For this reason, they will try to knock the other anter off. We only buy and sell 100% legal, naturally shed antlers. Get e-Sword . Although this sounds a little odd, it actually does help. Binoculars are a useful tool for scanning fields and for confirming a visual on a potential shed in the distance. A few years ago, I had a discussion with a Michigan naturalist, who claimed that most whitetail bucks lose their antlers by mid- January. If you’re curious about how to use dogs for shed hunting check out; The Basics of Shed Dog Training and The Best Shed Hunting Dog Breeds. Lower buck densities combined with smaller sheds makes finding sheds in heavily hunted areas more difficult. Moose and deer shed their antlers each winter before growing a new set over the next two months. Often when bucks lose one antler the other is not far away. You can get a pair of polarized glasses for around 15-25$. The more time you are able to spend in the woods, the better your chances are for finding sheds. A GPS is a great tool for finding more sheds. I have seen bucks that have shed their antlers in early December, and at the other extreme, I once observed a large 9-point still holding his antlers in early April. It takes a lot of walking in the right places to find them. The snow helps track the deer and can lead to where their beds are located. Here’s an interesting article about why bucks cast their antlers early by the Quality Deer Management Association: Trail cameras are a great way to determine when bucks in your area are losing their antlers. Get e-Sword Free. You can spend all the time in the world shed hunting, but if you’re searching at the wrong time your success will be reduced. There is a good chance a buck could have knocked an antler off in his travels between the two destination areas. More often than not it’s an ear twitch or a tail wag that gives the deer away. Last weekend, the Maine deer hunting season came to a close. A lower age class means sheds will be smaller than unpressured areas where bucks can grow to maturity. Shed hunting isn’t easy. Winter Fly Fishing: How to Catch Trout on Streamers this Holiday Season. This is one of the best shed hunting tips in my opinion. That being said, you don’t want to dress so warm that when you have to pick up the pace you overheat and sweat. Check out my About Page for more information. Finding lightly pressured areas is a great way to find more and bigger sheds. This late winter period is perfect for finding these antlers from farms and other areas within Maine because there is low snowfall. These areas include food sources, late-season bedding, and travel corridors between these two areas. Make sure to print out these shed hunting tips to bring out in the field with you. Bedding areas are a great way to find sheds. It involves looking for antlers that Deer lose every winter. Members of the deer family are unique because they shed their antlers every year. It is not recommended to continually disturb deer that are in these deer wintering areas in the middle of winter. If you shed hunt in Maine join and share your pics and stories. Enjoy! Make sure to check under these evergreen trees on the south sides of ridges, you might be in for a welcome surprise. Safety glasses/sunglasses will allow you to plow through thick brush without taking a stick to the eye. You can spend all the time in the world shed hunting, but if you’re searching at the wrong time your success will be reduced. I have a bad habit of over-thinking, over-analyzing, and projecting what the future holds. To get your eyes accustomed to finding sheds it helps to look at images on the internet of sheds on the ground. Mint color! Maine Expanded Archery Zones | Free Google Earth File, Easily Determine the Boundaries of the Maine Expanded Archery Zones on Google Earth. Although backpacks are great try to keep them light or they will feel pretty heavy by the end of the day. Instead of looking for an entire shed, look for parts of sheds. You can see old and new tracks in this travel corridor. I end up needing to retrain myself every year to look for sheds only. If your sole reason for shed hunting is to find sheds, scouting will be counterproductive. ST. LOUIS – Deer hunting season is coming to an end, but a set of trophy deer antlers may be waiting in the woods for you.This time of year, bucks begin to lose their antlers. “(Older) bucks skip many meals during the breeding season, and those that rut hard may be in poor post-rut condition… even when abundant (food) is … By keeping your eyes and mind focused on sheds you will have the most success. Made of solid bone, our antlers are very high quality, freshly shed and brown in color. Make sure you set your expectations based on what your area holds for bucks to avoid disappointed. It can be helpful to bring old sheds with you and place them at random locations at the beginning of a shed hunt to help train your eyes. Wool clothes keep you warm when wet, they are water-resistant, fast-drying, warm, and quiet. Shed hunting in Maine has become a mainstream activity. You can do this without even getting off the couch! Our antlers are sourced from a network of antler hunters in the state of Maine. “Widespread early antler casting (in your area) may signify a nutritionally stressed herd resulting from too many deer for what the habitat can support.” Also, Kip says that in northern states mature bucks typically shed antlers earlier than younger, smaller deer. Enter your email below and I'll send you the cheat sheet for free. Not every area will be able to produce Iowa sized racks. I prefer polarized sunglasses to really help cut down on the glare. Stands of cedar can be great places to find sheds. The deer antler shed will take two to three week before full completion. Once you have determined the bedding and feeding areas search the area in-between where deer are traveling. You don’t want to be spooking bucks off a property if they’re still carrying antlers, this will make finding sheds much more difficult. If you’re after a specific buck’s sheds, trail cameras are a great way to determine when that buck has shed his antlers. As shed hunting continues to pick up in popularity, more and more antler hunters are hitting the woods. Shed hunting requires your full attention. Every year during winter and early spring, groups of adventure seekers take to the woods in search of moose and deer antlers, also known as sheds. Virtual scouting will save you a lot of time and energy. Share With Others By Clicking Icons Below! Dogs are very effective for finding sheds. The reason to flag sheds is because, as mentioned above, many times bucks lose their second antler not far from their first. Fishing. This is still really difficult for me to do. Late season bedding areas are another great place to find sheds. Found This Post Helpful? This shedding procedure takes two to three weeks to complete, while the regeneration takes an entire summer to complete — before the cycle starts all over again. One of the most important Maine shed hunting tips is to make sure you are searching at the right time. Bringing everything you need to make a day out of shed hunting is a great way