Practicing for this years shed hunting season

[JamieHalverson]

So I started training Yogi last spring to hunt for shed whitetail deer antlers. He's done a lot of scent work, but he's NOT a retriever... we worked the retrieve today, not super successfully but had fun! It's really hard for him to actually pick up the antler, he keeps trying to get a grip on the tines instead of the main, larger and rougher antler "stem" (no idea if that's the right terminology lol). In his previous scent work he's just been trained to alert when he's found the scent, not actually retrieve it, so he keeps finding the antler in the snow and then just kind of trying to tell me he found it... we'll keep working it and head out to the field for the real deal in February.

Shed hunting retrieve - YouTube

 

[karennj]

Do you have any training vids for this? I really would love to shed hunt. We don't have huge bucks here but I know there are sheds out there in the woods.

 

[JamieHalverson]

I don't have any videos, we actually took a class through a gun dog training facility in our area. But here is a link to the National American Shed Hunting Dog Association; Dokken's Shed Dog Trainer

They have lots of resources.

Also, here is a link that my trainer highly recommends: Everything Shed Dog- Shed Dog Training, Antler Hunting Dogs - that is where I order antlers and such from. Also, Fleet Farm or Farm and Fleet has antlers and training stuff, I think some of the outdoor stores like Cabelas and Gander Mountain do, as well.

Some key things my trainer told us is to train the retrieve separate from the search, then put them together later. Also, many schools, videos, books, etc. will have you start with an antler dummy and add antler scent to it. She discourages that as it just adds a step to the process and in her mind, to a dog, the scent sticks will smell different than an actual antler. Start with a small, real, training antler.

Start small, put the antler under one of the three boxes like a shell game, put it in the house, then just put it in the back yard for him to find, etc. When Yogi and I first started I was just walking along and putting the antler down to hide it. I posted a video of Yogi finding the shed and a long time tracker let me know Yogi was tracking my path to find the antler... I would suggest walking out and throwing the antler a good distance so your dog can't track you to where you put it. Also, you can put them out the night before and then go hunt the next day for a little more authenticity. Just tie an orange ribbon on them or something so YOU can find them if the dog doesn't, lol.

Make sure you buy training antlers of the animal your dog will be searching for. So if you have white tail deer in you area, get white tail antlers, not mule deer antlers. And don't let your dog chew antlers as a chew toy, it will discourage him from bringing them back to you when he finds them. Whew, hope that's not antler overload!

I love it because it's a real world activity and we get out in the woods and get some exercise!

 

[karennj]

Thank you! I will check out those resources. We get cabelas points so maybe they have a video. Do the antlers have to be fresh? We have antlers here but nothing from the last 3 years. I actually today started looking for tracking courses but cannot find anything in the area. I would love to teach bear to track scents. If I could get him to track a wounded deer or find some sheds that would be pretty neat.

 

[JamieHalverson]

Antlers don't have to be fresh; I use the same one I bought last year when we took the class, lol. I am going to buy a couple more though, I want to put 3 out so he can keep looking after he finds the one. It does help to an extent to use actual shed antlers rather than cut antlers for training. Some training materials also say to use gloves when handling your practice antlers, keep them in airtight bags, etc. so they don't start smelling like you or your house. Our trainer also said she's never done any of that, enough practice and a dog who's interested in finding the shed can figure out that it's the shed he's looking for and discern that scent from all the other scents that get mixed in.

I was hoping to run to fleet farm and pick up a couple antlers and work today, but it's so damn cold here all of a sudden!

I know Tom Dokken has a ton of training stuff, he's really the guy who started the formal shed hunting dog training; I'd bet Cabelas carries his videos.