This is a great time of year to discover deer sheds
Photo by DON BARTLING Deer antlers are always a fun hunt for the whole family. Take your time, and scan your territory carefully.
Photo by DON BARTLING There are many ways to display shed antlers. Matched pairs can be displayed in an antler mount, or you may choose to wait until you have several sheds and make an antler chandelier or mirror frame.
FINDING DEER ANTLER SHEDS
Recently my wife found a four point whitetail shed on our property on the north bench. Amazingly it was from a buck deer that we had been watching all winter and had actually grown up traveling in our region. This find reminded us of two similar sheds one found by my niece and one my-self last year in about the same area. We are still looking for the match of each of the Whitetail deer sheds.
SHED HUNTING TECHNIQUE
How do you spot them? It does take practice but soon you will be able to see them pretty easily. Look for anything out of place in the woods; more often than not the bleach white of bones can stand out in a grassy or brushy area. The glint of a wet antler in the sunlight is a give- away, and so is a white colored antler shed on the dark forest floor. Binoculars are an immense help. Take your time and scan the hillside carefully.
Deer will drop their antlers next to each other, or miles apart. It’s hit or miss. Finding two from the same deer is akin to finding two needles in a haystack. It is rare but it can happen.
When you find one, make slow circles around that area to see if you can find the second matching one. Search along deer paths and where deer have frequented in the winter and early spring.
TREASURE YOUR TROPHY
There are many ways to display shed antlers. Matched pairs can be displayed in an antler mount, or you may choose to wait until you have several sheds and make an antler chandelier or mirror frame. Single sheds also look great as rustic decoration in hunting cabins or mantles, or weathered sheds may be made into knife handles or antler clothes buttons.
You can sell the antler sheds or use them in craft ideas (http://www.wideopenspaces.com/antler-art-20-ways-old-racks-lying-around-pics/). Another good use is a rattling antler set.
Calling in bucks next season with the real thing is a great way to use a mimicked sound to increase your chances of hunting success.
Now it the time to get out and start hunting for those deer shed antlers before someone else finds them or the mice and squirrels eat them for the calcium content. It is great exercise and great fun.