shed hunting
Travis Smola

The 6 Worst States for Shed Hunting

For varying reasons, these are some of the worst places to hunt for sheds.

When it comes to shed hunting, it's a lot like deer hunting in that some places are just better than others. With that being said, here are some of the worst or most challenging states to look for shed antlers.

If you're regularly finding white gold in these states, you're having way better luck than most!

Florida

The sunshine state just isn't a popular place for deer hunting, let alone shed hunting. The smaller deer herds and thick, swampy terrain can make shed hunting quite difficult. Add in the fact they basically have no winter and it becomes difficult to near impossible to narrow down the bedding areas in the late winter months.

Rhode Island

shed hunting

Travis Smola

Let's face it. Unless you're from this tiny state, you've likely never heard too many big buck stories coming from it.

But, a big reason this state is on the list is just the high population. There aren't a ton of rural areas in Rhode Island, and that's going to make finding a spot to hunt, let alone shed hunt, quite difficult.

New Jersey

Sorry Jersey residents, but this is yet another state that just isn't known as a deer state. When's the last time you heard about a monster buck being shot here? Unless you live in New Jersey, it's probably been a while. The same goes for anyone finding sheds. It's not exactly a place people are flocking to for an out-of-state shed hunt either.

Michigan

shed hunting

Travis Smola

I'm putting my own state on this list because it's absolutely true. Shed hunting here can suck. I know plenty of shed hunters who have never found a single antler despite years of searching. It really boggles the mind, too, because there are plenty of bucks in the state.

Every year I get lots of photos of bucks on my trail cameras, but despite hours and miles of searching, it seems like I can't even find half of what I know survived the season. Where on earth do they drop all their antlers? I wish I could figure that one out...

Massachusetts

Massachusetts may be rich in American history, but it's not much of a deer state. It also doesn't help that this state has a high population for its size which means you'll likely have a lot of competition in the limited areas there are to search.

Connecticut

shed hunting

Travis Smola

If it seems like there are a lot of eastern states on this list, it's not because I have a personal vendetta against them. They just aren't popular deer or shed hunting states. Sadly, the Midwest and West regions seem to have the market cornered for shed hunting success. Connecticut is another small state in which it's hard enough to shoot a deer, let alone find antlers from survivors once the hunting season is over.

We're not saying it's impossible to find sheds in these states. I'm sure there will be some haters who find plenty in one of these states. However, I don't think anyone can doubt these are some of the more difficult places to find antlers.

The good news is, if you can find sheds in these states, you can find them anywhere!

NEXT: 7 SHED HUNTING TIPS FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T SEEM TO FIND THEM