Shed antler hunting has become a second deer season for some hunters. As the weather breaks we head for the deer woods, attempting to unravel the habits of bucks—where the bed, where the feed, and the routes they use to get from one place to another.
Winter is a time they conserve energy, and no longer need to carry the bones on their heads. So, they drop them, the spots scab over, and by the first of May they're growing a new set.
My newest column (read it online in the Jamestown Gazette ) answers the questions of why we hunt shed antlers. And the reasons include far more than simply scouting for the next season. Hunting for shed antlers is worth doing, even if you don't find any! I've found only on so far this year, but I'm planning to keep looking as soon as the snow we have now is gone from the sunny sides of the hills. Check out my newest column, Shed Antler Hunting is No Waste of Time.
To read other blog posts from MISSION: HUNTER. CLICK HERE to go to www.EverydayHunter.com.
(By the way, the photo you see here is a wagon-wheel style ceiling light fixture with screw-eyes in the base of each antler to hang them on the chains that support the light fixture.)