In recent years, we have seen an increase in the interest of “shed hunting”.  Shed hunting refers to searching for (and hopefully locating) the shed antlers of moose, deer, elk etc.  This is not only fantastic pass time, but can be pretty trying at times.

Why shed hunt?  They’re going to drop anyway, so you might as well find them.  After that, they can be sold, collected, used in crafts, or as decorations – whatever!  You don’t need a tag or weapon to harvest these items nor do you need to waste time field dressing in return for your trophy(s).

Moose lose their antlers anytime between December and March.  The majority of the moose drop them in January.  Most find the first sheds in late December while bird hunting.

Here are some tips for success:

1.  When the snow gets here, look for high concentrations of tracks – just like you would deer hunting.  A few drops of blood now and then is a good sign the pedicles are getting ready.

2.  Follow those secondary logging roads (winter roads) either on snowshoes or on snowmobile, again looking for tracks and signs of feeding.

3.  Once the snow gets deep, the moose may vacate these roads and “cuts” and start spending more time near thick fir and spruce, where there is not as much snow.

4.  When most of the snow is gone (late April – early May), the grass and bushes are all pushed down from winter, and the sheds are easy to spot. The weather is also perfect for woods-walking.

5.  Remember – even though moose don’t need to yard-up like deer, they have wintering areas that they prefer.  These areas will provide sheds year after year.  Keep going to back to these “Honey Holes”.

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