Spring is the time to Hunt Shed Antlers

As the weather gets warmer, and the snow melts, an excellent family activity is hunting for shed antlers. Deer, elk and moose shed their antlers every winter, usually between November and March.

Shed antler hunting is one of the fastest growing outdoors activities, and a way to extend your time in the field, and a way to bond with family, young kids especially. The antlers typically carry a large amount of character as no two antlers are ever the exact same.

One challenge to shed hunting is trying to find a matched set. As deer don’t always shed the two antlers at the same time, often the antlers can be miles apart. If you can hunt on a feed ground, it is easier to find a matching set of sheds than when you are hunting in the hills or on the mountain.

If you are gathering sheds in a large, open area, carrying field glasses can be handy to distinguish between an old weathered white bone and an actual deer horn to keep you from having to hike down in a deep draw only to find a bone or a white piece of brush. Once one has hunted sheds for some time, it becomes easier to tell which is an antler and which is a patch of white.

A rather new twist to shed hunting is training a dog to find the sheds. Most dogs love to be outside in the hills, and a dog’s sense of smell can find antlers under brush and half-buried in the ground or under fallen leaves. They can also burrow under sagebrush and be sent down into draws where it would be tough for a person to walk down into. Most any dog can be trained to sniff out antlers, but the bird dogs, such as Golden Retrievers and Labs, are excellent at it. One can even purchase training tools, such as plastic horns with antler scent to train a shed hunting dog.

According to Schmidt, you can use dogs in Sheridan County to help locate antlers. However, it is illegal to allow a dog to chase or harass big game animals at any time.

There are several reasons to hunt for shed antlers in the spring. If you hunt sheds in an area where you hunt deer or elk in the fall, you can get an idea of what deer and elk may live in the area, and what size the antlers might be come hunting season. Many people collect antlers for crafts and antler décor, such as lamps and chandeliers, for their homes. Cut into various lengths, antlers also make good dog chews. A way to reward your hunting buddy.

Shed antlers are also worth money. There are antler buyer in most areas, or the antlers can be sold at auction in many areas, such as Jackson, Wyoming’s annual elk fest. New, brown antlers bring more than weathered white ones, but all antlers have some value.

Darren Vorhies, of Whiskey River Antlers, LLC antler buyer in Sheridan, talked about the buying shed antlers. “Shed hunting for elk is at its peak right now. Elk shed about March and early April. Whitetail start in December, and mule deer are a little later. I buy deer, elk, and moose sheds, as well as mounted trophy heads. Shed hunting is getting really big. Last year, due to Covid, more people were in the field, often due to having extra time.”

Darren said he will pay top dollar for sheds, and he travels throughout Wyoming and Southern Montana to purchase antlers. “I’ve seen a lot of growth in the shed hunting in the 34 years I’ve been collecting and selling shed horns.” Whiskey River LLC can be found on Facebook.

In some areas, shed hunting is becoming so popular that there are guided ‘shed hunts’, complete with food and lodging for a fee. However, hunting sheds in Wyoming can be done on public lands for free, and sometimes landowners will give hunters permission to hunt sheds on their lands.

According to Christina Schmidt Wyoming Game and Fish Sheridan Region Public Information Specialist each land management agency has their own rules on lands that are open or closed for various activities. You need to contact BLM and Forest Service directly for information on their rules, regulations or area closures. When hunting private land, always get the landowners permission and obey all rules set by the landowner.

Schmidt added that as for Game and Fish Commission-owned wildlife habitat management areas in the Sheridan Region the following Wildlife Habitat Management Areas, WHMA, are owned by the Game and Fish Commission and managed by the Game and Fish Department. Annual winter closures of these properties have been in place for decades to prevent disturbance to wintering wildlife. No human presence, for shed antler collecting or any other purpose, is permitted during closures.

They are: Amsden Creek, near Dayton, closed on Nov. 16 and will open at 8 a.m. on May 15; Bud Love, near Buffalo, closed on Dec. 31 and will open at 8 a.m. on May 15; Ed O. Taylor, near Kaycee, closed on Dec. 31 and will open at 8 a.m. on May 15; Kerns near the Montana line, closed on Nov. 16 and will open at 8 a.m. on June 1

  When winter closures for these areas are lifted and they are open to the public, users can search for and collect shed antlers, hike, horseback, hunt, fish or participate in other approved uses for that area.

Often, when shed hunting, one might come across an entire carcass, or simply a skull and horns. Legally, if you find a complete skull, you are required to contact the game and fish before removing the skull. According to Schmidt, if you find a skull with antlers still naturally attached, you may not legally remove that from the field. You would need to contact a game warden to get permission to do so.  This is because in some instances, the warden may want to investigate the remains to see if it may have been illegally killed prior to the person finding it. If permission is granted by the warden, you would have to bring it to the regional office and purchase an interstate game tag for it for $8. 

So, when the weather warms, remember that shed hunting can be a great family activity and a way to get outside and enjoy the spring weather, just make sure to watch for snakes as the weather warms, and check for ticks after returning home.