Suburban Shed Hunting

Sometime between the transition from long johns to cargo shorts lies one of my favorite seasons of the outdoor calendar. Shed season. In South Eastern Pennsylvania, I usually start my pursuit for "brown gold" around Valentines day, and continue up until the trout season opens in early April. It is a great way to stay connected with the outdoors during the winter months, and a sure fire cure for cabin fever. When I researched shed hunting 5 years ago, I was under the impression that if you put in the miles, your tuck bed will overflow with 75"+ antlers. This is what the pictures on the internet showed, along with tips and tactics to ensure your success. What the sites forgot to mention is where the sheds were being found. I don't live in Saskatchewan, I don't have a 1000 acre lease in Kansas, nor do I manage a 325 acre farm in Iowa. Someday, maybe, but not anytime soon. I love to see pictures of shed antlers from all of these places, but If I were to compare my success as a shed hunter to these places, I would never be satisfied. I live in the suburbs, so I have to play by different rules of what is a successful shed hunt, and where to shed hunt. So to help anyone who does not have access to managed whitetail habitat, or vast open county, I'll give you some pointers to help you find some bone in your local neighborhoods.

1. Go where the deer are. Makes sense, right?  This is the most important step to finding a shed. Start with your hunting area. I have 8 acres that butt up against adjacent wood lots. Always ask for permission to check neighboring properties. Even people that are against hunting, do not seem to mind letting me walk their property for shed antlers. Most hunters seem to notice a spot on their daily commute that they can consistently spot deer. See if you can get permission to walk around. I love walking around business campuses and industrial parks that have surrounding wood lots. The deer population there is protected from hunters, so the bucks rarely wander off. You can pattern their bedding areas and feeding areas year after year and consistently find sheds.

2. Follow the trails. Once you found the deer, get on there trails. The more beaten down the better. If you can look after snow, or right after it begins to melt, the trails will be more pronounced. I have found numerous sheds along trails, and a few I have found only after I have walked on them and felt the bone through my boot.

3. Look down. As a hunter, unless I'm on a blood trail, I rarely look down when I'm in the woods. You are not looking for the deer now, so there is little reason to look ahead. I have to remind myself to constantly look down and walk slow. Every 10 to 15 steps I'll stop and look around 360 degrees, and then its back down to the trail.   

4. Check the Pines. Anytime I see an isolated pine tree, or a cluster of them, its a must look. Deer like to bed under them and shelter under them during winter storms. I find a couple antlers every year under evergreens.

5. Creek crossings. The best crossings are the ones where the opposing banks are of different heights. The thought being that as the deer jump to cross, they will jar their head gear loose. Same holds true for fence crossings.

The best advise I can give you is do not get discouraged. Even if you do not find any sheds, I'm sure you will see something that you would not have seen from the couch. I average one shed for every 4 hours I walk. So If I want to find 10 sheds, I know I'll need to walk for 40 hours. All the miles are worth it when you walk up on that shed and pick it up, knowing you are the first human to make contact with it. I'm still looking for my first shed over 75", but I image finding one that big is easy. I mean, it takes a real keen eye to find a spike, or at least that's what I tell myself when I'm shed hunting in the suburbs.