As young children, we all wait for that time of year to hunt eggs for Easter. Then we get older and grow out of it. A few of us stop there, a few of us move onto bigger, better and what seems more exciting for us to find....SHEDS!
Some animals have horns, and they keep those for life. Other animals have antlers; they lose those every year and grow new ones! There’s a certain time of year that outdoors enthusiasts and hunters get excited outside of a hunting season. That’s that time is when we go out and shed hunt. For me its, whitetail and axis. Some whitetails and axis get lucky the year before and outsmart a hunter or are let go to grow older and more prominent. Those deer, while walking around drop antlers off of their heads in some of the craziest places. It's like a treasure hunt. A unique piece of its existence for us to find.
And let me tell ya, you think you got excited as a 5 year old to find a yellow boiled egg on the ground. You ain’t lived until you get out to shed hunt and find a 5 point whitetail antler shed. Or even a fat, three-foot-long axis antler shed.
Those of us who keep a close eye on the wildlife may be able to tell which head you think that antler fell off of. Either because he’s been on our game camera or a certain antler trait or gene they pass on.
Many things are done with antler sheds. Some people just collect them, some try to pick them all up as they find them before their cattle eat on them or bust a tractor tire, some of us pick them up to add as decor in our home. Many things can be made from an antler shed, from door knobs, wall decor, accents on a fireplace mantle, etc.
Next time you find an antler shed, you’ll get just as excited as the rest of us do! You’ll find a way to put it to use! It’s another thing we hunters have in common. It’s something better than a boiled egg to race for! The only surprise you’ll get other than finding one is where you’ll find it. You never realize all the places a deer will travel till you find a shed there.
Happy Hunting
Tess