This morning I wanted to share a little “Shed Porn”! On my trip out to Iowa a couple weeks ago, a friend brought out an absolute stud of a shed that he found the year before. It’s just a big main frame 4 point side, but it has triple brows and tons of mass. The picture doesn’t really do the antler justice, but this is one heavy bone that brings the mass out all the way to the end of the main beam. Speaking of mass, as you can see in the picture below, the bases on this antler are stupid. Just about as big around as a pop can, this shed has some incredible mass measurements – and those kickers coming off the base are just sweet. Truly an awesome shed.

Anyone else find a big ole gnarly shed like this yet in 2012?

With April just about here, the prime time of shed season is starting to wrap up for most whitetail hunters across the country. Looking back on the last couple months, myself and the Wired To Hunt team have been pretty successful. Shed hunting across Michigan and Iowa we found a decent number of antlers and some big ones to boot!

That being said, I always like to try and learn something from each antler that I or a friend find. An easy way to do that is to just take a second to examine how the shed laid when you found it. I’ll sometimes just take a minute to check each antler out from different angles and distances. Practicing looking for sheds in this way can help you spot sheds in the future, by helping you focus on the little things. A white glimmer above the leaves, the tip of a tine poking above a log. Very rarely will you spot a huge antler just sitting there, rather you’ve got to be looking for a piece of antler or just a tine.

So with that in mind, I thought I’d share some pictures of sheds we found this spring as they lay. Take a look at how they lay, and think about how you might have spotted them. Maybe this will be able to help you just a bit next spring – and if not, at least you get to check out some nice antlers!

The shed at the very top of this post was found in the bottom of a valley, near a creek. While this shed just above was found on a south facing slope – in a perfect little bedding area.

This shed was found on a south facing slope as well, in a grassy area which surely caught a lot of sun on those cool late winter/early spring days. Again – a nice bedding area.

This great match set was found partially buried under dirt in a grassy section bordering a corn field. Here you’ve got a perfect combination of a food source, and nearby bedding. These types of areas can be shed hot spots.

I found this shed in a fresh bed, deep in a block of timber.

Here is a great example of shed that would never be found if you were looking for a full antler – in this case just the pedicle was showing!

The next two sheds were found in or near bedding areas as well – no big surprise, as these bedding areas are frequent shed dump zones!

Over the past few years I’ve really gotten into shed hunting, as many other whitetail hunters have as well. And over this course of time I’ve also heard more and more about people using dogs to help them find fallen antlers. I was intrigued. I’d wanted a hunting dog for some time, but never been a really hardcore bird or waterfowl hunter. Getting a dog to help me find sheds seemed like a much better fit, as I’d be out shed hunting for a couple months every year any ways. So my search began. And in May of 2011, as many of you probably saw, I welcomed an 8 week old black lab puppy into my family! I now had a shed dog.

That all being said, I know there are many folks out there today looking into this very same idea. How can I train a dog to help me find sheds? Now that I’ve had my dog for almost a year and I’ve gone through this training process, I’d like to share with you how I’ve trained my dog so far. I based my training regimen off of a number of different articles/books I’ve read and tips I’ve been given by professionals such as Roger Sigler of AntlerDogs.com. Hopefully this insight can help you train your pooch to find more bone for you in the future!

Baby Steps

The training of my shed dog started the day I got him. My dog Booner’s first toys were small shed antlers. They quickly became some of his favorite chew toys and soon we started miniature games of fetch. After several months of this, Boone’s chewing began to really take a toll on the sheds so we then had to take those away, and only use them as rewards. Lets say Booner would sit and stay, I’d give him the shed for a 5 minute romp/chew. He was pumped! The most important part of this early phase was getting my dog excited about sheds.

The second phase started when Boone was 5 or 6 months old and was really starting to use his nose. Now that he had developed a strong desire for sheds, I started playing a little game of hide and seek with him. I’d give Boone the shed for a second, and then leave in a room while I closed the door and hid the shed somewhere in the next room over. I’d then open the door and tell Boone to “Get the bone!” He then quickly started searching around the rooms and would pretty much always eventually find the bone and then return it to me! Every time he brought me the shed, I’d praise him like crazy. This continued to be a fun game until deer season ended, and it was now time to hit the field.

Getting Outside

Once January came along, I began getting Boone out into the field and testing his ability to find sheds outside. This started first in the lawn. I’d first have Boone on a leash, held stationary at a location while I would walk out into the lawn and drop a shed on the ground. I’d then walk back, tell Boone to “Get the bone!” and then release him. He immediately would sprint towards the shed, pick it up and run back. From here we increased the fun by putting Booner inside, while I would then hide the bone in the lawn without him watching. He’d then come sprinting out, quartering across the lawn with his nose down until he saw or smelled the antler!

