Shed Hunting Habitat
(Psst, interested in more hunting and habitat? Check out The Prairie Farm Podcast! You will be glad you did.)
It’s February and most hunting seasons are shutting down until Spring turkeys start strutting and gobbling and in the meantime all of us diehard hunters are left with the same itch to be outside interacting with our favorite wild places. My yearly scratch for this itch is shed hunting. In fact finding sheds is more than just a tie over for me, it is one of my most favorite outdoor activities. Through my years as a shed hunter I have walked countless farms and public wildlife management areas in search of Iowa ivory. With such a broad survey of prime deer country I have recognized several common traits of land that produce a lot of shed hunting value.
Southern sun exposure is the most important factor for productive shed hunting ground. Under perfect circumstances this will be found on sloped terrain, but non-sloping ground being hit with sunlight from the south is still better than the more shaded areas that face North, East or West. Understanding the importance of this limiting factor not only narrows down where to begin looking for antlers, but it also serves as a starting point for a landowner who wants to improve the Winter bedding value on their ground.
The next limiting factor that determines the shed value on a property is seclusion from people. This isn’t as strict of a rule as southern exposure, but I have found the majority of my sheds in areas where occupied buildings are either out of sight, or many hundreds of yards away. After a long hunting season, deer want to feel free from human pressure.
Food is always a top priority for wildlife, and it should be for shed hunters as well. Here in ag land corn is typically the hottest commodity for wintering deer. The starchy grain provides a lot of energy for maintaining a stable body temperature during the frigid weather, and is easy to find in a habitat that is dominated by ag fields. Being natural browsers, deer will also feed on tree branches and saplings to scrounge up enough wintertime calories. Identifying food sources that the deer prefer is a great place to zero in on for sheds.
The next step in my shed land value hierarchy is the presence of thermal bedding cover. The longer a buck spends his time in one place, the more likely he is to shed his antlers there. The best place that meets these standards for a buck is where he beds. I target areas that have a lot of mixed prairie grasses (switchgrass, june grass, big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass, sideoats grama, rough dropseed) that provide an insulating layer between the deer and the ground, as well as wind break from winter’s bitter gusts. Cedar, spruce, and pine trees also serve as excellent insulating shields against the winter wind.
Understanding how each of these pieces of the puzzle factor during shed season is critical for a shed hunter who wants to find more antlers. But for a landowner, this information is the cheat code for creating an environment that serves as a haven for shedding bucks. Landowners should begin the process of transforming their property into a shed factory by first identifying the areas that provide the best sun exposure, greatest distance from human activity, and close proximity to a preferred winter food source (this could be on a neighbor's property). Once the landowner has triangulated on these features they can begin the process of supporting, or even creating the correct edge habitat with high insulation value to bring more deer to them. If these features need trees for security cover and wind breaks, plant trees. If they need bedding, plant a mixed grass bedding area that feathers (gradually mixes) in with the stand of trees (that is either already present or will be present in the future). When these needs are met, the deer will take notice and the efforts will be rewarded with more antlers for shed seasons to come.
Of course the general rule that more habitat equates to more deer will always apply. So the expected increase in shed hunting success is directly related to the number of deer living in the area- so landowners should scale their expectations to match the amount of habitat not just on their own farm, but on their neighbors’ as well. Even still making these improvements will increase shed counts from 0 to a couple of sheds, a couple sheds to a dozen sheds, or even a dozen to dozens.
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