Written by Paul Annear
Finding shed antlers is not easy no matter the location. Scooping up antlers in a picked cornfield or other crop field can be the most difficult of all – like finding a needle in a haystack amongst last year’s crop stubble. Weather conditions, timing, and where you search all play a role in coming home empty handed or with a pile of antlers. First, successfully shed hunting any property is a game of discovering if deer spend time on your land when they are about to drop antlers. That’s most important.
If bucks spend time in your crop fields when they are about to shed, it’s important you understand there are localized spots within those fields where deer like to feed, socialize, and move off to bed. I’m talking about specific areas. A deer might call a 200-acre section of land his late winter habitat range, but he might spend a significant amount of time within 20 acres of that property where he primarily feeds or beds.
The key to finding antlers is knowing right where bucks are spending time and search those specific locations when you know bucks have dropped. Agriculture fields left standing, or with plenty of waste grain, can be your best friend when it comes to finding antlers; here is how to utilize them for your best shed season yet.
Timing
Telling you to wait until bucks have dropped sounds obvious, but every year I see people shed hunting a lot during times when bucks are still holding. You need to pay attention to trail cameras or spend time watching large food sources to see when most of your bucks have dropped antlers.
I run quite a few cellular cameras up until late March to get a sense of when most bucks have dropped. I will not plan a shed hunting trip if I know 40-50% of the bucks are still holding.
Find Where Deer Enter and Spend Time
Shed hunting in and around crop fields can be difficult because of their size, so you have to be precise in understanding where deer like to enter fields and spend significant time feeding. Don’t just walk around a field without a plan.
If you observe deer behavior, you know deer like to approach fields cautiously and observe on the edges before entering. I have found countless antlers just inside the timber where deer like to hang out in “staging areas” immediately off a large crop field. Staging areas are locations where deer have a sight and wind advantage just before entering fields or destination feeding locations. I have also found antlers just inside the crop field near overhanging branches.
I find that deer like to enter large fields at low spots. I believe they do this to gain a scent advantage as falling nighttime thermals collect in low spots – allowing deer to scent check larger areas without moving much. Also, low spots in crop fields keep deer hidden longer and don’t alert predators to their presence. Deer like seclusion and low areas fulfill that need.
Eventually, bucks will make their way further into crop fields to feed well after dark, so it’s worth understanding that while you’re likely to find shed antlers on edges, they may not all be concentrated in certain portions of a crop field. Find where deer enter and predict how the might move about the field after staging and entering. With all that being said, I would still advise you to walk the entire edge of your crop field at some point during shed season.
If you have grass drainage strips or grassy buffer strip cover connected to a large crop field or connecting two large fields, these can be prime locations to find antlers since bucks and other deer will feed and bed throughout the night, going back and forth between feeding and bedding.
Remember, bucks spend a significant amount of time in bedding areas that have thermal breaks and plenty of late winter sunlight. If you hunt in hilly terrain with great food sources near bedding, this can make your shed hunting very predictable because deer will be on a tight bed to feed pattern. While you might own all the food and be tempted to searching only in the fields, you should also scour nearby bedding areas in the woods.
Rain is Your Friend
Try to avoid shed hunting crop fields on bright sunny days, especially picked cornfields. These dizzying walks will soon force you to realize you should shed hunt crop fields on heavy overcast days or during or after a rain event. Keep your rain jacket handy, because rain will darken the crop stubble left in the fields, and give deer antlers a brighter “sheen”, making them easier to spot.
Shed hunting a standing soybean field in the north or clover field just starting to awaken during March in the south can be successfully shed hunted with success in about any weather condition or sun positioning. Cornfields are where rain and overcast days allow for much easier searching.
Snow is a No-Go
I despise shed hunting in the snow. I never find antlers like I think I will. While trails and other locations like where deer are digging to get down to the crops are super obvious, shed hunting in the snow is just plain hard. I would plan to hold off on a big shed hunting trip until snow has significantly melted in and around your best food sources.
Be An Early Bird
If you see a string of great shed hunting weather days that includes overcast skies, go on multiple trips early in the morning or late afternoon if you can. On a property close to my home, I go on 7-8 different shed walks and it’s the accumulation of these trips that makes me successful. I will complete quick, 45 minute to 1 hour walks multiple times in late winter, early in the morning or late afternoon. Searching in large corn or soybean fields after the sun has gone down increases antler visibility for just that short time period before dark.
Wrapping Up
Large agricultural fields can be your best friend when it comes to finding shed antlers. As years pass, you may discover you’re better at finding shed antlers in the woods. Although you may find sheds inside the timber, its likely you should credit your crop fields for those finds!
