This is the place that trophy bull or buck three or four years from now will get his start. The antler gathering restrictions are effective Feb. 7 through April 30, 2023, across Utah including on both private and public lands. The spring brings longer days, increasing testosterone levels. In the current shed antler craze, people cash them in or use them for crafts, furniture building, health aids. Any advice you could give on these units. Lets find out why the shed hunting 2022 season starts now. 3. Buck populations become more nomadic in harsh winters, owing to a reduction in food sources and habitats. Pressure into these areas, at this time, can mean devastation to the animals that are trying to survive here. Look for bedding areasBedding areas can also be a great place to look. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Other places to look for sheds are near crossings where a big buck might have to jump or scramble a bit. Scout out rivers, creeks, swamps and lakes for deer antler sheds. Legacy Outdoors offers high quality hunts for trophy mule deer. She went on to say, Were simply trying to educate folks on the best methods to go hunt without generating some of these issues.. Just because youre out there putting in more time than the next guy, doesnt mean youll be guaranteed to find more. To be more successful at finding more sheds, you really must be determined and willing to put in more time than the next shed hunter during those crucial late winter and early spring months (January-March). Areas of Texas and Arizona are quite diverse in terrain. Labs are also well known for a great sense of smelling power. 5 Great Over-the-Counter Hunts in the West | An Official Journal Of The NRA Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites Quick Links NRA.ORG Manage Your Membership NRA Near You Friends of NRA State and Federal Gun Laws NRA Online Training Politics, Policy and Legislation Clubs and Associations Affiliated Clubs, Ranges and Businesses Competitive Shooting Winter is harsh in some areas. As if the food and accommodations weren't enough of an incentive, thousands of acres await the motivated shed hunter. You need education to hunt in Utah if you were born after Dec. 31, 1965. If you havent been building points in Utah, odds of drawing a tag are very low, and Utah doesnt have a lot of over-the-counter opportunities unfortunately. When it comes to recreation on public lands, money has more value than animals. Just as there is a hunting season, there may be a shed hunting season. It's based on supply and demand. These sheep come from an area where lambing occurs later in the year and the sheep have not fully . Montana State Parks prohibit collecting antler sheds. CPW issues hunting and fishing licenses, conducts research to improve wildlife management activities, protects high priority wildlife . DWR biologists have been monitoring the condition of the deer as well as snow depths and winter temperatures across Utah since early December. Its still quite current. This is when the deer are shedding their antlers and the elk are shedding their antlers. Labrador Retriever: Labrador Retriever is known for being a well-rounded, versatile, and excellent dog breed. The next step is for them to develop a new set of antlers. When shed antlers are legal in New York, deer hunters who want to take advantage of the February-April window should be aware of a few things. As a result, in 2009, the state of Utah started requiring a mandatory ethics course for anyone interested in collecting deer shed antlers. Winter stress causes animals to spend more energy searching for food or fleeing danger than they do gathering energy from foraging, which coincides with the decline patterns. Both the growth of antler and the casting are dependent on photoperiods and testosterone. As we mentioned above, recently clear-cut areas provide tons of downed trees and limbs to offer a lot of concealment for whitetails. Youll want to search tall grasses, brushy thickets, swamps, and heavily wooded timber pockets. Upland bird dogs and labs can be trained to find sheds. They have a lot of value, in a sense of cash profit and even personal satisfaction or gain. The season is mid-January - April. When the weather is nice, the deer will prefer a different bedding area. Colorado Here's another western state in which opportunities for whitetail, mule deer and elk sheds are abundant. Now that you know what time of year you should be shed hunting, you should be good to go, right? An increasing number of us look for bull elk and buck deer shed antlers after theyre shed. Humans saw a benefit to these bones, a way to get outdoors to scout new land and use the bones for profit or craft. Jackson Hole News&Guide. Make sure you are fully equipped with the essentials. This is important since deer hooves sink right through deep snow; this sheltered spot offers a break from the otherwise difficult travel