Dropped Antlers.

[+wewalkthewoods]

Hey Guys, My wife and I were caching out at a pretty remote spot in the Spokane Wa area last Sunday. I've been telling her to look for deer antlers since the freeze is off you might see some. Would you believe it, no sooner than we get down to the shore I see one laying on a rock like like someone set it there and found the other about 10m away. Nice 4 pts on each. I've found one before but never a pair. Gotta get a lotto ticket.

[BRTango]

Hey Guys, My wife and I were caching out at a pretty remote spot in the Spokane Wa area last Sunday. I've been telling her to look for deer antlers since the freeze is off you might see some. Would you believe it, no sooner than we get down to the shore I see one laying on a rock like like someone set it there and found the other about 10m away. Nice 4 pts on each. I've found one before but never a pair. Gotta get a lotto ticket.

 

I found a four point over the summer... couldn't find the other one though. I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. I'm going to be making my own hiking staff one of these days and was thinking about using part of it for a handle or otherwise incorporating it into my hiking staff.

[+sbell111]

My wife and father-in-law make pens out of them. THey are pretty awesome. Antlers with thin marrow make pens that almost look like ivory. Those with thick marrow make pens that are dark purple and green colorings.

[+reveritt]

You can make buttons from them, and the tips make nice toggles for coats.

 

Ever wonder why you don't find them more often? I live in an area with lots of deer. You cannot walk any trail without seeing deer tracks, but finding the antlers is a rarity. Someone told me recently that other animals eat them for the calcium.

[+CYBret]

A guy here in town sold a box of dropped white tail deer antlers on ebay last year for close to $1000.00.

 

I wish I could find more of them.

 

Bret

[+Torchbearer]

Someone told me recently that other animals eat them for the calcium.

 

If they lie around long enough the field mice and beetles will get to them. That's acually how a lot of hunters "clean" their deer skulls; They bury them for a few weeks and let the bugs clean them right up.

[+Salvelinus]

...Someone told me recently that other animals eat them for the calcium.

 

Tis a fact!

 

Especially Porcupines, Wood Mice and Chipmunks

[+Clothahump]

I found a four point over the summer... couldn't find the other one though. I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. I'm going to be making my own hiking staff one of these days and was thinking about using part of it for a handle or otherwise incorporating it into my hiking staff.

 

Get a hard hat and glue the antlers to it. You can scare the hell out of kids at Halloween with it.

[+Marcie/Eric]

My dad has made pens, clock face parts, earings, bracelets, gunstock inlays, and kinfe handles with antlers.

[+CYBret]

Just a reminder, if you're working with antlers--cutting, grinding, using sandpaper/dremels/etc, BE SURE to wear a respirator. That stuff is nasty.

 

Bret

[+Bill & Tammy]

As it would happen I just found a single prong last weekend while caching on a trip near Fishers, IN. Nice extra for the caching trip.

[+Colorado Cacher]

And I know of a place where Buck deer congregate here in town. I'll be goin there for a stroll this weekend.

[+BadAndy]

When a Deer or Elk shed an antler it makes their head unbalanced and they often shake loose the other soon after. It's not uncommon to find a matched set within a few feet of each other.

 

Edited March 1, 2006 by BadAndy

[+Ichabod]

Or you can make a chandelier, like this one in my living room!

 

Edited March 1, 2006 by Ichabod

[+GeoXterra]

Some Vietnamese I know always want me to give them the antlers of the dear I shoot. He says your grind them up and mix into tea. I believe his words were "make young man feel like new", with the ladies if you know what i mean. Says it's an aphrodisiac. You might want to give that a try.

 

[ATMouse]

In my part of the world, they are called "sheds" and I know people who are diligent in the hunt for them, and actually spend hours in the woods, searching....What people do that passes for a hobby!

 

 

 

[+TeamGuisinger]

Found this awhile back while caching. Yes, the critters love em. They pretty much destroyed this one. It was either a 6 or 8 point, but it had a nice spread.

[+TeamGuisinger]

Oops! That pic was a little big, sorry.

[+bobbarley]

Get a hard hat and glue the antlers to it. You can scare the hell out of kids at Halloween with it.

 

Just dont cache with that on your head. Bang bang and you're the trophy!

Edited March 3, 2006 by bobbarley

[+Davispak]

Tips on how to find dropped antlers, or "sheds".

Look for the deer trails, If you follow the trail, keep your eye peeled for what are known as rubs. Rubs are exactly as they sound. It is a small tree usually no more than 3-7 inches in diameter and straight, and the bark will have been rubbed off about 2-4 feet off the ground. that will tell you the trai is used by a buck. The misconception is, the bigger the tree the bigger the buck, actually it is showing to be the number of trees. Big bucks rub more trees, not bigger.

If the rubs are near acorn trees even better, you now have two things bucks like. start looking for those and any bushes near there as they will shake their heads in them to try and knock off the antlers.

Thew largest set I have ever found was a set of a 12 pointer. I had been finding his sheds in my area for the past few years. I know they came from the same deer because he comes in behind my house for the past 4 years. I did not see him this year though. He was an old guy and I think he probably was hunted. I'm hoping he wasn't killed by a car, as that is a bad way for deer to go. I had thought of getting him myself, but thought it was cool how he came every year.