When do you start shed hunting

I've never done much in the way of shed hunting and would like to get into it. When do you start looking and where are the best places to look (i.e. bedding areas, creek bottoms, ect.)?
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
best matched set i ever found was walking in late january snow. they sure do stick out laying on top of the white stuff.
 

stiab

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Lady is shed hunting every time she goes in the woods, I recommend taking a dog with you...

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Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Roadkill buck near my house in Forsyth, had already lost his horns prior to being hit by a vehicle.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Not till mid March. They are hard enough to find around here, I don't like shed hunting when half of the bucks are still carrying.

I quit beating the bushes looking for them. When I do go, it's a check of the fields, food plots, and staging areas while scouting.
 

stiab

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
That's a pretty dog. What breed is she?
Thanks, she hears that a lot. Lady is unusual, she's a Carolina Dog, aka Dixie Dingo, aka American Dingo, aka Native American dog. The smartest dog I have ever seen, which covers a lot of territory. She has also found deer for me.
 

badlandbucks

Ten Pointer
I start checking fields in mid February, but I don't intrude into any bedding areas until around March 7-10th. I don't find many in the timber. I find them mostly in bedding areas or little grassy or brushy areas out in fields, or fencerows.
 

Aaron H

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Not till mid March. They are hard enough to find around here, I don't like shed hunting when half of the bucks are still carrying.

I quit beating the bushes looking for them. When I do go, it's a check of the fields, food plots, and staging areas while scouting.

This! Some bucks hold antlers well into February. I don't look for antlers much anymore but mid to late March is when I would go.
 

tra_cline

Ten Pointer
Contributor
I use my cameras to tell me when to look, late feb through early April most years I like to make sure and walk trails that cross anything bucks have to jump, also brushy bedding areas. but I have found the most in the wide open bean/cotton fields... I keep corn poured in log/brush pile not paid off yet but maybe one day.....
 
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GotNoRules

Ten Pointer
I never have had much luck shed hunting. I would love some expert advice however I have heard it is difficult in hilly timber country, which is basically all of the property I hunt.
 

badlandbucks

Ten Pointer
I never have had much luck shed hunting. I would love some expert advice however I have heard it is difficult in hilly timber country, which is basically all of the property I hunt.

FWIW...most people don't have much luck shed hunting in NC because the terrain/cover make shed hunting very difficult, and also there just aren't the numbers of bucks around that exist in Midwestern or western states. Buck to doe ratios are usually way out of whack, and most of the bucks that are alive have little horns, which aren't easy to spot in a briar thicket or among a bunch of pine needles. Deer in NC also don't have typical winter/fall/summer ranges like further north. The die hard shed hunters out west scout deer/elk to find where they spend the winter, usually around lots of thermal cover close to food. 2 years ago in Illinois a buddy and I walked 6 hours without finding a shed, and then found 14 antlers within a 300 yard radius when we stumbled upon a grassy knoll in the middle of a marsh where there was a lot of sunlight. that just doesn't happen in NC...deer stay spread out all year so finding sheds are few and far between. I shed hunted NC every spring from the time I was 13 till last spring at 28, and I have found a grand total of less than 25. By comparison, I found 36 in Indiana last spring and 38 the year before that. So I wouldn't get discouraged by not finding many. Those shed junkies out in south Dakota are on a whole different playing field; it's not a fair comparison to the Southeast. That being said, if you are in timbered hilly country...look high. Look for thermal cover (south facing slopes, pine trees, laurel bushes, up against fallen logs). I would start in places where bucks will bed to catch early morning sun on cold days, and then check the trails leading away from those spots.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I saw a spike yesterday AM with horns still and my wife saw a "huge deer" with rack intact yesterday evening,,,,,,,,,,,

not time yet,,,,,,,
 

dpoutdoor

Ten Pointer
I may look around a Lil between now and mid march. But starting March 15th I'll start looking hard. Lots of people have a hard time finding them. I Normally find a lot every year.
 

badlandbucks

Ten Pointer
Picked up 3 old ones Saturday. One small one and a giant matched set. 175 4/8" 6x5. Probably a bit bigger but antlers are really chewed up.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
Not till mid March. They are hard enough to find around here, I don't like shed hunting when half of the bucks are still carrying.

I quit beating the bushes looking for them. When I do go, it's a check of the fields, food plots, and staging areas while scouting.


I saw three bucks today and all three were still carrying...
 

davidson county

Eight Pointer
the ones I am seeing is still carrying. there was one that had the right side gone, not sure if it was from earlier in the year of it fell off.
 
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