Shed hunting can be an exciting time for children and adults because there is a good possibility for finding deer antlers and you can get an idea of the kind of bucks are on the land you are walking on.
Every child may not have the endurance to put in the long walking it may require to find sheds but you can still keep them excited to go out in the cold weather to look for sheds.
Two years ago my daughter was just about fours years old and my middle son was about two and a half. Since neither of them was up for walking long distances I took a different approach and guaranteed they had a successful shed hunt.
I happen to have a friend who has quite a few sheds he has found over the years. Since I did not have any old sheds that I could find, I asked him if I could get a few small antlers from him.
I told him my plan and he was happy to give me two small antlers.
The day I planned to take my children out I planted the antlers in the woods. I dropped them on a well used deer trail which I knew we would follow later in the day. I then went back to the house and helped get my children ready for the cold weather walk.
As we walked through the woods I made sure to take the time to point out deer tracks, rubs, feces, and any old scrapes I could find. I explained how to tell which direction the deer are moving by their tracks and to look at the size of the tracks to get an idea if there are big or small deer hoof prints. The woods we walked through that year had a great rub line and we followed the trail for some time to see if we could find any sheds I had not hid.
I made sure to take them on a good walk for their little legs because I did not want them to think shed hunting was easy and that you could easily find them after only walking a 100 yards. My children were starting to get rather tired as we neared the familiar trails I had visited earlier in the day.
My daughter was so occupied with walking through the woods that she walked right up to one of the antlers before she noticed it on the ground. Upon realizing what she had found she let out a yell, “I found a deer antler. I found a deer antler.” She began waiving it in the air back and forth. My son saw what she had found and proclaimed that he wanted to find a deer antler also. I comforted him and said he would find one and that he just needed to keep looking.
I had placed the two antlers relatively close together because I knew which, ever one found the first one would create some jealously in the other child. I gently herded my son to the other antler and when he found it he had an identical reaction as my daughter.
A newfound excitement filled the air from having found two sheds and they were off looking for more sheds. We searched until their burst of enthusiasm had run out and they were tired again. We did not find any other sheds that day but their excitement was worth more than finding any huge shed.
The following year the weather was not as cooperative and we did not get out until later. I did take one of the old sheds I had and dropped it out in the woods as I had done similarly the year before.
I am looking forward to shed hunting with my children this late winter as their endurance is increasing. I am looking forward to taking longer walks and finding new sheds.
Shed hunting in the late winter is a great time to be out in the woods and here are some other great reasons to be out in the woods or things to think about.
With the Rut over, deer have returned to their normal feeding patterns. It is an excellent time to scout for fresh deer sign. The fresh deer sign can help identify where deer will most likely be for early next season.
It is also a good time to teach children of how deer move through the woods, how to spot their tracks, bedding areas, rubs, and possibly old scrapes. Children pick up very quickly on these deer sign and will help you find more of it in a particular area after you point it out to them.
With so long before the next season deer have a large amount of time to recover from all the human scent in the woods which makes bringing the entire family easier to do.
If you are trying to acquire some hunting ground it may be a good time to walk the area before pursuing the area. I would always ask permission to walk the property and you may find landowners more willing to allow you on their property at this time since hunting is over. Even if you do not find any sheds, a good decision can be made based on the amount of deer sign found on the land.
