Shed Hunting Opinion

[beachpeaz]

Quick opinion from people who are succesful at finding sheds:

 

I shed hunt behind my house and have a huge cut corn field, easily 100 acres that borders forest that is probably 200 acres +.

 

I have VERY limited window to get out each year.  I don't own a dog.  I get out 3 or 4 times for maybe 2-3 hours each. So, I need to be focused on a specific area when i do go look.  3 hours is not very long when you are talking an area that is almost 2 square miles.

 

Would you:

 

1) Walk the open, cut corn field hoping for the "easy" drops

2) Walk the border of the field and woods (basically able to see 20' into the woods and 20' into the field)

3) stick to deer trails in the woods / bedding areas with high deer concentration?

 

Keep in mind, there are a ton of hunters in the area and a ton of people who look for sheds.  This isn't a high fenced property with 100 sheds that i get to go around looking for.  I have found 2 in 10 years of looking.  i think it is more because of where I am looking more than anything else.

 

any SUCCESSFUL shed hunters out there have an opinion?  If you only had 2-3 hours, where would you focus that time?  It is physically impossible to do all 3.  It is appoximately 3 mile hike round trip just walking the edge.

 

any opinions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[Lawdwaz]

I'd get on a wheeler and cruise the edges, if possible.  If not an option, walk the edges and trails first.  Maybe they bumped them off on  the way to the field?

 

Glassing the field could be a decent way to approach the big expanse.

 

Luck......................................

[mbucks27]

I would rule out the field edges if there are a a lot of people looking for sheds in the area that will be the first place they will look and should be pretty easy to spot. Is there anywhere that you can get up high and scan fields with binos?? Would save a lot of time waking fields and you should be able to spot them if corn is cut down low enough.

Also i would concentrate on thickest bedding areas I could find that nobody wants to go into. I have found a good amount in those kind of places. Good luck!!

John

[Hardcore]

Any places you can parallel ...I.e ...fence lines , creeks, ditches. If the deer are jumping any of these they could drop on landing.

If your area has a lot of shed hunters then also try to zig zag the periphery of the bedding areas as well as in the bedding areas. I have found most in or right on the edge of the bedding areas....to include ridge top overlooks where I have found the better sheds...shed hunting is hard business.

[Lawdwaz]

I would rule out the field edges if there are a a lot of people looking for sheds in the area that will be the first place they will look and should be pretty easy to spot.

 

Yea but.....................who knows when they will loose their crowns?  Could be the night before he (or she!) goes looking...............

 

 

Like the Lotto................."Hey, you never know"

Edited February 21, 2014 by Lawdwaz

[Zag]

My uncle (a farmer) says he runs over a ton of sheds in the fields with his tractor tires.

[beachpeaz]

to answer questions posted above:

 

- no wheeler.  I am on foot (and yes, i agree, if i could utilize a wheeler, that would be my first choice)

- No high ground.  I live in flat land america.  there isn't even a foot of elevation behind me.  I could climb in my tree stand, but the view would be very limited.

- Corn field is cut with 6 - 12" nubs left behind.  WITH the snow, if the shed was on the snow, MAYBE you could see them.  Without snow...forget it.  Snowmobile or wheeler would work....if I had one.

- no fences or streams in the area that the deer jump.  Really nothing the deer jump.  As notes, very flat and open.

 

Of the 2 sheds I have found, one was 20' into the woods on a trail and 1 was in a bedding area.  Not exactly definitive.  lol. 

 

Very frustrating as i know there are quite a few sheds behind me and some MONSTERS to boot.  Can't quite figure out if I am just unlucky, don't spend enough time, or just plane looking in the wrong places.

 

thanks for the input!

Edited February 21, 2014 by beachpeaz

[philoshop]

Hit the thick bedding areas and use the glasses to check all the nooks and crannies. For every one I've found in fields and on edges, I've found another 5 or 6 in the thick stuff. Rain is knocking down the snow around here right now, so I'll be out this weekend. Pics to follow, hopefully.

Good luck everyone!

[phade]

Find whatever destination food source has been hot...the ones piling up deer yards.

 

Look in known bedding areas and the trails leading to them.

 

Binos help.

[wooly]

 I have found 2 in 10 years of looking.  i think it is more because of where I am looking more than anything else.

 

To be totally honest with ya, I'd be looking for a new., or more property to hike.

If you're looking for a specific buck, it may be hard to walk away from that area, but if you just want to find more antlers, you need more ground.

Sometimes certain areas can look like gold mines but rarely reward you with any sheds. Sounds like you may have wasted the last 10yrs in one of those spots,lol.

[chiefbkt]

Went out for 2 hours today. Hit the primary bedding areas since I didn't have a ton of time. Didn't find anything! Had a great time though. Attached is a picture of one of the bedding areas. It's about 100x50 yards. Found 23 different beds (old and newer) and saw 3 deer.