Shed Antlers: Do they really tell us anything?
Shed Antlers: Do they really tell us anything?
March 5, 2021 was a very special day in my time spent afield. I had taken a walk through the timber to “get out of my own head” and to decompress from a long work week. I was looking for shed antlers which was an activity that I had only taken up for the previous handful of years. To say I was green was an understatement as I was still trying to figure out the magic formula of finding the proverbial needles in the haystack.
My whole childhood and formative years were spent growing up in the timbered thickets of southern Mississippi. There was not much need for or success to be had when it came to shed hunting outside of occasionally stumbling across one in a food plot while turkey hunting. In my eyes it was a fruitless endeavor. It was not until I moved to southern Iowa in 2016 that I realized not only was shed hunting possible but it was fun and informative.
First Iowa Shed Antlers
That fateful day in March revealed my very first matched set of shed antlers to a buck that I had been pursuing diligently the previous Fall. One side was found near a small creek and I was elated. The other side was found in a tiny pocket of trees that don’t amount to much more than one acre.
It was not until I found the second side of the match in the pocket of trees that it dawned on me: I potentially had discovered a late season buck nest. This realization came when I remembered three years prior when my buddy found a matched set to a mature buck no more than 25 yards from this particular antler. The wheels began to turn and my mapping tool was marked to remind me to come back to this very place the next year. 2022 gave more of the same! My dream buck had bedded in that same nook of timber during the late winter and left behind his white golden prizes.
These experiences solidified some things for me that I have used to find success over these last several years. Also, shed hunting in general offers another insight to completing the puzzle on mature bucks.
Analyze Those Antlers
One, if a place is good for a mature buck one year it is likely going to be good for him or others the next year. The revelation that I had was this overlooked patch of timber was cover enough for a mature buck to camp out in during the brutal cold weeks that we see here in Iowa. I was not sure that it would hold quantity but it was perfect for holding quality. There was a wonderful drainage that blocked cold wind, a southern slope for warm sun, and enough cover to keep him protected from other vulnerabilities. The place is not visible from the road and he can see for what seems like a mile in every direction: this was the perfect combination for a wily old buck.
I began putting trail cameras in this little thicket of timber after the 2021 shed season finds and realized that mature bucks frequented this area regularly throughout the year. A place that I had never before considered as a hunting spot was revealed to be a transition area from cover to feeding areas for deer. Several years’ worth of shed antlers gave the concrete evidence I needed to proceed into this spot with confidence. Although I have yet to harvest a buck from the location, I have gathered uncounted intel on mature deer in my area that has led to their demise. For that, I’m grateful.
Sheds have also revealed to me some quite obvious points that make my offseason realizations and expectations better. Understanding that a buck is still alive has given my soul joy in seasons of “deerpression” that come from not being able to hunt. There is nothing quite like the feeling of stumbling onto the shed antler of that big “up and comer” that you thought the neighbor might have shot. This feeling is only equaled by finding the shed to a ghost that you had only hoped was still alive for you to hunt another year. The joy that a youngster gets from finding an Easter egg with a piece of chocolate inside is no match for the exuberance from the weary hunter finding a trophy shed.
Along with sheds revealing where some deer like to hang out and that they are still alive there are some notes that a shed hunter should take in order to keep their perspectives in check. For instance, finding a shed in a crop field where loads of nonresident deer frequent does not automatically mean a particular buck is using your area during the hunting season. What it means is he ate there at some point and that could potentially be all that it means.
Deer, especially in midwestern states like Iowa, often travel miles in order to find available food sources especially in times of bitter cold. Travel, cold temperatures and declining testosterone are the secret recipe for bucks dropping their antlers during the winter. Sometimes all a shed will reveal is that a particular buck was in this particular spot at the time he lost his antlers. Things that we do not necessarily learn are where he’s from and where he’s headed.
However, this is a great indicator that a particular buck is in the neighborhood and knows about this food source. We never know when changes to his landscape might push a buck in a certain direction. Take solace in the fact that you know he was comfortable enough at some point to frequent your area and he very well could make it back. Or, use his presence in one spot to lead you on a quest to find local permissions in order to find his “home.”
Set the Groundwork for Future Opportunities
While the next thought is not a shed finding tip it certainly is a shed hunting and hunting strategy: landowners will often give shed hunting permission before they allow hunting permission. Therefore, do not hesitate to seek out shed hunting permission and prove that you are a responsible and dedicated deer hunter who is there to enjoy the resource and land respectfully. Relationships often win any kind of hunting permission and by establishing a relationship through shed hunting, turkey hunting, mushroom hunting, or predator and varmint control often can lead to bigger and better things.
In closing, allow me to stand on a soapbox for a moment and shout: do not trespass to grab a shed antler. I am a firm believer that if you live a good and honest life that good things come back on you. This goes for road and field sheds. While it may be tempting to jump out and snag a road shed that is just off the path, please be mindful that the property definitely belongs to someone (unless it’s public access) and you need permission. Who knows? Perhaps displaying some upstanding nature will lead to more access. Either way, it’s just the right thing to do. It’s always a good time to do the right thing.
While this article might not point out the typical shed hunting advice of checking south facing slopes, circling major food sources, hunting on overcast and damp days and so forth and so on, I certainly hope it has given great inspiration to get out and go! The sheer fact that you could be the very first person in history to put your hands on a wild deer’s rack is an absolutely incredible idea. We can always learn something no matter where we are when it comes to deer hunting and shed hunting in particular.
My greatest advice: don’t just run up, grab it, and move on. Take a few moments each and every time you pick up a shed antler and run through the what, where, why, and how questions that might be burning. What was he doing here, where was he heading, why would he come back to this place, and how can this information be useful for the future? Don’t let the questions stop there, however. I implore you to be a lifetime learner and you will find success!
April 2026
By Noel Gandy
