Sheds?

[Rhyla]

I'm curious. I've seen various threads about people out looking for shed antlers. For those of you who do this, what do you do with them? Do you just collect them? Seems like it might be a fun activity to add on to hiking, but I was wondering if there was a reason or if you just do it for the sake of finding them.

[Steeleco]

I think for most it's a thing to do, I do know a few people that will carve some and others that make art items with them. My Dad wants to make walking stick handles with some of the large ones I might find. I've never done it purposefully, but I think this year I am going to. I've found lots in hunting season, but normally just leave them there.

[Tikka270]

If they are fresh it also let's you know the actual size of the deer in the area you hunt. Pics and trail cams are all great but the sheds give you a greater understanding of the size of the animal.

[Rodd]

Just love antlers... All antlers.... Have made many things from them such as (belt buckles, cupboard handles, door handles, Knife handles, buttons etc... ) And the big ones are kept for decorations... haha!

[greenhorn]

It's a good way to find where the deer are! I seem to have a thing for antlers... love the challenge of finding them!

[kennyj]

They're COOL! Period.
kenny

[proguide66]

Its the 'man version' of women and shoes.........but our shit is cooler to collect!

[91Jason91]

Lol if they find a big one they no there was a big one in the area

[91Jason91]

Its the 'man version' of women and shoes.........but our shit is cooler to collect!

lmao nice one

[TheProvider]

#1 Their awesome
#2 Valuable Scouting tool-see different bucks in the area, see what kind of genetics the area holds

I absolutely love shed hunting, even making a movie this year of it. Once you find your first one you wanna find more then once you start finding sets its even more addictive. Specially finding multiple sets off the same deer.

I personally just keep mine. Great for dogs to chew on and great for crafts, knife handles. Just look through a cabelas magazine and see how many things they make out of artificial sheds.

[Buckmeister]

Some people also will sell their bone collections when they get a decent pile of good ones. The bone buyers will do many different things with them. I think one of the coolest things I saw in person was a chandeler made up of elk antlers hanging in a store in Kimberly. Once on Antiques Roadshow someone brought in a chair made completely of antler, it was freakin cool and they gave it a wicked high appraisal.

[greenhorn]

If your new to hunting I think shed hunting would be a great thing to get into.... By the time you find some sheds you'll be familiar with an area, where the deer trails are, where the sign is, time well spent if you're going to try to get a deer.

[killer]

They are cool some people collect beer cans others collect hats i collect horns

[knighthunter]

Before I moved to BC, I lived in Manitoba and I shed antler hunted every spring for about 4-6 weeks over a period of about 20 years. Whitetail deer, elk & moose were what we had. Moose would start dropping in late december, deer between january and late april. Elk never shed before middle of april into may. On a good year I would find a 1/2 ton load.
I would be walking the deer trails as soon as the snow started to melt in the bush. I rode my snow machine checking out the fields. When the fields were bare of snow, I rode my trike. During the spring break-up I did it full time as trucking had come to a standstill, other than that I did it on weekends.
I sold most of them to antler buyers, some I gave to friends if they saw something they liked.
Finding antlers told me what animals made it thru the past hunting seasons, thru the winter and basiclly where they live. Over there they don't migrate with the seasons, they live & die in pretty much in the same couple of square miles as they were born. During a real tough winter they might move a few miles. It's pretty much flat land with some hills over there not like here.

[dana]

Because this
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Muley%20Pics/Mar13014a.jpg

And this
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Muley%20Pics/Mar13019a.jpg

Lead to this
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Muley%20Pics/08630024.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Muley%20Pics/Dec11003a.jpg

[dana]

And also because having one of these gives ya something to do in the off season when you are bored. I love fondling tine. ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Jan23039a.jpg

[killer]

exactly well said

[Good Old Outdoors]

Find the sheds of a nice buck and he is usually around during the season, Find the sheds, find the bucks

GOO

[hunter1947]

I like shed hunting because it keeps me in shape for the up coming hunting season..
I like to shed hunt because when I find a antler on the ground I wonder how many kilometers this animal has gone in the 9 months he has carried these antlers ???.
All sheds are different in size and looks this I like ,as I am looking for sheds I am looking over the area for animals as it might be an area to hunt this fall ,its called scouting out the area when shed hunting..

[knighthunter]

I like shed hunting because it keeps me in shape for the up coming hunting season..
I like to shed hunt because when I find a antler on the ground I wonder how many kilometers this animal has gone in the 9 months he has carried these antlers ???.
All sheds are different in size and looks this I like ,as I am looking for sheds I am looking over the area for animals as it might be an area to hunt this fall ,its called scouting out the area when shed hunting..

Exactly, very well said. If you can get in the bush before the grass starts to regrow, you will find the scrapes from the last season (whitetail). That will give you an idea of where there was a decent buck as they tend to leave a hoof print in the scrape and that will tell you the size of the buck.
I'm pretty much finished with hunting, but I have 40 years of whitetail hunting and shooting under my belt and a lot of info I can pass on to other's.