conditions. They. Iowa Facebook. Fencelines are a great place to find sheds. For deer antlers, that is going to be a different area than it would be for elk, most of the time. Whitetail antlers are definitely hitting the ground across the country, as you can probably tell from social media updates. Can You Safely Watch A Solar Eclipse Through Binoculars With Solar Eclipse Glasses? If you've never been and you're looking for a hunting lodge with access to some of the best hunting spots, check out Cougar Creek Lodge . In fact, there are some hunting opportunities for monster bulls here. SALT LAKE CITY "Shed hunting" is a fairly popular activity in Utah, as an estimated 20,000 people head out into the state's outdoors every late winter and early spring looking for antlers. I'd then recommend adjusting your starting point in either direction based on the severity of the winter, available nutrition, and results of your trail camera surveys. Here are a few tools to help you on your shed hunts: Use the map to pinpoint trail camera placement, locate thermal cover, identify south-facing slopes, and cover. Nearly every unit in the state has potential for a bull over 350. Wintering areas vary from year to year depending on the severity of the weather. We could go pretty in-depth with how much antlers are worth, how to sell them, and how to collect them. For other issues related to shed hunting, please call the Pocatello regional Fish and Game office at 208-232-4703 or your local Fish and Game conservation officer. All rights reserved. There are no shed hunts in the Gunnison Basin for the week of May 1-15 to protect sage-grouse. Look for trails along the way that deer may follow. If you locate a skull with the antlers or horns still attached, you should contact wildlife conservation agents to report it as a possible poaching case, according to wildlife officials. Because the animals are at their low points for body strength and stamina, it is crucial that we dont put more stress on them during these months; shed hunt with the wildlife in mind. Spot 3 - This area isn't as remote as the rest of the unit, but there definitely are elk up this spot. Travel corridors are trails that lead away from feeding areas and toward bedding areas or water sources. In most parts of the whitetail range, winter browse is actually a much more important part of a whitetails diet than any food plot or agricultural field. Many of Utahs elk units can produce giant bulls year in and year out. Since deer would typically drop their antlers in a feeding area during the night, youd have a great chance at finding a fresh deer antler before anyone else if youre up against other public land shed hunters. There are just 25 questions in all, along with some basic biology and survival statistics. Deer may occasionally shift to bed on the southern edges of spruce plantations so they can soak up the suns warmth while being protected from the norths icy winds. Late January through March are the best times to shed hunt in Illinois and the entire Midwest. Outside of the 11 counties that were affected by the emergency amendment, shed antler gathering is legal in Utah. But all the other undesirable trees can be fully cut down or hinge-cut. Deer are adapted to have reduced metabolisms in the winter, and their digestive tracts even adapt to include the microorganisms to efficiently digest fibrous browse. With more landowners taking deer management seriously, shed hunting has evolved from a leisure hobby to a necessity. Leash your dogs near deer and elk. Good lungs and bear spray are prerequisites. Young bucks can either be with the does or with a group of . The Pro-Cam 12 is a great trail camera that you can use throughout the year to keep tabs on the deer herd. In the winter, deer need thick thermal cover to protect them from the cold temperatures and winds. Google Earth can show you a view of properties that you hunt, attempting to find terrain features that may explain deer movement in your area. This lawsuit seeks to change that, because it is critical that we respect the animals that live on our public lands. Lets keep it short and simple. Jackson Hole News&Guide. 2. From February 1 to April 15, you must obtain a certificate of antler gathering from your states antler-gathering commission. Be certain government entities allow elk or deer shed hunting before entering public lands. . The concept is simple: grab a backpack, some binos, and your good buddies and start cruising the woods looking for antlers. Before going out into the field, well tell you why regulators restrict shed hunting. Youll be asked instead to photograph the skull from various angles, note where it was found, and report it to your local DWR office. "In these types of conditions, big game animals are weakened and highly vulnerable to repeated human-caused disturbances," Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Director J. Shirley