NF: Deer Shed Hunting - How To and Adventure Videos

[JustinHoffman]

Hello All,

 

Along with my wildlife photography, I spend a large percentage of time in the outdoors - exploring and video taping my adventures. One thing I jumped head-first into last spring was the hobby of shed hunting.

 

For those that don't know, this involves searching for the antlers that whitetail deer drop each winter. In just over a year I have found 19 sheds - and have covered more than 400 km's hiking. Not only is this a great activity to do solo or with the family, but it is a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise at the same time.

 

Knowing where to look for antlers is the hardest part for new shed hunters. So, I recently put this video together showcasing my top spots to increase your chances of finding some.

 

 

 

Ottawa has had a lot of snow this season so far, making it somewhat difficult to explore any open fields. Saying that, I have found nine fresh sheds since the week of Christmas, with all but one being found under thick cedar trees. Here is a short video highlighting my last shed hunt adventure. Judging from the snow that is falling outside my window, it might be some time before I get out again.

 

 

Good luck...and looking forward to hearing about all the great finds.

 

Cheers,

 

Justin

[paul_614]

I have tried but yet to find any. I will not give up the hunt, they make great chew toys for my large breed dogs

[JustinHoffman]

Here are my two favourite finds from my collection. The shed on the left I found this past spring. It was sitting in an open field between two treelines after the snow had all melted. It was my second shed I had found at that point.

 

The antler on the right I discovered this past January, under a small clump of low trees that the buck had been using to bed down under. It was antler number sixteen in the collection.

 

Some neat drop and gnarly tines on both....

 

 

Cheers,

Justin

[mcdougy]

Hey Justin, great video, It's nice that you are trying to inform and encourage people to try different things! Something that I feel you should mention in your videos, since you are appealing to the masses is the importance of LANDOWNER PERMISSION. Walkling into any bush looking for sheds would be a real bad idea for many reasons.As a landowner and hunter I generally would not have any problem with someone ASKING to go shed hunting, but nothing can get my blood boiling faster than catching trespassers. You would be surprised possibly at how many people do not have the common sense to think about permission beacause it is just a bush or field or whatever,So my question to these people is: what is the difference between them going into my bush and me walking into there unlocked house and sitting down to watch a little tv? As you can tell this is a sensitive subject for me . Don't get me wrong i do like your encouragement but please, point out the permission needed side of things, because in the end, it will help all people who are looking to access private property.

[JustinHoffman]

Good point, mcdougy. To be honest, that scenario never crosses my mind, as all of my shed hunting up here in Ottawa is done on the NCC appointed "green belt" - a 50,000 acre natural space tract of land comprised of hiking trails and made for the public to enjoy. So for myself, going anywhere else other than almost 225 square kilometres of free roaming space isn't necessary.

 

I would like to think most people would obey private property, but with anything, I'm sure there will be some bad apples. Keep in mind, also, that every community and town has tracts of land that is open for public access that can be wonderful spots to find sheds - conservation areas are just one.

 

I will take your comments into consideration for any future videos I produce. I will say, the politically correct thing to do would be to list warnings and cautions for all videos posted, whether it be shed hunting, hunting, fishing, biking, etc. If I was to post a deer hunting video, should I also caution viewers to not trespass on private landowners property? Playing the devils advocate a bit, but I would like to think logic and common sense should prevail for people watching a how-to video on a great hobby that is enjoyed in the outdoors.

 

As an aside - all of the footage you viewed in those two videos shows the public greenbelt land here in Ottawa. Yes, for the outdoor lover, we have it pretty good in this city.

 

Cheers,

Justin

Edited February 27, 2013 by JustinHoffman

[mcdougy]

Exactly what I mean, those bad apples cause me to second guess granting permission even to the good guys like yourself. And I don't like that because I do like to share and help people enjoy nature. In London there is a very limited amount of crown forest, 90% would be privately owned. It's absolutely unbeleivable the stories I get when you find someone on your property.

 

Cheers Matt

[turtle]

Thanks for posting. I also like wandering around in the woods, following animal trails -especially deer and trying to sneak up on them without spooking them. Never really concentrated on sheds but the videos motivated me to look more and in difrent areas ie fence lines and creeks. I've come accross a few deer kills over the years, Mostly fawns by the size of the jaws. Where I found them was within 100M of a highway so also could be road kill dragged into the bush by coyotes, The video with the deer lying down in a group is great. I've never seen deer like that yarding up. I've seen a doe and twin fawns and two yearling farms together several times. Iam pretty sure you can't hunt where you took the video but you know more deer behavior than some hunters I know.