Last year was a strange one, would you agree? Across most the country in 2010 rutting activity was sporadic, minimal and downright disappointing for many hunters. But the good news is that experts are predicting a strong rebound in 2011!

Now, the possible reasons for last years strange rut are many. But if you saw the 2010 peak rut predictions from Deer & Deer Hunting’s Charles Alsheimer, you might be inclined to believe the strange rut was tied to the moon. As a refresher, according to Alsheimer,  the key factor in kicking the rut into gear is the occurrence of the second full moon after the Autumn Equinox. According to  this theory, once the “Rutting Moon” hits, most doe’s estrus cycles kick into gear and the peak of the rut follows shortly. Keep in mind, there are many rut prediction theories and this is just one of those. But when it comes to rutting activity observed in 2010, Charles seemed to be spot on. Alsheimer predicted a “trickle rut”, resulting in sporadic rut activity due to an abnormally late “Rutting Moon”. Could this be coincidence? Possibly. But maybe there’s also something to be said for the moon. So with that possibility in mind, I wanted to share with you the predictions Mr. Alsheimer has unveiled for 2011!

In Deer & Deer Hunting’s October issue, Alsheimer explains that “this year’s rut will be much different – and much better – than what we experienced last year.” The rutting moon this year will be November 10th, and based on other years that have had this same moon, the rut should be “intense and very exciting”. Sounds good, right?

According to this theory, the seeking and chasing phases of the rut in most states north of the 38th latitude should kick off around November 7 or 8 and will continue for a week or more. Breeding should begin taking place in most cases by November 15th, with the peak of breeding occurring around the 20th.

With this in mind, Alsheimer has predicted The 9 Best Days to Hunt in the North in 2011 to be… November 10-18.

So there you have it. Your 2011 rut predictions from Deer & Deer Hunting. Obviously these predictions and the theory behind it is debatable, but it’s interesting information to consider, if nothing else!

My question now is, what do you think? Do you give the “Rutting Moon” theory any credence? Will you plan any of your time off around these dates? I’m also curious if you felt last years rut was on par with Alsheimers’ predictions?

For more information about Charles Alsheimer’s rut theory and predictions, you can pick up the latest copy of Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine or check out the online course 2011 Lunar Rut Predictions.

To see the first part of our Ohio journey in March, check out our “Sheds, Deads and Scouting” Video

Todd Pringnitz of White Knuckle Productions shared with us his answer this past weekend and luckily we had the video camera to capture it. I honestly believe that playing the wind in this fashion is one of the single most important strategies to understand when taking the plunge into chasing mature whitetails. Be sure to check out Todd’s tips and if you leverage this strategy this fall, I can promise you’ll begin seeing results. Here at Wired To Hunt we are all about trying to help you become better deer hunters, and the strategies discussed in this video will do just that. Don’t miss this.

Do you have any more tips or insights into hunting bucks with the wind in their favor? Please share it with us in the comments! Have questions about this strategy? Leave those in the comments too and Todd, me or another member of the Nation will help you out!

Drury Outdoors/Iowa DNR Roundtable Part 2

It’s official. After 22 hours of in-class instruction and discussion, I am now certified by the Quality Deer Management Association as a Deer Steward. To say I’m tickled  with this certification and the QDMA in general is an understatement. And as I write this, I realize I need to be careful not to sound like a little school girl. My apologies if I still do! But in all honesty, I have not enjoyed an educational experience more in my life. Nor have I been more impressed with a set of instructors or presenters. Over the past two days, I have learned more about whitetails and habitat management (and many other topics) than most will in their entire lives. And I am incredibly fortunate to have had that opportunity. But now, maybe not surprisingly so, I feel even more excited and driven to take my education to the next level and continue spreading the good word.

Quality deer management and, by virtue of association, the QDMA has been occasionally assigned a negative connotation by some in the whitetail hunting world. Most often due to one bad apple or a misunderstanding of what QDM actually is. But I can personally report back to you all, that this organization and what it stands for is, without a doubt, the BEST thing going for whitetails and whitetail hunters in America. The work that the QDMA is doing to preserve and protect our whitetail resource and pastime is unmatched and they are doing it for you, me, our children and our children’s children.

I don’t care if you hunt a thousand acres and shoot 4.5 year old bucks or if you hunt public land and shoot the first buck you see, the QDMA is working to protect your right to hunt whitetails and improve the deer, habitat and management philosophies that make that possible. And no matter who you are, that’s something I know we can all stand by.

