By Alex Comstock
When it comes to shed hunting, there are a few core tools that I utilize time in and time out that make my shed hunting experience markedly more enjoyable and helps bring me more success. These tools that I’m going to cover will no doubt help you, or at the very least make your shed hunting experience all the better.
1. Mapping Application
The first tool that I want to talk about is some sort of mapping application. For me personally, I use OnX Hunt, and it is useful for many, many reasons. The first being is that you can see the property boundaries of public and private land. For me, when it comes to shed hunting, I spend a lot time of public land and it pays to know exactly where you are at. It goes without saying, but there are many other instances in which knowing where you land as it pertains to property boundaries is useful.
Another major feature of OnX that I depend on heavily is the ability to track your walks (see featured image for this article). It gives you the ability to see exactly where you’ve walked (and just as important, where you’ve missed), you can track how far you’ve walked, your speed, etc. By utilizing a tool like OnX, it will no doubt make you a more efficient shed hunter.
2. Backpack
Hardly do I ever head out shed hunting without a backpack. In a perfect world, I’ll use my backpack to put sheds in as I find them, but more often than not I’m using it mainly to haul other tools we’ll cover here. It’s also great for things like if you need to shed a layer, you can put your jacket in your backpack, you can have water in it, snacks, etc. When it comes to a backpack, since you’ll be walking long durations or miles at a time sometimes, it pays to have something comfortable. I’ve been using the Mystery Ranch Treehouse backpack now for about a year and have come to really like it.
3. Proper Footwear
This is a big one and it should go without saying. If you’re going to be shed hunting a lot, you absolutely need good footwear. The question then becomes what kind of boots you should be wearing, and I’d say it largely depends what kind of areas you are shed hunting the most. For me, it’s few and far between that I shed hunt ground that’s not wet or that doesn’t have areas of snow. So, I typically always wear knee high rubber boots. My go to ones are the Lacrosse Alphaburly Pro (CLICK here to check them out). They keep my feet dry and most importantly are comfortable, especially for a rubber boot.
If you shed hunt dry conditions and don’t need rubber boots, I’d definitely suggest a high quality pair of hiking boots. Lacrosse, danner and crispi are some brands I know people use and love. At the end of the day, if you don’t have proper footwear when shed hunting, you’ll be sorry.
4. Binoculars
Binoculars are an often overlooked tool to utilize when shed hunting and it’s something I harp on all of the time. They are a tool that can no doubt help you find more sheds, and save you time. You don’t know how many times I see something 40, 50 or even up to 100 yards away and I immediately put up my binos. Most times it’s not an antler, but every now and again it is. Usually, I’m walking an area or deer trail I don’t want to divert from, and using the binos allows me to not have to leave the spot I’m walking again and again. My go to’s are the Vortex Diamondback 10x42’s (CLICK here to check them out).
5. Drinks & Snacks
You may be asking yourself, I’m reading a shed hunting article about tools to help me and this guy is talking about something to drink and eat? But, let me tell you, if you’re planning on walking for more than an hour or so, or are aiming to walk a half day or whole day, having something to help keep you fueled will no doubt help. As soon as you get tired and/or hungry, you are easily more apt to stop shed hunting, especially if you’re not finding anything. If you’ve got food and something to drink in your backpack, you can take a quick break and then keep going.
Conclusion
Overall, these tools have helped me immensely over the years shed hunting, whether they’re helping me find more antlers or simply making my shed hunting more comfortable/allowing me to walk longer durations. If you’re not putting them to use, I’d recommend you start doing so.
