Older bulls will also shed before younger bulls. This closure applies to public lands in Game Management Units 54, 55, 66, 67, 551. I completely agree with the comments about not collecting antlers. yes I will try looking in places where it good to find em! I find a few antler sheds is all but my point is there are just too many elk to worry about a mouse getting enough calcium. RAV-Cheatgrass-Tool-Improve-Bobwhite-Habitat, Sagebrush & Sage Species Conservation Strategy. Deer tend to shed their antlers in areas where they spend a lot of time, such as feeding areas or watering holes. All of these factors make an area with evergreen cover preferred winter bedding for deer, and thus a great place to scoop sheds. Theres gold in them hills! Scott Wait is a senior biologist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. As bulls drop their antlers, they leave the gang. This is where the deer will feed. Check your state regulations for salvage requirements, and if its unclear, call a local game warden for advice. CPW will post signs, send press releases, work with sportspeople's groups and partners, news media, social media and other communication avenues to ensure the public is well informed about this new change. The freshly felled trees will provide lots of young tender browse that was inaccessible to the deer, but the sudden infusion of sunlight will also produce lots of stump sprouts next summer. Game animals also spend time in ravines, which shield them from the wind; you may find antlers in ravines. There is no way for a CPW officer to differentiate between you and someone who entered the area for the purpose of shed collecting. This one is obvious but very important for success. Finding Shed Antlers: Top 3 Locations. No restrictions for private property. Follow them, and youll learn a lot more about deer. The goal of the Police Department is to maintain a high level of quality of life for Jackson residents in the least obtrusive manner possible. Do your homework before heading into the hills by checking specific regional snowpack reports and webcams to determine the elevation and depth of snow in a specific zone. Required fields are marked *. Brown or white antlers are easiest to spot on an overcast day. And I have been looking for just over 10 years. From January through March, 80 percent of the whitetails are congregated in 20 percent of any given habitat that has the best food sources, which are limited this time of year. , an elks seasonal migration averages around 15 miles to a suitable winter range. Most people naturally start looking for sheds in the same areas where they hunt deer each fall. Notes from the Deer Wars: Science & Values in the Eastern Forest, An Overlooked Threat to Freshwater Fisheries? Antlers are hardest to pick out in full, harsh sunshine. For some added advice, be sure to check out this quick video from Mark Kayser, Tips For Finding Elk Shed Antlers. Mule deer and elk often gather in wintering areas making finding sheds easier but also increasing the threat to these animals. NEW MEXICO Most older bucks shed antlers earlier than younger bucks do. A shed hunt is not a race. Todays top biologists nix that idea, saying deer are probably unaware of when and where theyll lose their headgear. Weve listed some of the best places to find shed antlers below. Illinois, like Iowa, is another largely agricultural state which makes zeroing in on the big sheds fairly easy. One of my favorite finds was a pair of antlers I found by a fence in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Subscribe to our newsletter and receive The Colorado Beginner Elk Hunting Guide for FREE. Pine forests with a tall canopy help filter out snow, which keeps the snow levels in the understory very shallow. Bigger bulls and elk in general, prefer seclusion and will not tolerate human interaction, which is why you also find them at higher elevations. Loud, fast-moving OHVs and snowmobiles are major sources of wildlife stress. Routes mysteriously converge. I realize this is an old blog but theres actual scientific documentation of bears chewing on antlers, ostensibly as a source of calcium and phosphorus: see, for instance https://bioone.org/journals/Northwest-Science/volume-85/issue-3/046.085.0307/Osteophagy-by-the-Grizzly-Bear-Ursus-arctos/10.3955/046.085.0307.full. This past Winter, snowfall was heavy in December, January, and February but March and April were mild with very little accumulation. Thats typically what runs through my mind when I see a buddy walking towards one of those spots while shed hunting. No, Im not making a 420 reference here; Im talking elevation. * In the eastern forest, get out quickly before things green up before the critters devour them (porcupines and rodents can consume them quickly). Spring scouting can help you gather valuable intel for the next hunting season. Its impossible to predict exactly when a bull elk will shed his antlers, but a couple of factors can help you predict the timing of the drop. The first is the amount of snowfall the previous year. Bone will shine and catch your eye. Work from a distance, and get to know where they are hanging out. This past Winter, snowfall was heavy in December, January, and February but March and April were mild with very little accumulation. If you can think of a few, prioritize those spots for a trip very soon. Here are his tips for finding them in the eastern forest: * Target south and southwest-facing slopes that receive more sun. Please turn on JavaScript and try again. Protecting our wintering wildlife is something we have to do together. As an elk hunting guide for almost half of my life, Ive cultivated this land into my office. Well never be able to go on a simple stroll through perfect shed hunting land and scoop antlers up left and right. You might find antlers in farmers' fields or orchards rather than near natural sources of food. Many of us dont have the luxury of large nearby fields with standing grain to draw shedding bucks. Antler collectors are encouraged to