So without getting too much more into cheerleading mode, in a nutshell, the QDMA Deer Steward Course was a terrific experience.  And without hesitation, I would  recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about whitetails, habitat and quality deer management. That being said, over the course of the upcoming week, I’ll be sharing with you a more thorough review of the course and a variety of  items I learned over the past days. Hopefully I can pass on some small piece of the vast knowledge I acquired over the course of this weekend. So definitely stay tuned!

Lastly, if you’re not a member of the Quality Deer Management Association yet, let me make your next move easy. Go to the QDMA website and sign up for a membership. It’s the best $30 you’ll spend this year, I guarantee it. Quality Whitetails, the magazine they publish six times a year, is more than worth the membership fee by itself.  So become a member, contribute to the one organization that works harder than any other to help us whitetail hunters and then dive into Quality Whitetails. I can promise you, you won’ t be disappointed.

Become a QDMA Member

For more pics and details about our shed hunting/scouting trip to Ohio, check out “A Great Start In SW Ohio“

I’ve got to be honest with you all, I’m really excited about today’s post. Now that the first days of March have dawned, the floodgates have been opened for shed hunting and bone should start being found in bunches! That being said, I know there are tons of people looking for helpful shed hunting tips every day. And while there are plenty of tips available all over the web, it seems like you usually just get one random person’s opinion and a few tips. There seemed to be a need for a more definitive and comprehensive shed hunting resource, so it only seemed right that we should make this available on Wired To Hunt!

So that being said, I reached out to a number of expert shed hunters from across the hunting industry and with their help I was able to put together an incredible array of shed hunting tips! So read on for some super helpful shed hunting insights from the who’s who of the hunting world!

Bill Winke – Midwest Whitetail

“A very experienced shed hunter told me that you find the sheds in the places where the deer spend the most time during the winter.  In winter, it is sometimes hard to tell fresh sign from old sign, especially right after snow melt.  He recommended looking for fresh droppings and lots of them.  A deer can’t hide droppings and the melting snow won’t wash them away.  He really slows down and spends a lot of time in areas with lots of fresh droppings.”

Mark and Terry Drury – Drury Outdoors

“Shed hunting is definitely a numbers game. The more eyes the better chance you have,  the more ground you cover the better. We’d also recommend you use Reconyx cameras to establish when the deer have shed.  The worst thing you could do is hunt too early and push them on to your neighbors where they drop their antlers.”

* Check out the Drury Outdoors facebook page soon to enter a giveaway for an all expense paid shed hunting trip with the Drurys!

Scott Bestul – Field & Stream’s Whitetail 365

“Unless you’ve got a photographic memory (I don’t), find a method for labeling your antlers. This will help you remember the location, date, and score of every horn. Write the information on a piece of masking tape or a small piece of paper and attach it to the antler.

Mix it up: If you’re in an area where you know there should be sheds, but you’re just not finding them, vary your routine. I’ve spotted some of my best sheds after walking hard, then just sitting in one spot for awhile, looking around….Or walking loops or squares in a pattern. Another trick, which I learned hunting morel mushrooms, is to kneel down and scan from a different angle. I don’t know if these changeups just reset my inattentive brain, or if weird light angles are just preventing me from seeing antlers…But I do know they’ve let me spot a shed I was missing before. And yes, I’m usually looking for antlers a whole lot smaller than most guys!

Jason Smith - Whitetail Properties

“Before you start, throw a few sheds on the ground and stare at them, get your eyes accustomed to looking for them.  It’s easy to lose your concentration when shed hunting and walk right past them.  A few years ago I actually stopped right next to one to take a break and didn’t see it until I looked back because I heard one of my fellow shed hunters coming.  It seems crazy but if you don’t train your eyes you can miss them.  When I am walking I identify everything I see on the ground.  I am constantly looking at one item and I say to myself what it is… stump, stick, grass, droppings, snow, ice, acron, walnut, thorn, branch, cedar….I name everything I see and it helps me to look at each and every item on the ground.

When you find one antler the other side is probably close.  I begin walking a circle around the location I found the shed.  If you bring a bright cloth with you, tie it to a branch where the first shed is at so you can keep track of your location in relation to it.  If you are in grass lay it out on top of the grass.  If I still can’t find it I get in a high location and use my binoculars to try to spot the other side.

Feeders help me concentrate sheds in one area.  Deer don’t like to move far from food sources in the winter.  I keep my feeders full after season closes and besides getting great photos, my sheds are always within 3-400 yards of the feeders.”

