Wildlife officials say to not harass animals while shed hunting

In the March 3 edition of the Mineral Independent, Amy Quinlivan interviewed Wyatt O’Day and Danner Haskins on a favorite hobby they have which is looking for antlers that deer, elk and moose are dropping right now in the 4,223 square miles of Mineral County.

Both young men were tight-lipped about exact locations where they shed-hunt, which is understandable because they include the draws and ridges where they hunt in November.

But Liz Bradley, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 2 biologist adds more information on the science side along with cautions for those who are ready to go scrounging for these treasured discoveries.

1. What is the difference between antlers and horns and what Western Montana animals have each?

Antlers are made of bone and are shed every year, whereas horns are made of a keratin sheath (like our hair and fingernails) and cover a bony core. Horns are generally kept for life and get bigger with age. Both males and females will have horns whereas only males grow antlers.

Male members of the deer family grow antlers. In Montana that includes white-tailed deer and mule deer (bucks), and elk and moose (bulls). Antlers are grown in the spring and summer and then shed in the winter. During growth antlers are surrounded by “velvet” which carry blood

and nutrients. Antlers can grow extremely fast. During the height of growth, elk can grow an inch of antler a day! When they finish growing, they rub off the velvet on trees and shrubs, exposing the bone and sharp points of the antler in preparation for breeding season in the fall.

Males will use their antlers to battle each other in competition for females and sometimes will break tines in the process. Antlers will get bigger each year (to a point) as an animal ages but the maximum size rack a bull or buck will develop depends on both nutrition and genetics.

Once an animal gets older, their antlers will start to get smaller again. Just like with people, antlers can grow more character with age, and develop unique extra points, stickers or drop-tines.

Horns are not shed and continue to grow throughout an animal’s life and so generally get bigger and longer with age although they experience wear and tear. The exception to this is pronghorn that shed and regrow their sheath every year. In addition to the pronghorn, other animals in Montana that have horns include bison, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats.

Both males and females of these species grow horns, unlike their antlered cousins. Horns, like antlers, are used in breeding displays and fighting over mates. They’re also used by both males and females for defense and social dominance.

2. When are antlers shed each year?

Antlers are shed in the winter with moose starting in December, deer in January and February, and elk in March and April.

3. What other requirements does a person need to have, or know about, to look for sheds?

Mostly you need a good pair of eyes and an understanding of where animals are hanging out during the winter. Sheds aren’t always easy to see. (I’ve most certainly walked past many!)

With a little practice you can better train your eye to spot a tine sticking up from the ground, sometimes at odd angles. Binoculars or spotting scopes can be helpful to scan open areas from a distance. Shed hunting is a little like easter egg hunting for adults. But kids can participate too.

4. Are there better places to shed hunt rather than just taking a walk in the woods?

Deer, elk, and moose move to lower elevations in the winter where there is less snow and more exposed forage. Open south facing slopes with grass and shrubs often melt out first and are good foraging habitat. White-tailed deer and moose can often be found around riparian corridors (creeks and rivers). In Mineral County we have a lot of trees and all our antlered species spend a lot of time both in and out of the trees so check out timber adjacent to open habitats as well. Jumping a fence or a draw can jar a buck or bull into dropping an antler, so these are good places to look as well. If you find one antler, it pays to spend a little time looking around for the second. Always ask for permission for access to private lands.

It’s important that shed hunters understand that this activity brings them into sensitive areas during a sensitive time. Late winter and early spring are the hardest times for deer, elk, and moose because food is limited and disturbance by recreationists can stress and cause them to burn off their winter reserves even faster. During especially hard winters FWP often puts out reminders to shed hunters to try to avoid disturbing wintering big game. Shed hunting can be a lot of fun but it’s important to take care of the animals and their habitat first, so in harsher years it’s especially important to be mindful of giving them their space.

5. What should a shed hunter do, if anything, if they discover a winter killed animal? Are the antlers/horns legal to take?

It is perfectly legal to take the head of winter killed animals. However, first be sure that the animal died naturally and was not illegally killed. If you suspect poaching call 1-800-TIP-MONT.

It used to be illegal to pick up bighorn sheep horns, but a new law allows people to collect and keep horns. However, you must bring it to FWP for inspection to confirm it died of natural causes and get it “plugged” (tagged) to mark it as legal to possess.

6. Is public land (state, federal such as National Forests) open to shed hunting?

There is a lot of public land that is open for recreational use, including shed hunting, in the winter and early spring. Most National Forest land in Mineral County is open for this activity.

However, you need to be aware of travel restrictions on Forest roads that may limit how you get there. Recreationists looking for sheds may inadvertently bump animals and cause additional unneeded stress.

Vehicle traffic is even more stressful and can push animals even further away from where they want to be. Therefore, it’s important to respect road and other seasonal area closures that have been put in place for this purpose. In Missoula, Mount Jumbo is closed to all recreational use from December 1 – March 15 to protect wintering elk and deer.

Fish, Wildlife & Parks owns numerous Wildlife Management Areas throughout the state, many of which were acquired for their value as winter range for ungulates. Most of these WMAs are closed to all human use from December 1 – May 15 every year to protect winter range. Fish Creek Wildlife Management area near Alberton is an exception and is open year-round.

7. What about BLM, DNRC, The Nature Conservancy, etc. for shed hunting?

Shed hunting is allowed on BLM land without any special permits. On DNRC lands you must possess a ‘State Land Recreational Use License’ in order to hunt sheds (these can be obtained from DNRC offices). Some, but not all, properties owned by the Nature Conservancy allow public access and shed hunting in Montana so check first before you go.

9. What licenses or precautions are needed to use dogs for shed hunting?

There are no special licenses needed to use dogs for shed hunting. However, shed hunters need to be even more careful when bringing dogs, because many dogs are tempted to chase wild game. In Montana it is illegal for dogs to chase wild game not to mention extremely stressful

for the animals during this sensitive time of year, as discussed above. If you bring your dog, make sure it is well trained or kept on leash if shed hunting on winter range in the late winter and early spring.

10. What becomes of shed antlers if left undisturbed?

Antlers are full of calcium, phosphorous, and other mineral salts that mice, chipmunks, squirrels, and porcupines all crave. Other species such as foxes, coyote, wolves, and bears will also chew on antlers. Any antlers left in the forest get recycled fairly quickly! Still, some do get left behind for longer so you might get lucky and stumble onto one when you least expect it.