The 4 Best Spots to Shed Hunt and Find Sheds Consistently!
Crop Fields
Wood Lots
Snow Country
Big Woods
Crop Fields provide high energy food source for deer in the winter. A majority of deer activity will be centered around these areas.
Deer will stay between food sources and shelter. So find that area where a deer can slip into a crop field and back into a bedding area is best. Along these trails prove to be successful for shed hunting.
Wood Lots
Hit the edge of the woods, right along the crop fields. Here, deer have quick access to a prime food source, and they can soak up direct sunlight. In particular, search under the few scattered tall trees here, which stand out from the surrounding hardwoods. The dozens of rubs you see around your property every year. Walk those old rub lines. It’s obvious that bucks love this area.
Big Lonely Trees. Not only do they look beautiful, but they are attractive to bucks. this odd item on the landscape attracts deer the same way fish are attracted to a rock or log on an otherwise featureless
bottom. There are always several deer trails running both parallel and perpendicular to the creek. Check every creek crossing for antlers because the jumping sometimes jars antlers loose. Walk up and down the parallel trails because they are used quite heavily. Lastly, walk any trail you actively see deer sign, good hint they are probably there!
Snow Country
Snow tells you a lot quickly, so if possible, try to hit the woods before the snow melts, but after it has receded enough to reveal antlers. Snow not only shows you where deer are concentrated; it also shows you where they’re not. This will help you narrow your search. Keep in mind that just because an area is littered with tracks doesn’t mean there will be antlers there. You might be right in the middle of a doe group’s core area. Bucks frequently (but not always) separate themselves from does in winter, sometimes reforming old bachelor groups. How do you know if you’re in buck territory? Watch for buck sign. Look for fresh rubs on trees. You may also see a buck’s antler imprints in the snow when he feeds. Notice urine. A doe burns a hole in snow as she urinates.
A buck is more likely to spray urine, and he’ll often dribble as he walks. Many people say they can tell a buck’s track because he leaves drag marks in the snow. A word of caution, however. All deer will leave drag marks in deep snow. This trick is more reliable when there’s only an inch or two of the white stuff on the ground, and even then it’s not infallible.
Big WoodsWatch terrain features that direct deer movement. Natural funnels, bands of thick cover in sparsely forested areas and other terrain features alter deer movement. Food sources are a great spot but exposed sunny spots or evergreens in a hardwood swamp attract bedding deer, so bedding areas are great, too. Keep in mind that just because there are no agricultural fields, houses or roads breaking up a large tract of forest, deer relate to them just like they relate to any other area, so watch for classic shed-hunting spots, such as south-facing slopes. Look for concentrations of deer tracks, rubs and other sign, and avoid areas devoid of tracks and deer sign.
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