Tips For Finding Shed Antlers

© By Othmar Vohringer

Now that the weather gets warmer and the snow has melted head out in search for shed antlers. Provided you’re not a turkey hunter, shed hunting is a good way to overcome cabin fever. It’s also a good way to learn about the land you hunt, the deer that inhabit that land and enjoying the great outdoors.

However, wandering around willy-nilly hoping to stumble across a set of shed antlers will lead to noting much other than frustration.
Here are some tips on how to find shed antlers.

Scouting is to shed hunting success as important as it is to deer hunting. Study the land and the available food sources that are available to the deer in winter. Look for thick cover where bucks hide away during the harsh winter months.

In the winter and after the rut bucks form bachelor groups again, tired and nutritionally worn down form the rigors of the rut they retreat to wintering areas where they can find food and cover within close proximity. Find these hideouts and learn to identify what food sources are still available to the deer and you’re likely to find sheds from several bucks in that area.

In the winter bucks have two things on their mind. Eat and sleep. Bucks sleep, or rest, all day long to conserve energy, only getting up for short periods to feed. Bedding areas are usually found in dense cover where the bucks are somewhat sheltered from the cold winds and falling snow. During the day bucks soak up the warm rays of the winter sun on south facing hillsides and the south facing edge of forests.

While some bucks shed their antlers by trashing bush and low hanging branches, most lose their antlers through sudden movement like running and jumping, check places where deer trails cross fences, shallow creeks, ditches and other obstacles that deer have to jump over or crawl underneath.

She hunting is a slow and systematic process. Just walking around will not yield much success in finding sheds. Walk slowly and examine the ground near the features mentioned above closely, often only part of an antler will be exposed while the rest is buried under grass and forest debris.

If you want to learn more about antler shed hunting I recommend a well written book titled “A Guide To Finding White-Tailed Deer Antlers” by Joe Shead, an avid shed antler hunter for many years.

The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting

© By Othmar Vohringer

We all dream of hunting big bucks but some of us don’t know how to hunt mossy old horns while others, hunting on public land, believe that there are no big bucks where they hunt. Well I’ve got good news for you.

Rick DeStefanis, a veteran public land big buck hunter of many years, is the author of a new book, ”The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting”

After reading the book from cover to cover there was no doubt in my mind that this IS the book many hunters have been waiting for. “The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting” is not your run of the mill book written by some celebrity hunter having the good fortune to hunt on managed land or go on guided trips to prime whitetail destinations. No, Rick hunts where ninety-five percent of all hunters hunt: on heavily pressured public land.

The wealth of knowledge Rick gathered in over fifty years of hunting pressured big bucks is represented in a book that is written in a language everyone can comprehend and without the usual hype common to other “big buck hunting books”.

The Philosophy of Big Buck Hunting contains 4 chapters, six key principles and over forty tips on hunting big bucks. It starts with the most important information every aspiring big buck hunter needs to know: “How a trophy whitetail hunter thinks”. If you want to hunt big bucks the road to success starts with you, not with what camouflage you wear, what scent you use or what rifle caliber you shoot. Trophy whitetail hunting is about a change in hunting philosophy and Rick does a great job of explaining what it takes to acquire the mindset of a trophy hunter.

What follows are pages upon pages loaded with solid and practical field proven tips and tactics about scouting, stand placement, how to read deer sign and much more. The book closes with a chapter on equipment tips, advice for new and experienced hunters and another chapter on the future of hunting.

As a veteran deer hunter myself I highly recommend this great book, not only for the aspiring trophy deer hunter, but also for every hunter regardless of his or her skill level.

For more information about the author and the book visit whitetailbuckhunter.com

Photo Credits:
Top left: © Othmar Vohringer Outdoors
All other photos are © of Rick DeStefanis

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This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors

Must Reads For Every Serious Deer Hunter

© By Othmar Vohringer

It’s deer hunting season in some states and by October 1st in most other states hunters will venture into the woods full of anticipation too. Many hunters head to the woods each year not quite knowing how to improve their hunting success this year, while for others it will be their first hunting season ever. What ever the case may be here are two books I discovered, in the last minute before the season starts, that are a must read for every deer hunter looking to improve his or her hunting success this year.

Hunting The First State
A Guide to Delaware Hunting
By Steven Kendus

Perfectly situated on the eastern seaboard between the Chesapeake Bay to the west and the Delaware River, Delaware Bay, and Atlantic Ocean to the east, Delaware has proven to be a hunting paradise for local sportsmen. For centuries, outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen have harvested the natural riches offered by the wild game that inhabit Delaware’s deciduous forests, salt and freshwater marshes, and cultivated crop fields. Common game, such as white-tailed deer, Canada geese, and varied species of ducks have been targeted by the majority of Delaware hunters, but woodcock, quail, snow geese, crows, squirrels, and rabbits are also plentiful in Delaware and provide Delaware sportsmen with hours of hunting enjoyment each season. Join Delawarean Steven Kendus as he uses his hunting wisdom, experience, and research to preserve Delaware’s hunting legacy by sharing important history, tactics, locations, tips, and tricks associated with Delaware hunting.

Hunting the First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting is the only book that comprehensively addresses hunting Delaware!

What's more, Hunting the First State includes useful hunting information that also applies to hunting in other areas of the Mid-Atlantic region, including:

• Southeastern Pennsylvania
• Southern New Jersey
• Eastern Maryland

Hunting the First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting is a must have reference for any hunter who hunts or who is considering hunting the Delaware region.
Find practical tips, tactics, and Delaware hunting locations for:

• White-tailed Deer
• Eastern Wild Turkeys
• Eastern Gray Squirrels
• Eastern Cottontail Rabbits
• Bobwhite Quail
• Mourning Doves
• Woodcock
• Crows
• Ducks
• Canada Geese
• Snow Geese

Although the book deals mainly with hunting in Delaware, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Eastern Maryland, knowing what an accomplished hunter Steven Kendus is I am sure some of his tips and tricks apply to other regions too.
To read more about the book or to purchase the book visit Hunting the First State

Mapping Trophy Bucks
Using Topographic Maps to Find Deer
By Brad Herndon

I have often said in my deer hunting seminars, and will keep saying it until the day I die, that the key to successful deer hunting is studying and knowing the structure of the land. This is especially so on hard hunted public land. Deer travel from fod source to bedding - or to escape hunting pressure – by utilizing the lay of the land and so do the trophy bucks when they chase does.

When Marc on his excellent blog NYbowhunter posted a review of Mapping Trophy Books I was very pleased to learn that finally a book has arrived on the market that I consider essential reading for every hunter regardless of skill level. Knowing how to use a topographic map and knowing the structure of the land and how deer use that structure will make scouting for that elusive trophy buck, or any deer for that matter, a snap. On 192 pages of Mapping Trophy Bucks author Brad Herndon teaches you how to use topographical maps and wind directions to pinpoint deer travel routes and to place your stands in advance of the deer season. This is likely the best $24.95 a hunter ever will spend.


To read more about the book go here. To read more or purchase the book go here

If you’re interested to learn more about my hunting seminars and clinics schedule, for more information or booking queries contact me.


Tags: Hunting Books, Hunting The First State, Mapping Trophy Books, Steven Kendus, Brad Herndon, Deer+Hunting