A secluded basin with an abundance of food at high elevation.
Best areas to find elk sheds.
Wherever the animals can eke out a living they may shed their antlers.
Ultimately that means you could find more shed antlers in.
The trifecta if you want to start having serious success with elk sheds locate the ultimate elk wintering area.
In the cold snowy spring months in the mountains and highland plains elk frequent the sunny side of ridges and slopes soaking up the spring sun.
Look for deer and elk sign.
The best places to find shed antlers are areas that hold deer during certain parts of their daily routine which increases the likelihood of you finding antlers.
Glassing south facing slopes and parks looking for bedding and browsing elk is a great way to locate spring time bulls.
Near fallen trees and branches on trails on steep hills and near thickets and thick cover that would catch on antlers.
Once you find an area like this the probability of it being a great spot year after year will be high.
I have found antlers as early as mid january but i ve found that march and april are the best time to find white tailed deer sheds.
When you start searching in these high priority locations first you can eliminate huge areas that have very little potential.
Also look where deer trails cross fences and roads.
Wait until mid april or may to begin your search.
Mule deer and elk often gather in wintering areas making finding sheds easier but also increasing the threat to these animals.
Watch for areas that would cause an antler to fall off.