any individual who is harassing wildlife, including shed collectors. In an effort to keep the streets clear of vehicles until midnight on May 1, residents are encouraged to plan on parking their vehicles their driveways and visitors are advised to park in public lots throughout town or to seek lodging at a local hotel. Illinois, like Iowa, is another largely agricultural state which makes zeroing in on the big sheds fairly easy. Youve found a shed, but guess what that means? My spring scouting regimen includes looking for whitetail sheds to figure out what bucks made it through the previous hunting season and harsh winter. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, this occurs as the males'. Shed antlers or shed horns are still considered "wildlife" based on the statutory definition, which includes any parts thereof and whether alive or dead. They carry their horns for life. Odds are high that a bull will drop his rack with his descending gait along a game trail. Scott Wait is a senior biologist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Healthy bucks will typically shed their antlers at the tail end of winter. Bull elk are seeking solidarity out of eyesight over the next mountain top. But while everyone is consumed with the idea of looking for these magical shed antlers, they often get confused about where to look for shed antlers. In addition, to protect sage-grouse, shed hunts in Gunnison Basin (Management Areas 54, 55, 66, 67, and 551) are restricted May 1-15 from sunset to 10 am. Theres a match out there, and now its your job to find it. If you can think of a few, prioritize those spots for a trip very soon. Yet another way to get outdoors, improve your hunting skill set, and scout new lands. Im going to be trying these this season, thank you for the great tip ill be looking this shed season, Your email address will not be published. Look in a wooded area that was recently grazed by a herd of cattle. Bi 09/04/2023 09/04/2023 Every shed-savvy character in sight will race to beat the next guy, while trying not to be too obvious about it. Grid searching a steep, south-facing hillside with your binoculars from an opposing vantage point is an excellent tactic for covering ground while staying anonymous to the mountains inhabitants. The best shed hunters know to only burn across certain low-odds areas, while slowing way down in more likely locations. Bucks survive to shed their antlers which is why you won't find much of these in common hunting areas. Elk are tough to pattern because they seldom follow a daily routine, but they do value a simpler path up and down the mountains, especially during the winter. Subscribe to our newsletter and receive The Colorado Beginner Elk Hunting Guide for FREE. Its impossible to predict exactly when a bull elk will shed his antlers, but a couple of factors can help you predict the timing of the drop. The first is the amount of snowfall the previous year. Currently bringing $6-$10 a pound. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. According to a 2013 article in Montana FWPs. Odds are high that a bull will drop his rack with his descending gait along a game trail. How to get a better chance of finding antlers. 1. Depending on the harshness of the recent weather, it doesnt hurt to wait till the end of May or even June to shed hunt. The entire purpose of my blog is to document my findings as I embrace a new lifestyle in a much more extreme terrain and environment. Weve listed some of the best places to find shed antlers below. 2023 The Nature Conservancy. No, not the hiking trail. One consistency Ive come to realize over the past two seasons is that elk shed hunting is simply a different ball game. When you start searching in these high-priority locations first, you can eliminate huge areas that have very little potential. Once youre allowed onto the land, get to where you watched a bull group shrink, and start looking. Look for places deer trails encounter such obstacles. Wait until mid-April or May to begin your search. "You really have to look hard because if you find an antler and the match was 200 . Finally, get out period, too many let laziness and the cold winds keep them indoors. Searching Crop Fields There's no doubt that agricultural fields are prime places to seek sheds. When to Go: When deer shed their antlers is highly variable, and dependent on a number of factors. As the snow line recedes up the mountain, theyll go with it. If a bull group youve been watching dwindles in size, thats a good thing: You now know where the antlers are. If your area has an early rut, bucks testosterone levels will decrease earlier and, as a result, some deer will cast their racks two to four weeks earlier than usual. Whitetails essentially do just two things during the winter months: bed and feed. (Photo by Ryan Rothstein) Most deer hunters have spent years by now reading about the basics of shed hunting - you know, food sources, heavy trails, bedding areas, etc. The method is pretty simple: Drive every inch of the roads that the elk or deer travel and glass any possible location where they could have lost an antler. These are preferred bedding areas by deer. Unfortunately, too many shed collectors are focusing on financial gain rather than protecting wildlife, creating the need for new regulations. This past Winter, snowfall was heavy in December, January, and February but March and April were mild with very little accumulation. As the connective tissue dissolves, the bucks antlers become loose and fall off. But finding those needles of bone in the haystack of the wild is just as exciting and rewarding. Opinions expressed on Cool Green Science and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Nature Conservancy. Tom Carpenter, You might want to bag the hunting boots and wear sneakers or soft-soled trail runners so you can feel those big sticks you step on. Follow them, and youll learn a lot more about deer. CPW does, however, manage State Wildlife Areas across western Colorado, many of which have seasonal closures to all human use in order to protect wintering big game animals. Its also where I have found many of my sheds. The fresher the antler, the higher in value for horn traders and our four-legged friends to gnaw on. Some shed collectors use OHVs and snowmobiles in their search. That makes the eastern forest prime shed hunting territory. First, lets start with a recap on white-tailed deer habits and habitats. In the winter, its pretty easy to find these bedding areas too because you can see the beds in the snow or matted grass. Walk each grid and look straight down around your feet for sheds, then move on to the next grid. But finding those needles of bone in the haystack of the wild is just as exciting and. Pay special attention if the trail is interrupted by a section of rocks or a cliff where elk would need to lunge their bodies, generating extra force upon landing, and possibly dropping their racks in their tracks. But before you get to that level, youve got to start with the shed hunting basics. With all the deer gathering in these fields, you have a much better chance of finding a shed. And I have been looking for just over 10 years. Here are his tips for finding them in the eastern forest: * Target south and southwest-facing slopes that receive more sun. OnXMaps shows you exactly where public and private land boundaries are located and allow you mark spots and utilize different overlays much like a handheld GPS. Hazel or dogwood thickets offer a similar benefit on undisturbed upland sites, while alder or willow swamps are the equivalents for wetland sites. And he suspects he already has the deer's other antler at his cabin in McCoy. * Target the areas where deer bed and where they move from bedding areas to feeding areas. These agencies maynotify CPW if they catch violators and coordinate with CPW officers to take enforcement action.. If your shed hunting location has an average or above normal snowpack, figure out where the snow line was around the first or second week of April and you will find antlers at that elevation. All of these factors make an area with evergreen cover preferred winter bedding for deer, and thus a great place to scoop sheds. These shed antlers can be sold, used for DIY projects, or kept as trophies. The average price per pound for brown elk antlers is between $12 and $16. Thats typically what runs through my mind when I see a buddy walking towards one of those spots while shed hunting. 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