Shed Hunting - What is their real value ?
Shed Hunting - What is their real value ?
By Travis Long
Once the hunting season comes to a
close each year I quickly change gears to another kind of hunting , shed hunting ! Oh yes , it can be just as addictive as getting out and pursuing those ever elusive bucks and bulls in the fall . Scouting and glassing are just as valuable during those late winter , early spring months if you want to find shed antlers and applying those tactics can be very as rewarding .
Over the past decade shed hunting has become a very popular past-time for many outdoorsmen , women and their families . It is a great way to spend some extra time in the field getting to know the patterns and habitats of the deer and elk we pursue during the hunting seasons .
Deer generally start shedding their antlers in late January , early February . Elk typically shed their antlers in late March , early April . Many factors play a role in when deer and elk shed their antlers including winter range conditions like snow levels and food sources that equate to stress , the overall health of the deer or elk , testosterone levels , daylight , and other theories that we as shed hunters observe .
Some may say that we ’ re crazy to get out there in the cold temperatures , enduring the wet muddy hikes just in hopes of finding “ brown gold ”. Maybe we are , but there are a number of great benefits in this past-time we call shed hunting .
One benefit I already mentioned is the ongoing study of the deer and elk and their habits . Understanding when and where they migrate is all part of the scouting process . Finding sheds in a given area can tell a hunter about the quality of deer or elk in that hunting unit .
Another benefit of shed hunting comes in the color green ! That ’ s right , as many know , shed antlers are worth money ! For myself , I just like to pick up sheds because I have an antler addiction , or at least that ’ s what my wife Amanda tells me . I just can ’ t seem to part with the sheds I find each year , although it has crossed my mind since I seem to be running out of room in the garage for all the sheds I ’ ve found over the years .
Many shed hunters hit the hills each winter and spring to collect a few sheds in hopes of paying for the gas out there or maybe to pay for that next hunting trip in the fall . For that reason alone it can be worth putting in the time and effort to find out where those bucks and bulls are wintering .
Who buys the antlers , you ask ? Antler artists , as I call them , seem to be the biggest procurers of the “ brown gold ”. These artists make antler furniture , antler chandeliers , and many other useful and decorative items .
Yet another benefit of shed hunting is staying in shape in the off-season . What better way could a guy think of to stay in shape than to get into the hills and hike around ? I can ’ t think of any . That also means that you have to get off those four-wheeled vehicles and use the quads God gave you ! But that ’ s a whole other article for
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