How to Find Elk Sheds
Elk antlers are also called sheds. Only make elk grow antlers. Bull elk shed and grow a new set of antlers each year. The new antlers are covered in a fuzzy skin called velvet. By late summer the antlers harden and the velvet peels away. A set of sheds from a mature bull elk can weigh more than 40 pounds. Elk sheds are the most valued prize. Fresh shed, quality antlers sell for about $10 per pound. A single elk shed can weigh from 12 to 18 pounds. On a good day, a lucky horn hunter can make several hundred dollars for a day's effort.
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Instructions
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Find a high vantage point and search a potential area with binoculars. Look for tines protruding from grass and brush. A thorough search with binoculars or a spotting scope, over an open meadow or brushy clearing, will often reveal antlers you may otherwise miss.
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Search on foot. While many people use horses or an ATV, many prizes are missed this way. A slow foot search is the most rewarding method.
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Hunt in known elk wintering areas. Elk avoid deep snow and seek lower elevations and protected areas, preferring south or southwest-facing low-elevation slopes and the bottoms of valleys with little snow cover. Elk typically move to the south-facing, sunny side of the slopes during daylight and prefer north-facing slopes at night.
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Designate an area on your map and search the site in a grid-like pattern. Walk north to south, then east to west. If possible, maintain a tight pattern so all areas are covered.
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Search with an attitude of adventure and exploration. Happy Hunting!
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Tips & Warnings
Elk loosen their antlers in bedding areas, along fence lines and when bumping on rocks at mineral licks and watering spots. Many antlers are also lost when elk bump into rocks and boulders near salt licks or watering spots.
References
- Photo Credit Photo Courtesy: Morgue File
Comments
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I have been invited to go shed hunting in the morning. I've never done anything like this so, wish me luck! Naturally if I am lucky enough to find one or more, I'll post a picture. Yesterday a herd of over 350 crossed the major highway just a few miles south of town. The area where we are going is on a huge private ranch where the Elk spend the winter. The folks who invited me are very experienced in finding these shed antlers so I'm hopeful they know where to look. I've seen the herds from afar but, haven't been able to get much closer than 600 yards or more. A friend told me tonight that he had to sit and wait for this herd of 350+ to walk around his truck while crossing the roadway!
