What is everyone's go to way of getting sheds, other than walking and finding them? I've heard of people using chicken wire between 2 fence posts and pouring corn along it, hoping it will help the horns fall off if they're ready. Anybody ever tried this or have any other ideas that work?
-
Help Support TNDeer:
Shed hunting question
- Thread starter lothar
- Start date
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Please don't do that. If the antlers are ready to fall off, they will and you just need to find them. If they aren't quite ready and get entangled with the wire, it is very likely to cause pedicle damage. Now, you could put a barbwire fence up around some bait where they have to jump to get the bait and hope the landing will cause the antler to fall off, but you never want to try and make the antler to get tangled in something. I like to use my time walking and exercising (scouting) to find shed antlers
BSK
Well-Known Member
What JCDEERMAN said. DON"T use antler traps. But DO walk old fencelines. It's very common for bucks to drop antlers when they have to jump over something. In hill country, walk the creeks. Bucks jumping over a small creek often causes antlers to drop.
When I've worked in Texas, many of the ranches use low-fences to keep hogs away from the deer feeders. The fences are only about 2 feet high. Deer can easily jump them to get at the feeder. But in spring those low fences are lined up with dropped antlers.
When I've worked in Texas, many of the ranches use low-fences to keep hogs away from the deer feeders. The fences are only about 2 feet high. Deer can easily jump them to get at the feeder. But in spring those low fences are lined up with dropped antlers.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Pedicle damage is a significant cause of 2 1/2 to 3 1/2-yr-old buck deaths.
The damage leads to infection, which can kill the deer over a period of weeks or months.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
My typical methodology starts with scanning fields & food plots with binoculars. Many, maybe even a majority (in many areas) will be shed in fields & food plots. In early spring (or late winter) BEFORE things start "greening" up, sheds are easy to see, and you can cover a lot of acreage with binoculars.
Many hunters may not be aware, but after deer season when most deer are undisturbed, they often "bed" much of each night in fields, meaning they may be spending @ 12 of 24 hours in these fields, either feeding or bedding.
Once nature's smorgasbord begins "greening" up, the deer begin using other areas more. At about the same time, these fields & food plots are growing faster than the wooded areas. This is the time to shift your focus more to the wooded & other cover areas BEFORE all the growing stuff begins hiding the sheds.
Areas of honeysuckle are prime areas to find sheds, as the deer are often feeding on the honeysuckle and antlers often get "hung up" a bit, just enough to remove them there, but not enough force to cause pedicle damage. I commonly find sheds hanging 3 or 4 feet off the ground in a wall of honeysuckle. Areas of honeysuckle may be your best bet to find a matched pair.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
In most of TN this year, I doubt many bucks will shed before March.
What he said.
Around what time of the year do they start dropping in west Tennessee? Henderson Tennessee
Shed Hunter
Well-Known Member
Our family farm I grew up on is right by you in Reagan TN. I've hardly ever gotten one on camera shed there before late February. They can, but unless I'm looking for a giant I'd rather go to KY early on
This is one I picked up March 8th of last year in Reagan
Attachments
BSK
Well-Known Member
What Shed Hunter said. Most won't drop until after February.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
That said, I commonly do find some in late January, albeit it's a tiny percentage of the bucks typically shedding before February.
Most of the ones I find in late January thru early February are actually from the prior year's shedding. What often happens is that bucks shed AFTER a lot of weeds, honeysuckle, and blackberry begin rapidly growing. It's very hard to see a shed that's on the ground among waist-high blackberry briars leafing out. But late winter the next year, they're often easy to see.
The ones that are most camouflaged (like in a briar patch), often survive a year with little damage, albeit if rabbits find them, they can be totally consumed. Sheds dropped in open hardwoods will often get quickly eaten by squirrels, although sometimes they just totally overlook them as well.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
I enjoy looking for sheds, but don't have the "need" as much now because trail cams actually do a better job of showing which bucks survived deer season. That's a least the case in the mostly wooded TN habitat I most hunt.
I hardly ever find sheds but love going out "shed hunting". Being out while everything is bare naked sure makes scouting a breeze. Things are revealed & obvious that we cannot see while leaves are still on.
Tnshooter15
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2020
- Messages
- 290
- Reaction score
- 334
I thought she'd hunting was called turkey hunting
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Good point. I use this strategy as well (right after a rain). I have a buck I'll be looking for soon that I shot back in muzzleloader and couldn't find.
BSK
Well-Known Member
That's very interesting.
BSK
Well-Known Member
Working in the woods as much as I do, I'm shocked I don't find more dropped antlers. But I rarely do. Maybe that's because I'm usually traveling by ATV and not necessarily looking for sheds. But I've the ones I've found, the most common locations, in order of frequency would be 1) in food plots, 2) along fences deer have to jump over, and 3) along creeks or ditches deer have to jump over.