I should also mention that at this point I had picked up a couple tools that helped me through this later stage of training. First I got my hands on the “DogBone Shed Antler Retrieving Kit“. This included a rubber shed antler, a booklet with some additional training ideas and a bottle of “shed scent”. I began using the rubber antler as a great tool when we moved out into the field, as I could throw this big “shed” off into the corn or grass for Booner to fetch, and not have to worry about him running full speed at it and poking himself on a tine. I also began using the scent to give my old sheds and the fake shed the odor of some freshly dropped bone. By having this strong scent associated with the antlers, Booner began tracking the antlers not only with his eyes but also his nose. I also bought another training booklet from Tom Dokken, a renowned shed dog trainer, and some “Rack Wax” scent, and have used both of these items to refine my training approach.

At this point now Booner had been consistently finding sheds in the yard and retrieving them to me, whether it be the fake antler or real ones. So it was time to move into the real world. I began walking Booner through tall CRP grass and cut crop fields around my house and when Boone was looking the other way, I’d toss the rubber shed antler off into the grass or corn upwind of us. I’d then holler at Boone to “get the bone” and he’d start grid searching the area for the shed. 9 times out of 10 he’d find it! After doing this for a good number of walks I started planting sheds in the field for him to find on our way. I’d head off into the fields before our walk and hide sheds across the field, marking them with a flag or putting them in easy to remember locations. I’d then go back to the house, get Booner and start walking. Again after walking though these areas with the wind in our face he’d almost always find the bone and bring it back. We were on our way!

The First Shed Hunt

Mid February finally hit and it was time to actually start looking for some real sheds, with Booner’s training coming along well I figured it was time to give him his first real try in the field. As we began our first shed hunt, I pulled out his fake shed with scent and tossed it around for him a couple times, encouraging him to “get the bone”. He excitedly chased the shed down every time and brought it back. It was time to get searching. Now on our first time my plan was simple, keep Booner focused by repeatedly telling him to “get the bone”. Occasionally throughout the trip I would hide one of my own sheds in a bush, and then call Boone over to “get the bone”. He’d find it, I’d praise him up and down and he began experiencing some success in the “field”.

On this trip, I did find a shed myself and the best thing to do in this case I believe is wait to pick up the shed, and instead call your dog over. I called Booner over, gave him the command and he started searching. While he actually ran over the snow covered shed a couple times, he eventually sniffed it out and picked it up excitedly. Again this was a way to get Booner excited about his success, and my strong praise made sure he was awarded accordingly.

On this first trip Booner did not find a shed himself, and he hasn’t on the few trips we’ve had since. But I believe he’s definitely heading in the right direction. Having Booner in the field with me has been a blast so far, and when he finally does come trotting back to me with a shed he found, it will be such a thrill. Finding sheds is fun, but with a dog in the equation the enjoyment is so much greater and the antler finding success can be too!

Shed season is officially here for myself and the Wired To Hunt crew and we kicked things off pretty early this year! This past Saturday I hit the woods with Dustin Hotchkin and my shed dog Booner in search of bone, and believe it or not, we found some! We woke that morning to a fresh coat of snow, and that put a serious damper on my hopes for sheds. But luck was with us, and after several hours of walking I came across my first shed of the year!

Where did I find it? Right in a fresh bed. We had been walking a number of bedding areas in between food sources, and this group of beds was on a small ridge near some pothole swamps. The shed looked to be pretty fresh and still had a little bit of blood and hair on the pedicle. While Booner didn’t actually find the shed himself, once we showed it to him he got pretty excited and I’m hoping this first find will fuel his fire for future shed hunts!

But even before Dustin and I had our fun, Ross Hausmann out in Iowa was finding bone in January! On the 28th Ross find a nice 5 point side, and then followed it up with four more on the 4th and 5th of February. These sheds were found in a cut bean field and in bedding areas on a few southern facing slopes. Once again, a couple textbook spots to find sheds. Identify those top food sources and nearby bedding areas and you should be in the bone!

Now that we’re almost mid-way through February the sheds are really starting to fall. From what I’ve heard across the midwest, it seems that we’re about 50/50 in regards to bucks shedding so far. I’ve seen a handful of shed bucks and half racks, but I also saw 5 antlered bucks this weekend too. If you’re hitting the woods now you’ve certainly got a chance, but things will only get better from here! 

