Hello everyone. My buddy and I are avid hunters. We wanted to try shed hunting this year. We are going in blindly, so any tips or recommendations would be great. We live in Western PA, if that helps. Thank you for your help. Good luck and stay safe. -Tony
Follow trails to where they have to jump over an obstacle. When they land, the force will knock them off. Fences, logs, creeks ect. Entrances to thickets and low over hanging branches. "community rubs/scrapes" Just a few. I find them anywhere and everywhere, but there's a few common places to look. Good Luck!
Tony. No need to get in a big rush.Timing is everything when it comes to finding them. They have to be on the ground before you can walk around slow and look for antlers. Most will be on the ground in your area by the 1st of March. If you are looking in areas that have other people looking then by all means get your feet on the ground by the 2nd week of February in those areas. If you have no competition then hold off till prime time as you might push bucks to other property you do not have access to. Good Luck and keep looking !!!
feeding areas work best for me. walk trails. check bedding areas. south facing slopes. field edges. fence lines. around multifloral rose bushes. and walk tons of miles. I might find one shed per 10 miles in western pa. some years are better then others just depends on the type of winter and feed. seems like a good year of acorns make it easier since the deer don't have to walk around so much.
Just being in the woods in late winter is the key. Antlers drop every year and very few are actually out in the woods at this time so they act like you cant find them but they just aren't trying. I like small woodlots in city areas. They hold a lot more deer per acre.