When do antlers shed

For most properties, this disturbance should only come after the majority of deer have shed their antlers. Reasoning: if you hunt or own a decent sized property with a good balance of edge, crop fields, cover, and timber habitat, then you may be very unsure of when to start shed hunting. If this is the case, split your property up into sections. You can shed hunt early on the big food sources, but may want to hold off entering the woods, cover, and thick southern slopes until later into the year.

If you want to find out exactly when most of your bucks have shed, or when a specific buck has shed, exploiting trail cameras will be your best tactic. By placing bait if legal such as corn in front of a trail camera, you can take inventory of your deer herd to figure out when the majority of bucks have shed their antlers.

In the video below I walk you through how to figure out when to shed hunt using trail cameras. These tips should help you choose the perfect time to shed hunt. Each property is different and each buck is different.

That perfect timeframe, before antlers are chewed up and just after they drop, is a small window. Knowing the science and some tactics to use to figure that time out is just part of becoming a better shed hunter and a better deer hunter.

Want to figure out what that buck scores based upon a trail camera picture? Score him with BuckScore! Simply add, draw, and measure the photo using the patented software and figure out what he scores. Throughout your training never allow a puppy to chew on an antler as the reward.

This could lead to a bad habit and chaos if you have any decorative, landscape antlers lying outside of your house. Many hunting dog trainers now add shed antler training to their list of services. A quick online search can unveil any qualified trainers near your zip code.

My hiking partner and coyote dog, Sage, also doubles as a shed antler hunting dog when she feels the urge. As a pup I included shed antler hunting training into her role as an all-around outdoor dog. I never bypass a location when I watch her stop to investigate.

Shed antler hunting continues to attract new participants. Including your dog into the sport just makes sense. Dogs love snooping for bones and the help could increase your spring shed antler bounty. If your addiction includes looking for giant antlers or amassing hundreds you may even want to consider an outfitted shed antler hunt.

Numerous outfitters now offer spring shed antler hunting trips including accommodations and access to properties holding bounties of antlers. With practice comes proficiency. This allows you scan larger areas in less time. Remember, just as the best deer hunters look not for a deer but for parts of a deer, the most successful shed hunters should look for tines, beams and the general shapes and colors of an antler. You may only see the tip of a tine poking through the snow or out of the mud.

Evolution is great, but sometimes you have to return to your caveman roots. Shed antler hunting is a great way to embrace your past. Break-Up Country. Elements Agua. Elements Terra. Shadow Grass Habitat. Explore All Patterns. Back About Our Story. Meet Our Staff. National Pro Staff. Regional Pro Staff. Back Licensing Marketing Services. Licensees FAQs. Back Resources Contact. Customer FAQs. State Licensing. Back Brands Mossy Oak.

Mossy Oak Fishing. Nativ Nurseries. Mossy Oak Properties. GameKeeper Kennels. Mossy Oak Wellness. GameKeeper Butchery. Nativ Living. Mossy Oak Golf. Big Game. Land Management. Small Game. How To. Wild Game Recipes. Country Roots. View All. The Mossy Oak Store. Hunting Gear. Fishing Gear. Brand Gear.

New Arrivals. March 1, Shed Hunting What are shed antlers? Young bucks, like this one in Clintondale, Ulster County, devote most of their nutrition to body growth. When they reach full-size, their antlers begin to develop more extensively. In early winter, rutting season ends, and his antlers have done their job. Another change in hormones causes the antlers to drop off one at a time. This can happen as early as December or as late as March, but in our area, it typically occurs around January or February.

Antler growth is energetically expensive. Antler shedding begins slightly later in the northeast, with bucks shedding their antlers sometime in mid-February through the month of March. The antler shedding season in the northwest has a relatively wide range. For example, bucks in Oregon shed their antlers beginning in December but extending to the end of March. The northwest also sees antler shedding from elk, which begin to drop their antlers in late February through April. In the southwest United States, antler shedding begins slightly earlier.

For example, bucks in Texas typically lose their antlers in January and February. White-tailed deer range throughout much of North America, including southern Canada, the United States and south into Mexico.

One study found that bucks began shedding their antlers as early as November in southeast Mexico, with newly-shedded bucks spotted through January. Before you hop outdoors to begin collecting shed antlers , you should first consult local laws regarding the practice. Much of the legality revolving around shed collecting centers on where you live and where you are collecting the antlers.