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John's Journal... Entry 233, Day 3

LEARN THE SECRETS OF A SHED HUNTER

Where to Hunt Sheds

Editor's Note: John Frank of Rubio, Iowa, takes more trophy bucks each season than any other hunter I know but probably kills fewer really-big bucks than most trophy deer hunters do. Frank, the most-ardent shed hunter I've ever met, explains that, "If I could hold a gun or a bow on a deer, and say, 'Give up your horns, and I'll let you go,' I'd probably never shoot another buck. I'm totally fascinated with bucks' antlers and what I can learn from them." Frank often finds big bucks that other hunters who hunt the same property he does never see and learns more about those deer's movement patterns than he will if he only hunts during deer season. Shed hunting allows a deer hunter to stay in the woods and hunt without a weapon, learn more about deer, pick up trophy antlers and become a more-proficient deer hunter during the upcoming season. This week, John Frank will share with us the art of shed hunting. Come back every day this week, and you may get as excited about shed hunting as Frank.

From years of shed hunting, Frank has determined that the severity of the winters defines the areas that generally produce the most shed antlers after deer season. "If the winter isn't that severe, CRP fields, agricultural fields and hilltops where the wind has blown the snow to a thinner layer and the deer don't have to dig through the deep snow to find food will yield the most sheds," Frank emphasizes. "Too, I'll often locate sheds from the same deer each of those years in the same general region on the south side of a hill. One buck's antlers that I've found for three years has a full rack on the left side of his antlers and only has a stubby main beam, a brow tine and often a G-2 point on the right side of his antler." Frank first saw this buck at 1-1/2-years of age when the buck only had one antler. At 2-1/2-years-old, the buck still only sported one antler on the left-hand side and a deformed right-hand antler. Frank didn't see the deer the third year and thought another hunter might have bagged the buck. However, Frank discovered both sides of the buck's shed antlers again the next year and realized the 4-1/2-year-old buck still had the deformed right antler.

TOMORROW: WHY I USE A TRAIL CAMERA

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about LEARN THE SECRETS OF A SHED HUNTER ...

Day 1 - How John Frank Became a Shed Hunter
Day 2 - How John Frank Developed His Antler Addiction
Day 3 - Where to Hunt Sheds
Day 4 - Why I Use a Trail Camera
Day 5 - Why Go One-On-One With A Buck


John's Journal