Looking for some more advice on finding sheds? Make sure you check out “The Ultimate Shed Hunting Resource“, our full collection of expert tips and links to all our shed hunting articles over the years!

As we discussed last week, this spring we’ll be featuring some of the best sheds found in 2012 by the Wired To Hunt Nation on the blog! Today we’ve got one of our first submissions, this one coming from Adam Rottler. He found this giant Kansas shed, measuring 80 3/8″ on January 29! Where specifically? A wheat field.

Morale of the story? This shed was found in a popular late season food source, and these can be some of the hottest shed hunting areas out there. Corn, beans, wheat, brassicas. Wherever the deer are feeding late in the year, you’ve got a good chance of finding some bone.

Congrats Adam! And for the rest of you, if you want to send in your shed read up on details here and then send us your picture and information!

With February now upon us, the unofficial start of shed hunting season is pretty much here! And with the ever growing interest in shed hunting, I’ve decided that we can do a better job here on Wired To Hunt of  showcasing some of the awesome sheds being found out there. So how do I plan to do that? With the Wired To Hunt Nation’s help of course!

What I’m proposing is this. If you find a cool shed this winter/spring, we want to feature it on Wired To Hunt! If you’d like your shed on the blog, send an email to wiredtohunt@gmail.com with the following items:

- A great picture or pictures of your shed. Preferably one of the pics would be of the shed as you found it in the wild.

- Details regarding the state you found the shed, the date of your find, and a description of the terrain where the shed was located.

Hopefully this will result in all of us being able to check out some awesome sheds, while also learning a little bit more about where/how sheds are found!

So with that being said, whether you are starting now or in a few weeks, get ready to strap on your boots and get walking. As a little bonus, whoever sends in the pic of the “coolest” shed (admittedly this will be pretty subjective), will win a Wired To Hunt trucker hat! Let me know if you have any questions, otherwise good luck shed hunting and I look forward to seeing what kind of monster bone you guys can find!

Well. He’s certainly not anything to get too excited about, but this little fella is the first buck I’ve seen so far this year that’s shed an antler. And THAT is exciting. The first phase of the 2012 season will be kicking off soon with shed hunting and I can not wait. My plan for the next few weeks is to keep a steady supply of Big & J’s BB2 and a few other attractants well supplied in front of my trail cameras. And when I see the majority of the bucks without antlers, I’ll start searching. Also by having an attractant/supplement like BB2 or something similar available, it can help draw bucks into a smaller area and hopefully will result in a few of them shedding their antlers nearby!

Anyone else seeing shed bucks already?

Interested in getting ready for shed season a little early? Here is a link to our compilation of the best tips and tricks for shed hunting from some of the best in the hunting industry…

The Ultimate Shed Hunting Resource – Expert Shed Hunting Tips, Strategies and Suggestions

I finally did it. After dreaming of having my own four legged hunting buddy for years, I finally bought my own dog. So, may I now introduce you to Booner. Affectionately named after the legendary giant whitetails we chase year in and year out, Booner will be my companion in the woods during the off-season and back at home during the fall.

Growing up I always wanted a German Shorthaired Pointer, but over the last couple years I’ve gone bird hunting less and developed a need for a new kind of dog. In particular, a shed hunting dog. So after researching shed hunting dogs for the last year or two, I finally decided this spring that a lab was most likely the best choice for me because of their renowned status as the best shed hunting breed and their more laid back temperament. And so far, I couldn’t be happier with my choice. Booner is a bundle of energy, but when we’re not playing, he’s also really good at relaxing and chewing on one of his toys. Or even better, a shed! I’ve already introduced him to some of my sheds, and they’re quickly becoming one of his favorite toys! In the coming months we’ll start playing fetch with them and then eventually start hiding them for him to find. It should be a fun journey and I’ll be sure to share my experiences training him with you all along the way!

That being said, while on the topic of shed hunting dogs, I thought I might offer a few key things to look for in a potential shed hunting pup!

1. First off you need a breed that can do this kind of work. Naturally, shed hunting is a good fit for retrievers given the task at hand. Labrador retrievers have been found to be the ideal breed, but Golden and Chesapeake retrievers are good options as well. On top of retrievers, many other hunting and working breeds can be taught to find sheds as well. I’ve heard of German Shepherds, German Shorthairs, most bird dogs and various other breeds working as shed hunters too.