[Bigbullsh$tter]

You can also get creative and add it to furniture

http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/i363/Bigbullshitter/shedfurniture.jpg

[hunter1947]

You can also get creative and add it to furniture

http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/i363/Bigbullshitter/shedfurniture.jpg

I like is this ever a very cool elk shed lamp how did you get the wire up through the middle of the post ??? thanks for sharing..

[Bigbullsh$tter]

I bought this lamp at a rustic furniture store in Idaho and mounted the shed myself. I did make another one, and to drill the hole i took a 7/8" wood auger and welded a 2' piece of 1/2" re-bar to the end and drilled from both sides........wasn't pretty but it worked.

[Springer]

I Shed hunting because of many reasons , mostly getting out and getting some exercise. I have found many game trails i never knew existed, Its a great way to gain permission from the Farmers before hunting season, they are very appreciative of not getting tine in Tractor tires. I guess the biggest reason is always hoping to find a Monster Buck's Sheds kinda like Steve Dana just showed us.. My count is at 8 so far this Spring and i have found 10 skull & Antlers intact , but left them in a pile because they were not that big and its not worth the hassle of the permit , the larger ones however have been kept.
Everyone asks why do you keep them,and what do you do with them, well i have made some projects out of them and used for gifts, i will continue to keep them and plan on doing an archway one day when i have enough...It is a true addiction and i hope there is never a cure ........

[oldkoot]

They are natures art, no two are alike. Started in the mid 60's and remember where I picked up my first. Have parted with four truck-fulls over the years , but have kept many of the large and unusual ones. It is cool when you find one and know the buck that contributed to that gene pool many years before. And really cool to find drops from the same buck and see the changes and intricate details that remain year after year. DNA is amazing. The pattern falls off, yet it is still there. Some examples,

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/grizzlygare/Sheds/002-1.jpg

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/grizzlygare/Sheds/004.jpg


http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/grizzlygare/Sheds/0062.jpg

[oldkoot]

Oh yah, and the excitement of what you are getting when you you see this.

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/grizzlygare/Sheds/019.jpg

And the satisfaction after a decent day such as this .

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/grizzlygare/Sheds/224.jpg


Sorry H47. This is the way it was on one of your favourite hills 15 years ago.

[dana]

For avid shedheads, shed hunting is like a prospector lookin' for gold. Shedfever takes over and it is all you can think about. You spend hours upon hours pounding the boot leather lookin' for that one that you know is out there. Sometimes it takes years to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The thrill of walking up on that elusive tine is what drives ya to keep at er. Sometimes it is Sweet Victory and other times it is a Bitter Sweet find when you encounter the rodents beat ya to the prize. He is an example. I filmed this buck in the highcountry in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Finally found one side off of his 04/05 year in Feb of 2007. I was elated when I saw the shed laying there in the distance. I knew exactly which buck it was off of well before I picked it up. I spend the next month pounding that mountain, trying to find the match or previous years off that buck. Lots of sleepless nights dreaming about the match. Finally, I found it. And too my disappointment, the rodents chewed the living daylights out of it. Was glad to match it up, but would have loved to have it intact.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Wildlife%20Pics/IMG_0191.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Wildlife%20Pics/Mar25008a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Wildlife%20Pics/MatchedSet001a.jpg

[knighthunter]

There's a few guy's in Alberta & Saskatchewan that have trained their labs to find shed's. I had a DVD of one of them but There was a young fella on AO that was wanting to train his dog for shedding and I sent the DVD to him last year.

[dana]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Shed%20Pics/Mar16016a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Shed%20Pics/March7062a.jpg

[hunter1993ap]

looks like mass n trash was going downhill. was he? what did he score compared to the sheds from his best year?

[dana]

looks like mass n trash was going downhill. was he? what did he score compared to the sheds from his best year?

Yup, he was an old buck on the downhill slide. He went from 225 in his best year to 205 the next year to 202 when I killed him. The loss was in tine length and extras. He got heavier and more palmated the older he got.

[hunter1993ap]

ive found a big old guy who has gone way back. its nice having the sheds to a buck you killed.

[hunter1947]

They are natures art, no two are alike. Started in the mid 60's and remember where I picked up my first. Have parted with four truck-fulls over the years , but have kept many of the large and unusual ones. It is cool when you find one and know the buck that contributed to that gene pool many years before. And really cool to find drops from the same buck and see the changes and intricate details that remain year after year. DNA is amazing. The pattern falls off, yet it is still there. Some examples,

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/grizzlygare/Sheds/002-1.jpg

http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/grizzlygare/Sheds/004.jpg


http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/grizzlygare/Sheds/0062.jpg

Man O Man oldkoot you have some fantasic collection of sheds some of the best I have ever seen pposted up on this forum http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon6.png http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon14.png..