Shed hunting with a drone may be the next big thing.
Like most hunters, we love shed hunting. The activity is a great way to get out of the house after a long winter and burn some boot rubber looking for dropped deer, elk, and moose antlers. In most cases, it takes many hours of hiking and wandering through the areas where these animals like to winter to find them. As anyone who has ever tried it can tell you, finding them is not easy.
So, of course it makes sense that people are starting to try and use technology to give them an edge. The guy in this video decides to fly a drone low over a wintering area in Utah specifically looking for dropped antlers.
To his surprise, he soon spots a nice six-point side laying under a tree. Even though the antler is old, it's a find he would not have been able to make had he not flew the drone over it.
We can already hear the purists yelling that this is not shed hunting or that this is the lazy way to do it. In a way, perhaps they are right. However, we love the idea for checking especially rugged areas or a quick check of spots that you think look promising, but you are short on time to hike them. And, as the man in this video noted, even if you do spot one, you still must walk out there to pick it up, and the antler could be in a hard-to-reach location.
I'll admit I have tried this myself here in Michigan with my DJI Spark. I was unsuccessful in spotting any antlers, but it was not for a lack of trying. You likely won't spot the small whitetail forks and spikes, but for the larger sides, odds are good you could spot one from the air.
Just remember to check your local laws and regulations on drone usage, especially on public lands before you attempt something like this. However, we would not be surprised to see shed hunting with drones become the next big thing in the quest for dropped antlers.
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For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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