April 14, 2015
By North American Whitetail Online Staff
For some, the offseason is nothing but an excuse to veg out in front of the TV and forget about hunting until next season; but for the whitetail addict, the offseason is the real preseason and the beginning to a successful fall season . It's the perfect time to get back into the field and do some shed hunting — and to see what others are finding. The racks are large and plentiful if you know where to look .
Whether you're out there for fun or to compete with your buddies for the ultimate set of sheds, it's all about the passion for year-round whitetail madness. That's why we teamed up with Craig Bell and Shed Heads to find the biggest and best whitetail shed finds of the year.
Shed Heads
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Shed Head staffers from left to right: Mark, Dan, Craig, Broc.
Perhaps no other group is better preserving shed hunting today than the folks at Shed Heads. Founded by Craig Bell, Shed Heads is a passion-driven project to find more antlers and promote the sport of shed hunting for future generations to enjoy.
With shed hunters located all over North America, from Texas to Saskatchewan and Idaho to Vermont, Craig and his team log thousands of miles in all types of terrain and conditions searching for shed antlers. Whether its giant moose or whitetail and everything in between, his team searches in all types of climate and terrain in pursuit of fallen bone.
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In an attempt to tide you over until next season, we've rounded up some of the best shed finds from Craig and the Shed Head team in 2015:
Alicia Hernandez - Founder S.H.L., Social Media Manager, Indiana Shed Head Ladies founder Alicia Hernandez proudly displaying her great set of match sheds.
Alicia Hernandez - Founder S.H.L., Social Media Manager, Indiana Craig Bell's other half, Alicia Hernandez, founder of Shed Heads Ladies, proudly displaying her find.
Alicia Hernandez - Founder S.H.L., Social Media Manager, Indiana While it's a shame to find quality dead heads on your property, Alicia's find is still very impressive.
Shed Heads motto of "No Tine Left Behind" drives their hunt to find any and all fallen bone.
Shed hunting is a beneficial endeavor to your whitetail hunting in the next season because you can usually find the bucks very near where they dropped their sheds the winter before.
If you hunt an area where the deer don't migrate, the places where you find shed antlers should factor into where you actually hang your stands next fall.
Some of the best shed finds are where we least expect them.
Craig Bell - Founder, Indiana Craig's finds include many Boone and Crockett size sets like this is a 90 6/8-inch Indiana deer shed. Bell also collects pocket-sized singles, as well as two point sides and spikes.
Broc Spears - Sponsor Relations, Ohio "With over 25 years of bowhunting whitetails, I spend my time pounding the hills in southeastern Ohio in search of sheds with my self-trained dog, Ivy. Together, we have put together many finds each year."
— Broc Spears
Broc Spears - Sponsor Relations, Ohio A long day of shed hunting demands some relaxation time. Broc Spears' shed dog Ivy can attest to that.
Craig Bell - Founder, Indiana I found my first antler in 1993, while checking beaver traps, and 21 years later I have found 1000's of antlers in 10 different states.
Craig Bell - Founder, Indiana One of the best things about shed hunting? It's not age restricted!
Craig Bell - Founder, Indiana "My passion for Shed Hunting stems from the day I saw my first antlered buck in the wild. My father took my younger brother and I on the trapline since I was the age of 4. We were heading out to check traps one early morning in late December 1988 when an 8-point buck chased three does out into the field in front of us. My eyes were fixed on the rack! I was mesmerized."
— Craig Bell
Dan Ewaskowitz - Website Development , Whitetail expert, Wisconsin "I didn't get into shed hunting until I was 17 when a friend let me tag along for a walk looking for sheds after school. After finding four sheds in an hour, including a big set just off the road in the snow, I was hooked for life! Now, 12 years later, shed hunting is a huge part of my life, with a collection of over 3,600 personal finds."
— Dan Ewaskowitz
Eric Stanosheck - Editorial Media Manager, Texas "I found my first shed in Colorado 30 years ago and haven't stopped since. I've found sheds in 12 states and Canada and average over 500 sheds each spring with over 700 miles hiked on my boots."
— Eric Stanosheck
Eric Stanosheck - Editorial Media Manager, Texas That is a shed hunter's dream bed right there.
Shed Heads Group From left to right: Mark Fuller, Dan Ewaskowitz, Craig Bell, and Broc Spears.
Mark Fuller - Business Manager, Minnesota "I got started with my shed hunting obsession after finding a matched set with my dad while setting up a deer stand in Canada. It was a spindly set that had laid in the elements for a year and a half, but it was an absolute rush! Now, after 12 years or so, it's my most dedicated pastime."
— Mark Fuller
Mark Fuller - Business Manager, Minnesota "The enjoyment of time in the outdoors with friends "treasure hunting" each spring and during hunting season is something I look forward to year round. Now, as I have more time, I enjoy the opportunity to get other people involved in this great sport."
— Mark Fuller
Nick Campagna - Shed Dog Pro, PR, Vermont "I found my first shed while summer scouting a big woods deer hunting mountain in the northern Adirondack mountains of New York, and there would be others I would find throughout my younger days hunting in the big woods, tracking, stalking and still hunting miles from anything."
— Nick Campagna
Nick Campagna - Shed Dog Pro, PR, Vermont "More and more sheds would ride home in my truck every year from the first year on and they would only get bigger."
— Nick Campagna
Nick Campagna - Shed Dog Pro, PR, Vermont "The 'pre-dog' days were a blast hiking with family and friends, but now with my self trained chocolate lab named Ruger, there is no tine left behind."
— Nick Campagna