Kandi and Don Kisky – Whitetail Freaks

“You have to look at the right slopes. 75% of our sheds are found on east and south slopes and food is key.”

Todd Pringnitz – White Knuckle Productions

“Like in most cases when it comes to hunting whitetail deer, I hunt the sign, whether I’m shed hunting or bowhunting.  Like during hunting season, you are hunting deer on a pattern between food and bedding.  You have to locate the primary food sources in your area to locate the likely positions of most of your deer, including bucks after the hunting season.  I continue to use trail cameras to monitor shedding throughout the winter months and don’t start walking until I start to see the my primary shed animals dropping.  Once I know there are sheds to be found, I walk starting from the feeding areas and moving outward toward the bedding areas.  If snow is present, this will make your job easier in determining the primary travel routes.  Re-walk all your best stuff every 10-14 days to find the antlers as they drop.  If you aren’t finding sheds, you aren’t where the deer are.”

Mike Hanback – Remington’s The Buck Stops Here with Mike Hanback

“A rainy day is great—sheds shine and catch your eye. Bones can be tough to see in brown grass lit with harsh sunlight.

The biggest mistake people make is to wander around, looking too far out front and all around. Mark off small grids of land, walk slowly over each grid and look straight down at the ground for sheds.

Wear soft-soled boots. One April day Iowa shed expert Don Kisky stepped on a stick, or so he thought. He dug through the leaves and uncovered a five-point 75-inch shed. With the other antler and an 18-inch spread, that giant would have pushed 170. With his new rack, he would go Boone and Crockett that fall.”

Bryhn Craft - Whitetail Properties

“Looking for shed antlers takes a little practice to become efficient. It’s like when you first started deer hunting. You know what I am talking about, your dad is trying to show you a deer and you just can’t seem to see it until it moves. It was because you were looking for the whole deer. As you learn to look for just parts of the deer, maybe an ear or a leg, or maybe just the tine of the antler, you all the sudden increase your sightings. It is the same with shed hunting. If you walk around just trying to spot a whole antler lying on the ground, you may find a few, but you will be missing a whole bunch more. Try looking for the just the tip of the tines, or just the base of the antler and you will increase your odds of finding more antler significantly. You can always tell if a guy is a good shed hunter if he not only comes back with the big ones, but comes back with the spikes as well.”

Tony Hansen - Realtree.com Contributor

“Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to spot the movement of antlers in the timber on rainy or overcast days? Well it seems to be the same with sheds. Bright sun makes everything glare. I have a much easier time spotting antlers when it’s overcast — not sure why that it is, but it holds true for me. I also have a friend who ‘collects’ sheds by using rubber bungee straps pulled tight across two trees near a feeder or food plot. He picks the most used path of entry or exit and stretches the bungees across about chest-high (he’s about six feet tall). Then when bucks duck under to pass, they brush the straps and often leave sheds behind. It looks kind of goofy but there’s no arguing with the results. He finds a lot of sheds lying right under those straps.”

Jeff Lindsey – Drury Outdoors

“My favorite places to look are on south facing slopes as close as you can get to the last available food source. I also like to look in the grasses on the edge of crop fields that bucks like to lay in and mill around in throughout the night.”

Pete Alfano - Whitetail Properties

“If your crunched for time and want to get in the most effective walking on your boots, I would start with south facing slopes located not far from late winter food sources where I’ve seen deer herding back up in January and February. Another great spot that is over looked is grass water ways or areas in fields that are the first to be exposed from melting snow.”

In addition to all of these great tips, I’ve listed all of our prior shed hunting articles below for you to reference! We’ve got some great posts that include tips from Joe Shead, the author of the one and only shed hunting book, Mike Hunsucker and Matt White of Heartland Bowhunter and much more. Between the expert tips above and the strategies you can learn about in the articles below, you truly will be ready to make 2011 your best shed season ever!

Shed Hunting Tips From Expert Shed Hunter and Author, Joe Shead

Shed Hunting Tips From Heartland Bowhunter

Book/DVD Review: Shed Hunting – A Guide To Finding Whitetail Deer Antlers

Shed Hunting 101 Webinar from Deer & Deer Hunting

Let Shed Hunting Season Begin – 5 Tips For More Sheds

3 Easy Tools To Increase Your Shed Count in 2011

Out In The Open – Matt White

Have any other shed hunting tips that folks should know about? Share them in the comments!

What do you guys think?! Are you Wired To Hunt?