said. Outdoors Mecca. The 2023 Shed Antler Hunt on Antelope Island State Park has been cancelled. The agency manages 42 state parks, all of Colorado's wildlife, more than 300 state wildlife areas and a host of recreational programs. Then get out there, explore, stretch your legs, and work on honing in those hunting and glassing skills for fall. However, deer feeding will not happen in areas where chronic wasting disease has been found. The antler gathering restrictions are effective Feb. 7 through April 30, 2023 across Utah including on both private and public lands. For deer antlers, that is going to be a different area than it would be for elk, most of the time. Friendly reminder and ethics. Study and pass the $24.95 online course. I was basically waiting to hit the mother-load to write a story, but it just isn't happening! In much of the Midwest, corn and soybean fields are king when it comes to deer nutrition. For a variety of reasons, including the fact that thousands of humans are entering big game areas at a time when the animals are most vulnerable, wildlife specialists have recently expressed worry about this practice. But if you have any recent clear-cut areas from the year before, there is sure to be an abundance of young growth for deer to browse on. There are fewer tags available here, but the hunt is easier. Essentially, Utah has two bison hunt units. In order to go antler collecting, shed hunters must complete the questionnaire, print a certificate, and carry it with them. "The unnecessary expenditure of energy and stress associated with disturbance like being repeatedly followed by someone gathering shed antlers may significantly decrease the survival rates of big game animals, particularly deer, this winter. When the deer are most active in the winter, they are most likely to be near water. These creatures just finished a harsh winter and are already under stress. They want to protect wildlife, especially during cold winters. The deer use solar cover as a bedding area on days when it is sunny. Take a look through and see if any places come to mind on the land you shed hunt. The shed antlers you find can shed some light on the buck that carried them. In Canada, the best time is usually March or whenever most of the snow has melted. (And yes, "shed" is indeed a noun. Spot 4 - The road mostly follows the river and then forks off to the northwest which allows access to this area. It makes sense then that deer are more likely to shed antlers in one of these two areas since thats simply where they spend most of their time. Copyright - Muddy Outdoors - Powered by, Shed Hunting | The Pros and Cons of Finding Dead Heads, The Power of Perennials | Spring Food Plots. Shed hunting can help you find hunting spots that are still available after the season has ended. Deer are adapted to rest during the day and feed throughout the night. Your email address will not be published. Of course, elk choose different areas each year based mainly on winter conditions, but finding an area with old sheds is a great indicator no one has looked there in a while. But the best time to shed hunt is during February and March. Trail cameras for shed hunting are largely determined by the location of tree stands that you intend to use for late season hunting. Deer, elk, and moose have their heads covered in their horns as they come to rest in late winter and early spring. Just about any dog with a working nose can be trained to hunt for sheds. Registered ATVs must be compliant. Things like tables, lamps, picture frames, jewelry, etc. People can hunt, fish, trap, and view wildlife, as well as other compatible activities, such as horseback riding, hiking, and boating. Jackson Hole Traveler. This applies to both public and private land. The season is mid to late December - March. Thats a great way to really increase your odds of finding a shed antler! The best time to scout is obviously before your hunt, but the best answer would be in July and August. https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/multimedia/galleries/photo-gallery-elkfest-2019/collection_a4df797b-09f0-5932-ac27-c4c64c709335.html, Find the best hunting times for game in North America, https://outdoorsmecca.com/how-much-are-shed-antlers-worth/, turkey hunting, turkey, spring tu, spring turkey season, spring turkey hunting, turkey hunting weather, weather conditions for turkey hunting, turkey hunting calls, game calls, decoys, turkey dec, slate call, coyote, coyote hunting, coyote tips, hunting for coyote, coyote calls, hunt coyotes, http://www.jacksonholetraveler.com/article/elkfest-jackson-hole-antler-auction/, https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/multimedia/galleries/photo-gallery-elkfest-2019/collection_a4df797b-09f0-5932-ac27-c4c64c709335.html. Coverage is required for Shed Hunting success. To stay busy and stay in shape over the winter. 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