On foot or horseback in the timber, ATV in the fields. That being said, I suck at finding sheds. I did, however, find three last year. Many moons ago my daughter found a nice shed while on horseback. I went back to that same spot the next day on horseback and found the other side laying in the exact same spot.
All east facing ridges(stay high or middle)All winter wheat thts planted:)...Major fence crossings…The thickest bedding areas u can find…..I also check in heavy pine thickets also….Good Luck Everyone
I’ve always been told to look for a tine, don’t look for an antler. Then you won’t miss those partially covered and smaller ones. And for scanning fields or open areas, have a pair of binoculars.
Just like backwoodshntr I always take binoculars. Makes it really simple to scan the fields especially if you are walking the edge of the field scanning down the rows.
I’ve always been told to look for a tine, don’t look for an antler. Then you won’t miss those partially covered and smaller ones. And for scanning fields or open areas, have a pair of binoculars.
I found a real nice shed tonight next to a pond, so i guess my recommendation is to look near water where the shed might fall off when the buck puts his head down to take a drink. Its half a real nice 6 pt, real tall G2, outta be a pretty nice one next year! The pond was froze and i found it near the only open water corner.
carrollcountyhunter2024600 - 07 February 2012 07:05 PM
I found a real nice shed tonight next to a pond, so i guess my recommendation is to look near water where the shed might fall off when the buck puts his head down to take a drink. Its half a real nice 6 pt, real tall G2, outta be a pretty nice one next year! The pond was froze and i found it near the only open water corner.
Love to read the word TONIGHT...
I guess I will add the 200 yard rule?...I think I have heard that somewhere before?...LOL
If I find a nice one, I will spend hours grid searching that area…I have been lucky to find a couple of nice sets that way…It seems the larger deer want to get the other one off once one had dropped…
Yea i wanted to keep looking, but i got off work at 3:30 had to be some where by 5pm, so i was happy to find anything in that short trip. It really pumped me up to find the other side and many more. A guy i work with found a real dandy yesterday while driving a backroad to a different factory. It was a neat split brow with 5 pts on it, id say the deer was a 160 incher. So they are definetly dropping em.
Oh yea, I forgot about the 200 yard rule. Two years ago I found a shed from a nice 13 pointer we named “Wally”. I searched and searched and couldn’t find his other side. Turns out, the landowner had been shed hunting a couple days before me, and only found one…the other half to Wally! They were only about 75 yards apart. Have heard reports of some dropping, but have not seen any half racks or empty headed bucks. Give me a week and i’ll be out looking.
Oh they are definetly dropping in NW illinois. I had another 1 hour trip this and found one bigger than the shed yesterday. It was the half to a nice 10 pt. The 6 pt i found yesterday was almost as big, but not nearly as impressive. I found the shed tonight in a grassway in the middle of a cornfield. The grassway leads to a dove hunting sunflower patch.
