Find More Sheds This Spring

By the time whitetail hunting seasons have become a distant memory, a new season begins—and all it requires is a good set of eyes, a plan and the willingness to cover lots of ground on foot. It’s shed hunting, and it has become as anticipated as the rut for many whitetail fanatics.

I sat down with one of the best minds in the game to hear his top tactics. His name is Terron Bauer, and he's turned his family’s 200-plus-acre south-central Nebraska farm into a whitetail paradise. Side of growing and hunting giant deer, Bauer's passion is finding sheds.

"For me, and lots of guys and gals like me, it's all about finding antlers of young up-and-comers and deer that will be on next year's hit list," he says. "There's nothing better than building history with deer—building a story—and shed antlers are a big part of that."

Trail Cams

Bauer notes many whitetailers turn off their trail camera’s too early or leave them in areas where late-season deer likely won't be.

"The big bucks need food," he says. "Chances are good deer won't be accessing the same areas they were during the rut. They will be on grain sources or good wintertime green fields. If legal in your area, sweeten the pot by adding a protein feeder or put feed on the ground. Move your cameras to these areas, and when bucks start showing with one side or two holes in their head, not only do you know it's time to start looking, but you know where to start looking. Leave those cameras out and running, and adjust what you're thinking. You don't want to monitor scrapes, rubs, and travel corridors between doe bedding areas any longer. Get your cameras over late-winter food sources and know when the bucks start dropping.”

Patience Now

Being the whitetail mastermind he is, Bauer advises against rushing into your home-dirt woods too soon to start prospecting for sheds. Instead, he recommends hitting public tracts of ground and permission-granted destinations other shed hunters will also be utilizing. There is no harm in bumping deer around the public ground, and if you gain permission to a spot others will be hunting, you might as well get after it. However, the ground you have exclusive access to should be treated differently.

"There is zero harm in going in and walking the perimeter of a late-season food source at any post-season time," Bauer says. "I find most of my sheds by doing this. The big boys drop first. The stress of the rut combined with a drop in testosterone and rugged winter conditions trigger antler wiggle. Woods surround most Midwest and eastern food sources, and there will be a line of grass or short cover between the field edge and the timber. Look these areas over very well during late January and early February. When temperatures warm in April and May and the health of your deer herd is on the uptick, follow trails from those same food sources into the woods and conduct an exhaustive ground search."

Roll With The Changes

I asked Bauer about finding sheds in bedding areas, and while he admits he does find a few antlers each season in timbered sleeping grounds, he finds more in pockets of thick native grass, CRP, and other areas that offer good cover and allow sunlight.

"I've noticed this over the years," Bauer says. "I see a big shift in bedding as warmer air temperatures arrive. Bucks move out of the timber and into grassy areas with cover where the sun can hit them. The sun warms the grass like an electric heating blanket. Worn-down bucks can relax, catch some rays, and stay concealed."

When hunting areas of heavy grass, you'll want as many people as you can muster, which is what shed hunting is all about. Gather the kids, wife, family and friends, and grid these areas. You won’t regret it.