What time should I start looking for sheds, and when do deer grow their antlers back?

If I had to guess I'd say February, and sometime in the summer, is that far off?

How can you tell a buck from a doe with no antlers besides the obvious parts?

When I lived in lower AL, I started shed hunting in March. Bucks start growing antlers back as soon as they are cast. I will start shed hunting here in MO in a couple of weeks. Refreshing my mineral lick I started late last summer this coming week. Will put my cell cam back up then.

I guess deer shed differently in different locations too, or is it about the same time everywhere? The things I wonder... haha.

Usually around march in my area, But i have got pics of some big bucks in Northern Wilcox, still sporting antlers in April before

Wow.

So in pragmatic terms watch your cameras and decide from there?

Just wait until the season is over you may get a shot at one and don't want to run him off tromping through the woods everywhere right now.

Yep right now just baiting and watching cameras, prob not hunting this season, wasn't ready for it.

Some are shedding now in Indiana. Usually by Valentines day, start looking.

On Bankhead they’ve already started. Usually most of AL native deer shed in February or March but may hold on well into April.

Mine will start any day now

It depends on how long the rut lasts.......I figure we have a small second rut in late Feb early March and then bucks begin to drop antlers a few weeks after that....typically late March early April.......I have seen a buck the first week of May still holding on but that's not the norm

So I assume antlerless bucks will be difficult to tell apart from the does, unless they have some age on them?

Good point about the rut.

Somewhat unrelated, but I read that you could potentially hunt the rut the whole season, if you're into traveling anyways.

Deer were transplanted from other states to curb low population levels decades ago, and they kept their rut pattern from those other states, at least according to what I read.

There’s places in AL where peak breeding takes place from early November all the way to mid February, so yes you can travel the state and hunt rut the entire length of the season.

Yea you can. I and I used to. Now I’m about done hunting by Jan 1 for most part.

another reason NOT to run the season until Feb 10 up there.

Exactly. I wish it was over Jan 10. But me and all my neighbors have quit so the survivors are safe for now

On the property I hunt in SE AL they don't start shedding until the second half of March and I've had pics of bucks that still had their antlers the first week of April. Shed antler timing varies greatly from area to area, your best bet is to setup some cameras to pinpoint your timing without guessing.

Yep good point, I just hope they're on my property when the antlers fall off, would be cool to find my first shed.

. If you are watching cameras ---- do you have a gun and ammo, you're ready. You don't need anything except something to kill one with and some time. You don't need stands (ladder, wood, climber) just sit against a tree and wait or if you don't like waiting, go walk/stalk. Don't let these pecker heads you see on TV or anywhere else tell you that you even need camo, just go. Borrow a gun if you need one. You're ready.