2. Once you’ve selected the right breed, you need to find a specific dog that has the hunting and retrieving drive to make a good shed hunting dog. Most literature suggests that you can’t assess this fully until a dog is around six months old. But if you’re buying a puppy, there are still some tell-tale signs you can look for. Keep an eye out for a puppy who is healthy, playful and active for as long as you are. You’ll want a shed hunting dog that can hike the woods for as long as you, so if you’re dog is getting bored when playing with you in the living room, you can bet he’ll get bored after 4 hours in the woods. You can also test for basic retrieving interest by throwing various objects for the dog, and seeing if he attempts to fetch them at all. At a young age a puppy may not know to chase the object or fetch it consistently, but a general interest and willingness to play and retrieve on occasion is a good sign that your dog has a chance at having shed hunting chops.

All that being said, we’ll be sure to share all of the shed hunting training experiences and lessons we encounter along the way. And hopefully come February next year, we’ll be able to find Booner his first shed! Speaking of, as I sit here typing, Booner is sitting at my feet gnawing on an old 2 point shed and I couldn’t be more proud. Here’s to Booner being on his way to becoming one heck of a shed hunter!

As we cruised north on Interstate 75 heading home to Michigan, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied. To be honest that was in part because I just relieved myself after 3 hours stuck in the truck. But also because of the results of our weekend in Ohio!  Did we have a good shed hunting weekend? No. Not at all.  But regardless of that, it was still a very successful weekend and a fun one on top of that. Two days of nonstop whitetail talk, shed hunting, and hiking the rolling hills of Ohio. Not too bad of a way to spend a weekend in March If I say so myself.

Like I mentioned this Saturday on W2H, on day one we got permission to shed hunt on five properties and we put a lot of miles on our boots. Unfortunately  we only had one, year old shed to show for it. Day two was much more of the same, with a 7:00 AM wake up call pushing us out the door and into the early morning chill. The second morning involved lots of walking, plenty of prickers in my face and one seriously small shed. We also came upon a dead 2.5 year old 8 pointer on the same property, but that was it! After hiking a few more properties and braving some rain, we decided to call it a day and head for our final gauntlet of the weekend. Asking for hunting permission on our top property.

Luckily fate was on our side, and we obtained access to our #1 spot! Lady luck was definitely with us, but I also have to give a big shoutout to my buddy Corey, who put in some tremendous time and effort into locating our target properties and mapping out who to talk to and where to look. It really paid off for us in the end. Once we knew we had one piece locked down in Highland County, we headed East to meet with Mike Murtland of Whitetail Properties.

Mike is an agent for Whitetail Properties in Ohio and we were hoping to pick his brain about property in the area and shoot the deer hunting shit. And that we did! Mike is a great guy and a hardcore deer hunter just like myself and Corey, so we had a good ole time swapping stories and talking strategy. Needless to say, Mike has some really great properties for sale, that any whitetail freak would give a left arm for. We’ll most likely be checking out a few this summer, and we’ll be sure to keep you guys posted. But if you’re interested in the meantime, check out some of the properties Mike has in Ohio by visiting Mike’s page on the Whitetail Properties website.

So all this being said, the weekend was without a doubt a success. Despite the fact that our shed finds are laughable at best, we did end up coming back with access to a dynamite property and a lot of good stories. Our next trip to Ohio is planned for midsummer, when we’ll be putting out trail cameras and BB2, and then hopefully capturing some great velvet footage of some Ohio monsters.

Hopefully it will be footage of bigger bucks than the one that left this behind!

As usual here on Wired To Hunt, we like to feature the monsters of Michigan and ain’t this one a beauty! LoL.

As I dodged thorns and pine branches on Saturday afternoon, a shot of adrenaline rushed through me when I heard the word “FINALLY!!!” come echoing across the swamp. My buddy Corey had found our first (and last) shed of the day! And although his shed won’t be winning any prizes, it was still a relief to know we wouldn’t be going home completely empty handed.

Corey and I were planning on heading to SW Ohio this past weekend in search of new hunting property and monster sheds, but unfortunately at the last minute a wrench got thrown into our plans and we couldn’t leave town Saturday morning. Despite the change-up, we’ll  be making our journey next weekend, with a full two days at our disposal. So in an effort to still accomplish something this weekend, Corey, myself and our buddy Jeremy headed out shed hunting in South Central Michigan. And although we ended up only finding one shed, we did  cover some really good looking ground, came across several deads and bumped a whole slew of deer along the way. Surprisingly one of the deer we bumped was a small 8 point buck still holding both sides!

So while we came back home to our ladies with only a small spike to show, you still couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces that can only come from a long day in the woods with good friends. And despite our slow day of shed hunting, we’ll be back at it again soon in Michigan and Ohio. We’ll keep you posted!

Have you guys been having better luck shed hunting?