Shed hunters begin hunt for discarded antlers

In mid-winter the forests and mountains of Western Montana offer a peaceful solitude. Other than the occasional snowmobiler zipping by the woods seem undisturbed.

The bears tucked away in their dens, and the elk and deer that have survived the fall hunting seasons carry on elusively through the snow waiting for spring to arrive.

But it’s in the serene harshness of winter that the annual shedding of antlers now beckons the next season of recreational enthusiasts.

Starting as early as January and February, area shed hunters will wear the tread off their boots scouring hillsides for calcified trophies. By definition, shed hunting is the pursuit of finding antlers that have been naturally shed by any antler-bearing mammal such as moose, caribou, elk and deer.

In Montana and around the country shed hunting has exploded in popularity due in part to social media, and the profitable market of selling shed antlers. Two young men from Superior, graduate Wyatt O’Day and high school senior Danner Haskins both share this eager passion for trekking countless miles combing the countryside for these brown and white discarded treasures.

Growing up in Mineral County and currently attending the University of Montana, O’Day is an all-around experienced hunter. He’s been rifle and bow hunting for years, but even before he could walk, he’s been out in the woods chasing big game.

“I’ve been hunting since I was two months old, my dad carried me to a tree on his shoulders lion hunting. So, hunting has always been something I do. My dad taught me everything I know today.”

Last year from September to November O’Day was out hunting a total of 57 days.

“I predominately bow hunt as I feel spending the time in the spring months looking for antlers gives me a better understanding of the animals' patterns, ultimately helping me be a more successful hunter.”

Aside from hunting O’Days other hobbies include fishing and kayaking, but for him shed hunting takes priority over them all.

Once he hangs up his blaze orange for the year, his favorite season comes shortly after. O’Day explained, “Each year deer, elk, and moose lose their antlers during the winter months, from December to April. People like myself hike around in the spring all over the mountains and try to pick up the dropped antlers for a variety of reasons, from decorations, for fun or to be sold.”

For those looking to make a buck by selling their antlers it’s important to identify the grade of each shed. Grades vary from A, B or C. Grade A antlers are in perfect condition with no fading and minor chips, no broken tines or chew marks. These are often picked up within a few weeks or months of the animal dropping it. Pristine sheds can then be crafted into an impressive array of items like jewelry, chandeliers, cutlery or even furniture.

The lowest grade, C antlers are white and chalky, weathered, cracked and rough. These lower valued antlers, best used for dog chews have probably been cast-off years ago.

But even in that condition they can still be worth one dollar a pound for deer, and two for elk. According to 2021 antler prices, elk Grade A antlers are worth $14 a pound and deer Grade A are $11 a pound. Records from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation show that a set of antlers from a mature bull can weigh up to 40 pounds. That’ll rack up a profit.

Not all shed hunters sell their finds.

Haskins prefers to add to his collection.

“I keep all my sheds in one pile besides the old and chewed antlers I give those to my dogs.” An avid and lifelong hunter himself Haskins admitted, “I cannot wait for shed season! If I had to choose between hunting or shed hunting, I would choose shed hunting. Besides the awesome wild game meat, shed hunting is more fun to me in every way. It can just be so exciting, and relaxing.”

Haskins has been consistently shed hunting the past five years.

He said, “Shed hunting is a great way to scout an area, to see what animals are living in that area during the winter. It is a perfect chance to take home some awesome antlers, as well as get some fresh air and exercise in the spring.” Determining when to start shed hunting each year is challenging, Haskins offered, “The best way to know when to get out and shed hunt is when you see deer that have lost their antlers. I always locate a group of deer in mid-December and watch them through January so I know when they have shed. As soon as all deer have shed you are able to hit your spot.”

Often times Haskins will hunt the same areas where he looks for sheds. He said, “Shed hunting lets you know what size animals could be living around your hunting spot. It is a great way to scout for hunting season.”

He added, “But my favorite part is getting to take home sheds from many different animals in one year, it is so addicting because you never know when you might find something amazing. I would estimate I have found somewhere around 300 sheds, from deer, elk and moose.”

Haskins shed hunts with his dad, his friend Tucker, or Ike, his black lab.

About 20 times a year he will hike from sunrise to sundown looking for antlers and cover roughly 10 miles each outing.

“I just look for sign, I will spend my time in areas with heavy sign. Areas without I will quickly get through unless I find something worth staying for. I go back to the same location, sometimes you have to go higher or lower in elevation, depending on how hard the winter is. But a deer will always live in the same general area,” noted Haskins.

When O’Day heads out to find some fresh sheds he primarily ventures off solo, but he too brings his dog along. He said, “I almost always go alone and take my black lab I specifically trained to find them by scent. I use the time alone to reset and not think about classes, homework and typical stressors of life.”

O’Day estimates that he spends nearly 80 days a year exclusively searching for shed antlers, and during the past year with COVID, he’s been out more than ever.

On a usual shed hunting day, the distance traveled depends on what kind of sheds O’Day is trying to find. “Usually, I hike an average of nine miles per day, early spring the days are short so I hike daylight to dark, but as the spring days get longer, I try to go early morning and get done before the heat of the day,” he said.

From all of his time searching O’Day has found that you can look just about anywhere and you’ll turn up at least a few sets of jettisoned head gear.

But he mentioned, “I don’t like to hit the same spots year after year, I find the animals aren’t that predictable with snowfall and pressure from predators and hunters. Given that they move around a bit to be successful at it year after year one needs to spend time scouting the animals before the horns fall off. I don’t discriminate on what sheds I find, it’s always nice to find fresh brown antlers but I have a saying 'I find what I find.'"

In his most remote shed hunting areas O’Day discovers anywhere from 50 to 80 each spring. Given that average he said, “I’d be comfortable saying I’ve found a few hundred in my life. Because of all those sheds it takes up quite a bit of space, I sell the majority of mine to antler buyers by the pound, however I do have a large stack of “keepers” consisting of all my biggest or favorite ones I’ll never get rid of.”

In recent years O’Day has noticed the increased competition for this outdoor scavenger hunt. “It’s definitely become super popular thanks to social media, almost too popular. It makes it harder each year with more people out looking, that’s another reason I don’t count on the same spots because more than likely someone else has already been there so finding new spots is almost necessary to be successful.”

With this in mind O’Day keeps moving. He shared, “As of this January I’ve already hiked 59.9 miles and picked up 22 antlers, giving me the ratio of 2.72 miles hiked per shed antler.”

As winter melts into spring and snowlines retreat more shed hunters will take to the south facing slopes hoping to spot brown antlers lying on the hillsides. Like most who have gotten hooked on the find, O’Day expressed, “Shed hunting to me is definitely my favorite thing to do, even over hunting, I do really look forward to it each year and is something I even do while out hunting. To me I think getting out and hiking around in a time of year that not much else is going on is what makes it so addicting. When I was younger it was all about finding antlers but that has slowly died off. I now just look forward to hiking around alone and clearing my head, but picking a big set of deer or elk sheds is pretty exciting.”

Shed antler hunters are reminded to check site-specific regulations and opening dates before venturing afield.

Montana Wildlife Management Areas are closed to public use after hunting season and do not reopen until springtime. Collecting antler sheds is prohibited in Montana State parks.

It’s critical that dogs be kept on a leash when deer and elk are present and not chase them. The stress of a chase alone can eventually lead to the death of the animal.

Many of Montana’s WMAs provide security to wintering wildlife during the most vulnerable time of the year. It’s important to remember that WMAs provide vital, protected winter range for deer and elk. And this is the time of year these animals are the most stressed.