I have the hardest time finding sheds and i was wondering if there was any secrets of the art or tips that could help.

The should drop them around mid January -
Look for them after the snow has disappeared.
They are easier to find after a rain. Just walk and look for them. Some times they are in brush, sometimes at a place they jump and the shock nocks them off. Sometimes you find them in a set.
Found Set (http://www.siloutdoors.com/showthread.php?t=9509)

Last year was my first year shedding and id advise not getting into it because its very addicting!! Check southern exposures and keep your eyes on the ground. I hunt crp and found the majority near isolated trees and lone evergreens are good too.

I usually start looking here toward the end of Feb. But not until after I have noticed several bucks that have shed. You can find an antler practically anywhere. I have found them along pond banks, in the edge of the water, under trees and brush, in CRP fields, bean fields, under cedar trees, along the edge of the road. Wheat fields often have several, deer love the freshly growing wheat in the spring. Bedding areas are a good place to look. AS Bob HAS SAID AN ANTLER IS WHERE YOU FIND IT. I don't believe there are any set patterns for finding them. You have to get your eyes used to spotting something that looks just the slightest bit different than the surroundings. I never look for the whole antler. I looks for a small piece of white or creamy color. Something when your passing by a field that doesn't look like it belongs there or wasn't there the day or two before.Look for the tip of an antler sticking up out of the leaves. Oh yeah train a dog to help you. LOL

http://www.siloutdoors.com/showthread.php?t=4212&highlight=shed+hunting

I also like cloudy days after a rain and check fence lines I walk the boundary fences every year and pick some up where they jump, just alot of luck and its good exercise, I cant count how many times I've walked an extra hundred yards to check out the antler that turns out to be a funky corn stalk or something, binoculars not a bad idea

Here's a couple of things I wrote about shed hunting. Time in the field and lots of it pays off the most.

http://heartlandoutdoors.com/index.php/shootinwhitetails/story/anatomy_of_an_antler/

http://heartlandoutdoors.com/index.php/shootinwhitetails/story/i_found_drop_tines_shed/

I found three in a soybean field right after harvest last fall from last spring. Miraculously the two bigger ones had not been damaged, the little one had.

Anyways I have started noticing more and more one antlered deer this last week, in my front yard last night there were two really nice 1 antlered bucks and a VERY nice 2 antlered buck no more than 50 yards from my bedroom window.

Too bad night hunting isn't allowed.

Combine and tractor tires work great for finding shed antlers. The newer, bigger and more expensive tires seem to work better at finding shed antlers than do the older, smaller and less expensive tires.

Poked four nice big holes in a tubeless Firestone 30.5Lx32 drive tire while harvesting corn this past fall. It was new enough that it still had nibs on center of the tread bars. :mad: Fortunately it finished harvest with a repair boot, but will it last? :confused: