Antler Shed Hunting
by Randy “RandyMan” Johnson
One of my favorite spring time events is walking the woods of the north in search of shed deer antlers. If you are a deer hunter, it also provides clues to the location and habits of deer that survived the hunting season. Not only is this good exercise for the body - but also for the mind. The cool, calm spring air helps clear the mind. Here is some information you may find interesting before you go in to the woods looking for sheds.
The best specimens will be found in February and March before mice, squirrels and deer gnaw on them to get the nutrients they contain.
Antlers are one of nature's most remarkable accomplishments. The speed at which antlers grow, also makes them the fastest growing structures in the animal kingdom. Antler growth in bucks begins when they are fawns. However, buck fawns never grow antlers larger than short "buttons", which on rare occasions become hardened. These "buttons" then develop into the buck's first spike or branched antlers, when he is a yearling (1 1/2 years old). Bucks begin growing their antlers in late-winter or early spring, within weeks after the previous year's antlers have been shed. Antlers grow very slowly at first, but by spring, antlers are rapidly growing. Antler growth is usually complete by the end of August. The velvet then hardens and falls off just as the mating season gets started. The hardened, polished antlers remain until they are shed during December through April.
In the past, it was believed that deer withdrew to secluded places to shed their antlers in order to avoid the loss of virility in public. However, it is likely that deer are unaware of when they will lose their antlers. Antlers are shed when a thin layer of tissue destruction, called the abscission layer, forms between the antler and the pedicle. This layer forms as a result of the decrease in testosterone. As the connective tissue is dissolved, the antler loosens and is either broken free, or falls off on its own. In whitetails, a restricted diet has been found to cause bucks to shed their antlers early. It has been suspected that the lack of adequate nutrition somehow effects testosterone output. Nutritionally-stressed bucks may also grow their antlers and shed their velvet later. Older-aged bucks are thought to shed their antlers earlier than younger bucks. It has also been reported that more dominant bucks cast their antlers sooner than subordinate bucks. Older-aged, more dominant bucks probably shed their antlers sooner because of the high energy costs incurred in maintaining a higher dominance rank.
Why do bucks spend so much energy in growing antlers, only to shed these antlers a few months later, forcing them to reinvest an enormous amount of energy to grow the antlers again the following year? Why don't deer antlers stay attached and continue to grow throughout life like the horns of sheep, goats, and cattle? One of the most common theories is that bucks shed their antlers annually so that they have the potential to replace any damage to antlers that may have occurred in the form of broken tines, or a broken main beam. This theory seems valid because antlers are extremely important in display for acquiring females and because they are used during dominance fights with other bucks. If a buck breaks a main beam and is not able to replace that antler, it may not be able to acquire future breeding privileges. It may also be that antlers are shed each year as an energy-conserving measure, so that males don't have the added weight from the antlers to carry outside of the breeding season. Antlers are cumbersome and energy-expensive structures that are not needed after the breeding season.
So how do you find these sheds in the woods? First, you have to get out into the woods! I tend to find the majority of my sheds near brushy areas. In the early Spring, bucks spend most of their time looking for food so search places where food is readily available. Also look around travel corridors between feeding and bedding areas.
I like to follow trails the deer leave behind and will scan the ground near the trails were there is a lot of branches hanging over that trail. Often you will find both antlers within 50 feet of one another.
This is also a wonderful activity for kids. A walk in the woods with a child, looking, exploring and discussing what you see is a beautiful way to spend a spring day. It is also a great way to educate a child on deer sign that you will encounter along the way.
Enjoy the experience
Randy Man