to improve your odds of finding sheds. Latest. Subscribe to Tom Remington. Binoculars are also nice just to have to observe deer if you bump any, and for observing wildlife in general. Every now and then glance at your GPS to see where you have gone. Using aerial imagery you can often determine bedding areas, feeding areas, and travel corridors. Also, remember that deer usually shed both sides of their antlers around the same time. For this reason, you want to wear clothing that will keep you warm when you’re walking slowly in high opportune areas. Additionally, south-facing ridges are the first to melt. The minute you stop concentrating on what you’re looking for is the moment a shed slips by unnoticed! A similarity between tracking deer and shed hunting is that when you are tracking you rarely see the entire deer. Having snacks out in the woods will satisfy your hunger and allow you to spend more time in the woods. ***All sales are final so please ask any and all questions before bidding. But most importantly do not forget to follow all the tips I have highlighted above. Many shed hunters start their search around February. In late winter, after the rut is over bucks shed their antlers. I am a big advocate for wool clothes for shed hunting. Once you have scouted the high-quality areas of a property, leave and scout a new property. Do you spend a lot of time thoroughly searching a single property or two? The antlers begin to grow at a rapid pace. This saves you from walking up to every bleached stick or rock. For this reason, it can be helpful to place bright colored flagging over the area where you found the first shed. Some things to throw in your backpack could be a compass, GPS, extra gloves, survey flagging, sunglasses, lunch, and of course for putting sheds in! In an attempt to reduce energy expenditure at this time bucks are looking to keep as warm as possible. Late season food sources and bedding areas are explained in greater detail below. Shed hunting is very much a numbers game. Some of these antler hunters we have known for 15+ years. More Hunting. It might seem like shed hunting is like searching for needles in a haystack. The force of jumping increases the likelihood that an antler may be knocked off. Properly preparing for shed hunting and continuously putting yourself in high odd areas will greatly increase your chances of finding sheds in Maine. From pictures it appears there’s no way this is a doe either, because … There are many factors that influence when bucks will drop their antlers and it varies slightly from year to year. Consistent shed hunting success in Maine has less to do with luck than you might think. Because dogs use scent as their primary tool for finding sheds they are able to cover ground faster and more effectively. It is really easy to miss sheds. Some great ways to keep from getting discouraged is to bring friends or bring a dog. Having an extra pair of gloves is nice after wearing wet gloves for a while. The numbers are in for Maine's 2020 deer season. Cedar is a great late season food source in Maine. Before you shed hunt an area make sure you wait long enough into the season so that the majority of bucks have lost their antlers. Field Test: The New Straight-Pull Savage Impulse Rifle. Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner. How to Call More Coyotes into Shotgun … 7 Tips for Catching Big Cold-Weather Bass. This way I can mark the locations of sheds that I’ve found and can refer back to the area if needed. Bringing food, water, or anything else you might enjoy will ensure you are as comfortable as possible. Everyone wants to find those giant sheds. Mint color! I also offer Services, so be sure to check those out as well. When you begin shed hunting start tracking your path. Both the expanded archery and muzzleloader seasons ended Dec. 12. It can take as little as 24-48 hours for the antlers to actually fall off, but the shedding process takes between two to three weeks and then new antlers will regenerate throughout the summer. South sides of ridges get the most sunlight. Out of all the shed hunting tips, this is probably the one I need to work on most. Google Earth and Google Maps are my favorite tools for virtual scouting. For this reason, bucks like to bask in the rays during the cold months to warm up. Bucks shed their antlers between January and April, depending upon many factors including the animal’s age and the latitude at which it lives, after … Scrolling through social media during Maine's most popular hunting season, you may see an endless stream of downed deer. This means maximizing the amount of time you are in high percentage areas and spending the least amount of time as possible in low percentage areas. Having the right state of mind plays a big role in shed hunting success. Additionally, if you start sweating you’ll become cold when you have to slow down in the high opportune areas. In summary, the answer to the question when do whitetail deer shed their antlers is between, December and April. What makes Maine Antler Art unique is that Toby uses only naturally shed antlers that he hand collects and he refuses to use artificial coloring to enhance the appearance. Hunger is very distracting and often causes you to head home early. You can do this without even getting off the couch! In the northern regions deer congregate together in deer yards. This makes a huge difference. By making a list of the high-quality areas you can move from property to property throughout the day, ensuring that you are remaining in high opportune areas. I'm Jason Tome, the founder (no surprise there). A buck can carry-on without antlers post-breeding because they do not need to fight-off other bucks for territory and does. Snow conditions dictate our luck and abilities to navigate the back country. For additional/interesting information on sheds and shed hunting tips check out these articles: The QDMA: 6 Things You Can Learn From Shed Antlers (And 1 You Can’t), The Portland Press Herald: The Search For Sheds Has Become a Popular Pastime, Outdoor Life: Bone Guide: How to Estimate the Price of Shed Antlers. A lot of time and hard work can be spent shed hunting with little to no success. Get the facts about sheds, and learn how to find your own. Virtual scouting is a crucial step for finding more sheds, and one of the more important shed hunting tips. Bucks don’t like the imbalance of having one antler, it makes their head feel awkward. The season for shed hunting begins in February – when most bucks around the northeast lose their antlers –and continues through April. It could be buried under mud or snow with just the tines sticking up. When shed hunting it is best to forget about scouting. Some areas are hunted more than others during the actual hunting season. One area deer spend a disproportionate amount of time in is feeding areas. By Michael Hanback. There are more than 2,000 on the Maine Shed Hunters Facebook page and more than 300 on the Maine Shed Antler Hunters page. The dense vegetation in the distance provided good bedding and screening cover. Focus on where deer are spending the most time. 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