In 2018, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to prohibit shed antler and horn collection on all public lands west of I-25 from Jan. 1 through April 30, annually. Early season antler finds are accomplished by glassing. Deer are not traveling far this time of year if they can help it and they are often herded up. MOOSE ANTLER SHEDS PAIR - TAXIDERMY ANTLERS MOUNT, HORNS, SKULL, CARVING - DECOR. Winter food plots with corn, beans, tall brassicas, or cereal grains offer a similar attraction. Not really, but there are things you can do to increase your chances. You could bump them t In the winter, its pretty easy to find these bedding areas too because you can see the beds in the snow or matted grass. Deer are in survival mode and don't want to use any more energy than necessary. Finding antlers before they become sheds can greatly increase your odds. Every state is different on how to legally handle this. What do we mean by browse? Sure enough, the curved piece of bone at one time belonged on the head of a whitetail buck. Deer may occasionally shift to bed on the southern edges of spruce plantations so they can soak up the suns warmth while being protected from the norths icy winds. Some states require a warden visit the site of the find, while others require you to purchase a salvage tag when bringing it home. As a general average, brown mule deer antlers fetch around $10 per pound and brown elk antlers average $12 per pound. Elk have generally started to head back to calving and summer ranges by the time they shed. Copyright - Muddy Outdoors - Powered by, Shed Hunting | The Pros and Cons of Finding Dead Heads, The Power of Perennials | Spring Food Plots. If it hasnt happened on your property yet, its likely to happen very soon. Running the animals around is not good for your shed hunting opportunities or their health. I like to glass these areas once a week if possible. Simply grab your chainsaw and cut down several trees in a small pocket (anywhere from a tenth of an acre to an acre or more). While shed hunting, there's a good chance you may come across winter kill or other dead heads. It's no different than actually hunting the animal. I also follow likely travel routes back to bedding cover. Lets start with feeding areas, which many people adamantly claim is the best place to find a shed antler. These ridges have very little timber. This shed antler hunting season, dont take the scatter gun approach by looking everywhere. I don't like going into good elk areas until after the 1st of May. States that use salt and other ice melting chemicals often melt snow in the medians and on the grass just off the shoulder of the road. That makes spring thaw one of the better times to find sheds. 95 The most accurate way is to use trail cameras for shed hunting. Be prepared for when these situations arise. My focus is on food sources. You may walk miles and miles to find such spots but to the antler addict, it's worth it. Rather, its about the shed antlers of deer and moose that you may find while wandering around in the boreal forests of this continent. Last year's white antlers The wind blows hard enough to knock the doors right off your truck, which also means, it blows the snow off the grass that the elk feed on. I like to follow game trails up the mountain as they parallel the creek bottom and zigzag the side hills on my way back down. ELK ANTLER SHEDS PAIR - DEER TAXIDERMY ANTLERS The Elk Migration: What It Means for Your Hunt, Let 'em Grow: Doe Meat Can Fill The Freezer. Alfalfa and stubble fields of grain, are key locations. One last thing, Spring is a great time to be outdoors. The air conditioned tractor was a welcomed relief from Summer's early heat wave. Once moose antlers hit the ground they will begin to deteriorate and loose the colour that the moose had adorned them with. Fence rows, overgrown ditches and thickets are good places too. Favorite Add to Previous page Next page Previous page Current page Weve listed some of the best places to find shed antlers below. The best places to find shed moose antlers are where moose spend the winter. Most antlers are purchased at a price per pound and on a quality grading system. EDIT: I have received confirmation from fish and wildlife that it's perfectly legal to pick up antler sheds. Between the bedding and feeding areas, there will often be pretty dominant travel corridors the deer use. They make up the majority of a deers diet during certain parts of the year, and are full of carbohydrates and protein, respectively. It can be really intimidating if you own a very large property or look primarily on vast public lands; where do you even begin to search for something so small in an area so big? I have found well over half of my sheds in fields or in the brush that surrounds field edges. Since they are usually located in close proximity to agricultural fields and make for a convenient bedding area, its always worth checking out one of these fields. I stood on the clutch and brake to get the tractor stopped, threw it in neutral and jumped out the door! Always let someone know where you will be and what your intentions are. Thanks for the tips . My favorite areas are wind blown ridges. States in the northeast have limited agriculture. Elk drop quite a bit later than most deer. As testosterone surges in male moose, around September, the velvet will shed (see video) and the antler bone hardens. Its a warmer-than-average winter in many parts of the country, the snow has mostly melted, and its the perfect time to get out there and check the woods. Spring also brings violent thunderstorms and blizzards that can leave you stranded for days. So this season go out there and find your very own antler sheds! Lots of snow usually means a pile of bone in a small area. The snow helps track the deer and The last thing you want to do is go walking through their primary feeding grounds before the antlers hit the ground. I heard Turtle and looked over to see him coming back with an antler I've also seen bucks carry well into April, so there's a big variation. If not, I already have a good feel for where to start looking. The world of shed-antler hunting, for both deer and moose antlers, is intensely competitive. That makes Bloomquist's benevolence to the Ericksons and Pionks even more remarkable. If youre a deer hunter or any kind of outdoors-lover, youre probably racking up some miles on your boots right about now in the pursuit of shed antlers. Tips on finding shed antlers for someone with an untrained eye. That being said, youll want to wait to check out any bedding areas for shed antlers until you know that bucks have dropped them, simply because you can chase them to a neighboring property before theyre ready. They feed in the warmest parts of the day, in the warmest locations that have feed. If you are interested in looking for moose sheds, but have no idea where to start, check out my article on 21 Awesome Tips for Shed If I spot an antler, I will either keep a mental note on where it's at or go get it. Fields or thick cover that get plenty of afternoon sunshine produce better on these years. December through February is prime time to hunt for These trails are very easy to notice in the winter, whether there is snow on the ground or not. If they were cut a few years ago, there should be lots of additional growth too. If interested in selling your antlers and to find 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. Most Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields are perfect for this purpose. This snow melting will reveal grass to hungry critters as well as water. Location of prime shed hunting grounds usually revolves around snow. Your email address will not be published. The majority of deer drop their antlers anywhere from mid-January to the end of February. Unlike elk, deer drop their antlers before much of the snow melts off. In late winter, after the rut is over bucks shed their antlers. In order to find shed elk antlers there must be elk in the areas you are looking in, specifically bull elk that have dropped their antlers. Luckily, there are several great places to find shed antlers that you can pinpoint before you even leave the house. But all the other undesirable trees can be fully cut down or hinge-cut. While you might be able to find young growth areas on your property, they will likely be scattered around and hard to pinpoint a specific location. When to go shed hunting is a tricky question. 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