ELK & MOOSE ANTLER SHED HUNTING

Shed hunting is one of my favorite things to do. Every year my daughter and I plan for the upcoming shed hunting season that runs from May 1st – Jan 1st.

We hike 50 to 100 miles in a 30-day period (May). Our main focus is on areas most people find too difficult. We trek up and down steep rocky slopes and get as far away as possible. However, on foot, you can only cover so much ground.

One of the best ways to shed hunt is via Jeep or ATV. This way you can get further away from people and hiking trails. The idea is to navigate to a remote area and then get out on foot. We have had huge success with this.

Any shed close to a hiking trail gets snatched up even when it’s illegal to do so. Most hikers or people who don’t normally shed hunt don’t know it’s illegal from Jan 1st – Apr 30th. The downside is, moose start dropping in Jan and Elk start dropping in mid Mar. Point is, forget about shed hunting anywhere near a hiking trail. The sheds will be gone by the time you get there legally.

The upside is that there are hundreds of elk, moose, and deer dropping antlers in the Estes Park area and most don’t drop near a hiking trail.

ADVICE FOR SHED HUNTING

South facing slopes are great for deer and elk, but keep in mind, they travel up and down some nasty north facing rocky slopes to access those south facing grassy slopes to feed on. North facing slopes usually have thick forests, so it’s hard to see. We like to spread out by a couple hundred feet and zig zag or grid our way through slowly. I’ve found sheds in boulder field slopes you would only expect a big horn sheep could traverse. I like searching boulder fields and rough terrain. This is where they jerk their heads as they climb and hop over obstacles.

Moose are tricky. Those damn sheds could be anywhere. They cover a massive distance. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve followed bull moose tracks for miles and came up empty handed. Moose like tight creek areas and they feed there even when snow packed. What you’re looking for is where they bed down and that’s usually not in the creek area, but it will be close. Here’s how it normally happens: They lay down for hours. When they stand up, they shake off the dirt or snow like a horse after rolling in the dirt or grass. When they shake like that, the antlers fall off (usually both). You can still find moose sheds where they drop in their travels though.

GET SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR SHED HUNT

If you’re looking to kill two birds with one stone by doing an ATV rental and shed hunt, we can provide some suggestions for where to look.

There are tons of trails in and around Estes Park to shed hunt. I like Bunce, MSV, Switz, Johnny Park, and Pierson Park for moose sheds. I like Storm Mountain, Pole Hill and Peirson Park for Elk and deer sheds. See our Trails page for into about these trails.

Note: It is not legal to collect sheds in Rocky Mountain National Park at any time of the year.