Pennsylvania Game News - March 2019 - 6

to decide which antlers to keep or turn
over. We shook hands and then I took a
quick walk through the property.
In half an hour, I found two successive years of sheds from the same buck. I
handed over the older one, and everyone
walked away happy.
Other landowners also gave me the
go-ahead. I wrote down all of their names,
addresses, and phone numbers in a notebook and I'll be making the rounds again
this year.

UNDER THEIR NOSES
Deer hunters might hunt where big
bucks live, but they won't get them all.
And if the woods are quiet after deer
season, those bucks are left to peacefully
drop their sheds in plain sight.
Two of my best shed spots are heavily
hunted.
I found the first by accident one April,
while scouting for turkeys on state forest
with my cousin. Driving deep into the
valley on a gravel road, we parked near

the driveway to a hunting camp to get out
and listen for toms.
My cousin got out ahead of me, and
before I knew it, he was hollering for me
to come over. When I reached him, he was
holding a big 4-point side.
We promptly forgot about turkeys and
began the search for the matching antler.
Fifteen minutes later, my cousin had it -
and another, smaller antler - in his hand,
and I was more jealous than a good cousin
should be.
The following year, I returned to the
same spot, conveniently "forgetting" to
invite my cousin along. Sure enough, it
paid off, with a big 5-point side!
Another time, I was back in the area
for a work event in March and asked a
buddy to come shed hunt with me. He
picked up yet another antler just beyond
the cabin inholding.
The bucks in the area must know
enough to get scarce when deer hunters
are there, but they don't pass up the windsheltered valley with its thick stands of

shed-hunting basics
There are tons of articles and videos out there
on where exactly to look for antlers, how to train
your eye to find them, how to train your dog to
find them, even how to "train" friends and family
to brave the freezing cold and find them with you.
I've read and watched a lot of these, and
you should, too! Here's the quick version of tips
and tricks:

seasonal habitat

Pay attention to the types of habitat deer are
using in your area in late winter.
There are plenty of commonly heard tips
for shed hunting that all hold merit. Check the
warmer south-facing slopes and look under big
lone pine trees and dense stands of conifers that

provide good bedding and shelter in snow and
brutally cold weather. Pay attention to available
late-season food sources including harvested crop
fields, blackberry and raspberry thickets, regenerating clearcuts and late-dropping soft mast trees.

train your eyes

Once you know where to look, you need to
learn to better recognize antlers. Get a jump-start
on antler recognition by studying pictures of
sheds on the ground, or take a walk and toss an
antler in front of you in different types of cover.
Pay attention to the curves of the antler contrasted against its surroundings.
My first few serious shed seasons, I spent a lot
of time walking through cover, wondering if I was

Pennsylvania Game News - March 2019

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