Hunting Washington Forum
Other Activities => Shed Hunting => Topic started by: TeacherMan on December 15, 2008, 12:51:11 PM
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What are your tricks for finding sheds?
I like to put a round bale out in December, after a couple weeks put field fence around it, come spring time you will have sheds caught up in the fence or dropped around it.
I also like to mark trails that are obvious during the spring when there is still several inches of snow and then go follow them when the snow melts all the way.
;)
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I like to ride up next to them on a snowmobile and rope them off. :bdid: Actually I would never do that but I have hear of some idiots trying it.
I just put on the miles. Really no other method here in the desert. No way to bait them.
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I have this trick I call "walking my ass off" probably not as successful as the hay bales an fence but its all I got. JB
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know your snow levels when the critters are dropping there horns.that way you arent looking in a area that had 8 feet of snow and zero animals.
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South facing slopes and walk a lot. That's about it...
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any feeding areas, fence lines, ditches they have to cross.
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WMAF method, mentioned above :chuckle: Works for me. I've got about 6 shooter blacktails that will wear out the Danners come Feb/Mar.
I'm a firm believer in staying the hell out of winter range on the east side where those animals have a much harder time making a living throughout the winter. No sheds are worth stressing out the game we love. It can and will literally kill them.
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i agree . don't harass them on the west side either.especially with the weather like this. :twocents:
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I've already seen IDIOTS pushing Deer looking for sheds in Chelan Co.!!! And tresspassing to do it!!! :bash: It should be banned period until the Deer recover!!! >:( They know who they are!!!
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Turn your dogs loose and let them run the deer until they fall off. Apparantly thats legal. :bash:
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:jacked:
Sorry Teacherman - didn't mean to jack your thread on shed hunting tips!
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They had a dog too Bone!!!
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The deer had enough stress of the winter and post rut then to deal with dogs running them. Two times I have caught dogs running deer when I was hunting. One was a Saint Bernard along with a lab and I was so close to shooting one. But I figured it was also the owners fault and happened to know who the owner was. So I had a talk to him. The other time was on a mountain top above the Methow valley and this german shepard comes running up the hill. I grabbed some rocks and threw them at him but my aims not what it used to be. Sorry to hijack.
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I have focused my attention on areas which seem to be more "in plain view". For instance, I have more sheds from exposed areas where a single buck would feel comfortable to bed, so he could view in all directions. Know what I mean...? Sort of on a slope or ridge where they can look all around them....damn cougars...
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South facing slopes are good but remember also watering holes through the winter (eastside). I always wait until spring break, end of March or april for deer and May 1st for elk. I know you cant find as many that way but honestly they just sit in the garage so if I don't find any no big deal.
Brandon
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Green grass patches in sagebrush and oak country. Also "mounds," must be where more topsoil is in sage country, spots where there are raised mounds of dirt and more mature sage than in surrounding areas. Southfacing slopes obviously. Later in spring, northfacing slopes too (if they didn't have 4ft of snow on them in the winter) after the snow melts, could've dropped one on the walk through to somewhere else.
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I have this trick I call "walking my ass off" probably not as successful as the hay bales an fence but its all I got. JB
You use that too? Wow I thought I was the only one! :dunno: :chuckle:
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I think I average a horn for every 5-7 miles walked. I gotta leave the desert its frustrating. Not many tacticts out here. Just walk and walk and get lucky.
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:yeah: yup was just figuring and last year I think I averaged 5 miles and one blister per horn
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I've walked 7 hours of prime sea-level late season deer trails in the last 8 days and not found one blacktail antler. I usually don't look until Feb but since many bucks dropped earlier this year, some at the end of December, I thought I'd walk the obvious areas where I've found them before. After a while your eyes bug out on you from straining so much.
One tip is to take a shed antler and toss it out in front of you from time to time while shed hunting. It will help train your eye in the country you are hiking. If you're looking for muley sheds, use a muley shed. Blacktails, use a blacktail shed...etc. I do this with my kids and they love it, plus it keeps their interest up and makes it fun.
The best tip I can think of is simply...put in the time and think "food sources", "bedding areas", and "travel to and from each". That's where they'll be.
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hey bow4elk, never thought of tossing one out in front of myself. I have brought one for the turkeyhunt in my pack, one to toss out for my kid to find if we havent found one after a day or so. Really makes them happy!
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I USUALLY DO THAT FOR AWHILE UNTIL I GET DISTRACTED. THEN I PUT IT IN MY PACK AND KEEP LOOKING FOR NEW BLOOD. it does keep your eye sharp. GOOD TIP IT WORKS FOR AWHILE. GOOD LUCK TO ALL . j
