Shed hunting is, at least on the surface, one of the most enjoyable outdoor activities. Last fall, deer (and elk and moose) shed their antlers. We look for them for a long time and intensively, and at the same time we hope that we will find some of the coolest treasures of nature.
And even if we fail, we’ll still have the opportunity to get some great exercise and good, tidy fun, right?
Well, most of the time. While shed hunting is an amazing and extremely enjoyable activity, you can – intentionally or not – get yourself into trouble if you screw up.
How is this possible, you ask?
Read on.
Failed to register deadhead
If you stop hunting long enough, you will invariably come across a “deadhead”, a deer that has died, often long before it has shed its antlers, which remain attached to its skull and lie there for you to find. The most natural thing in the world is to pick up the remains and take them home, especially if you know a penny.
The problem is that in many states you would need a possession ID to even move the skull. While shed antlers are considered fair game by collectors in virtually all states, antlers attached to skulls are not. I actually learned this by mistake many years ago when I found a dead deer in the woods behind my house.
Hunting seasons came to an end when I found a nice 10-pointer dead from unknown causes. I wanted to keep the rack and since the district warden is a friend of mine, I decided to call him to see if there was a right way to proceed.
“Thanks for checking,” Tom said when I told him what I found. “Just leave it there and I’ll send you a possession report.” As soon as you receive it, you can take the head. Until that call, I wasn’t sure if it was illegal to move a “found” dollar after the season, but now I never touch a dead body unless I inform the warden.
And when I talked to raccoon hunters from all over the world, I learned that moving carcasses is generally not acceptable. Check the laws in your state, but generally call your local game warden first.
Hunt in the off season
Residents of the Midwest, East and South – where it is legal to harvest deer antlers as soon as they fall – may be shocked to learn that many Western states have shed hunting seasons. While this may seem like government overreach at first glance, raccoon hunting seasons protect wintering animals from harassment by eager hunters.
Here’s the deal. Winters in the mountains can be brutal. It is not unusual for mule deer and elk to congregate in areas that assist them survive. Of course, the animals in your yard are a shed hunter’s dream, but getting close to these creatures (which many western lunatics do with snowmobiles and other snow vehicles) causes them to run away and exploit up the energy they were trying to conserve.
While the first gusts of winter get all the attention, the truly stressful time of year for most wintering animals is at the end. In February, March and April, bulls and bulls exploit the last fat reserves of the year. They no longer need any escape (stress) if they are to survive to spring and start growing another set of antlers.
As a result, states like Wyoming and Colorado do not allow raccoon hunting until tardy spring. As of 2018, Colorado Parks & Wildlife banned raccoon hunting from January 1 to April 30 (https://cpw.state.co.us/antlershed). If you collect antlers before April 30 – even if you’re out on an innocent hike and come across one – you could be fined up to $137 per antler and possibly other fees.
Wyoming, which has become a favorite state for mule deer and elk antler hunting enthusiasts, is banning raccoon hunting until May 1. Anyone caught hiking in the state’s game reserves before this date should expect a ticket and a hefty fine.
Trespassing
I used to think that ginseng diggers and apricot mushroom hunters were more tempted to trespass on private property than most (don’t worry, I belong to both groups, so I’m not discrediting you if you like to dig shang or pick mushrooms and do it legally), but I have to add to the raccoon hunter group. I don’t understand what’s so strenuous to understand about getting permission to enter someone’s private property for any reason, but apparently the allure of finding deer antlers makes some people feel like they can wander anywhere in pursuit.
Absolutely not true.
Of course, this should go without saying, and in an ideal world I wouldn’t have to write this, but you need permission to venture onto private property for any purpose, including chasing that 200-inch oddball you see from the road with your binoculars.
Applying for a permit is not only legal, but also right and ethical. Just a few years ago, my friends in southern Iowa were the only people I knew who had a problem with “poaching,” but lately it seems this disturbing practice has taken off and spread everywhere. Yes, take the time to contact landowners before you go antler hunting.
Don’t set a trap
I first heard about “antler traps” just a few years ago and immediately thought “that’s crazy.” If you’re not familiar with raccoon traps, they come in several forms, but are usually grids of metal rods or bungee cords placed over a bait site. The goal of the raccoon trapper is to have a hungry deer (with antlers ready to pop out) lunge for the bait, get his rack tangled in the trap, and when the deer struggles out of the trap, he leaves the antlers behind.
Of course, even a sixth grader can recognize that a shed trap is a disaster waiting to happen. If the buck isn’t ready to be executed, it suddenly gets caught in the net and all sorts of bad things can happen – up to and including the death of the deer. Worse yet, traps can ensnare other deer (and creatures) and cause injury by catching on some errant body part and causing the animal to struggle.
Sounds absurd? Of course it is, but apparently trapping is bad enough that state game agencies like the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have had to create regulations banning the devices.
So if your shed hunting addiction has become so bad that you’re wondering about methods to remove the antlers from the deer’s head before he’s ready to abandon them… just don’t do it.