stage at any of the public parking lots in town including the Home Ranch Lot, the Deloney Lot, the Phil Baux Lot and the Fairgrounds Lot. Bulls just hate the imbalance when one antler is off. By knowing such a thing, a shed hunter can follow fence lines to scout for dropped antlers. Harassing wildlife is a $137 violation that also includes 10 license suspension points. Usually, bull elk shed their antlers beginning in mid-to-late March later than any other North American cervid, and months after the rut, when the antlers served their role in battling competitors for cows to mate with. In areas of extreme snowfall and harsh winter conditions, even the herd bulls will get pushed down to lower elevations out of necessity to survive. The average price per pound for brown elk antlers is between $12 and $16. She enjoys engaging with coyotes more than shed antler hunting, but every time we hike Im amazed at the antlers she digs up buried in inches of forest duff. Elk will move down out of the high mountains in early winter when the snow gets too deep and the rifle hunting pressure abates. So get outside and start your search. Grade C: Antler faded and weathered to white and chalky, maybe with some green color, likely on the ground for 2 or 3 years. The entire purpose of my blog is to document my findings as I embrace a new lifestyle in a much more extreme terrain and environment. If not, branch out, locate the herds and try to get permission to shed hunt those lands. But serious shed hunting will help you learn more about the animals you hunt in the fall. Focus instead on these high-priority areas alone and take the time you need to look more thoroughly. Listen to your subconscious. Think smart and travel to areas with less hunting pressure where deers migrate to survive and drop their antlers. Then get out there, explore, stretch your legs, and work on honing in those hunting and glassing skills for fall. These regulations protect the health of Colorado's big game herds and other wintering wildlife. Small mammalian tooth marks on sheds reveal its purpose in providing scarce minerals. "In all deer species, antlers are biological 'luxuries.' If that is on the same ground where you hunt, great. But finding those needles of bone in the haystack of the wild is just as exciting and rewarding. Whitetail hunting strategies for the next generation. Rates for brown deer sheds range from $10 to $14 per pound, solid whites range from $6 to $8 and chalks from $1 to $2. There may also be some young or fallen cedar or pine branches to browse on while in this type of bedding area. Now that weve covered the two dominant sites to find shed antlers, lets look at the last place you can find them. Bone will shine and catch your eye. I cant tell you how many sheds Ive found that I walked right by days and weeks before, he says. Youre in one of those spots. Sometimes you'll find sheds in cover so thick you can barely walk through it. Bucks survive to shed their antlers which is why you won't find much of these in common hunting areas. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Im surprised at this article. But the winter had been milder than usual, and elk were shedding their antlers early. Wear comfortable boots and carry plenty of water. Although mule deer and elk wintering areas will have some cross-over, most of the lower elevation elk sign will be cows and young bulls. Chalk costs between $1 to $3 per pound and strong whites have an average cost between $8 to $11. Comparatively to both whitetails and mule deer, elk antlers always seemed to elude me while deer antlers were relatively easy to find. Its a warmer-than-average winter in many parts of the country, the snow has mostly melted, and its the perfect time to get out there and check the woods. They seem to hold more of a consistent pattern for longer periods of time, while an elk herd has a much larger range and can be found in a completely different area from one day to the next. Winter can be extremely difficult on wildlife as body weight is down and access to food is very limited. In winter, deer often shift from the areas they frequented in the fall to take advantage of changing food availability and winter cover. For advice, I turned to Mike Eckley, conservation forester for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. CPW does, however, manage State Wildlife Areas across western Colorado, many of which have seasonal closures to all human use in order to protect wintering big game animals. Theyll shake their head to get rid of the other, for relief. According to a 2013 article in Montana FWPs. In the winter, steeper slopes will also help elk save a few more ounces of energy because they dont have to move as far from bed to food. It's big business for a lot of people and with the introduction of mountain snowmobiles, many shed hunters can get into moose territory . You might want to bag the hunting boots and wear sneakers or soft-soled trail runners so you can feel those big sticks you step on. My dad has been looking for 40 years! The key thing to remember is that elk typically shed their antlers much later in the Spring than deer, so it is important to pay attention to snow accumulation. In winter when a buck's antlers are dropping, his life revolves around finding the best quality food to replenish his body after the peak rut period. Marvel at the pearly bases, the cedar-stained beams, the slick curving tines. A severe winter with a lot of snow can also cause stressed deer to shed earlier. Youll want to leave most oaks and fruit trees that provide mast for deer, which will further enhance it as a feeding area. The general price changes every year, and locations will . Like a good family recipe or secret bait, a lot of morel honey holes go to the grave with whomever found them. But odds are good that 90 percent or more of the antlers you discover are going to be found in one of three locations: bedding areas, transition corridors, and feeding areas. 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