Why is shed hunting so popular now?

I like easy shed hunting. You know where deer are in a field and I just ride the snowmobile from spot to spot in th field where they are eating never sold any sheds. But when I do I’m donating them to a program in Sask that uses the money to buy land for hunting
 
Last edited:
I pick them up when I find them cause my dog likes to chew on them. About as technical as I get with it. Some guys go overboard with it, and not surprising its yet another part of the outdoors getting turned into a commodity. Look at mushroom foraging. Harder to find morels or chicken of the woods in my part of the mountains anymore cause all these hippie vegans make hour long videos about harvesting them for youtube now to show how 'in-touch' with nature they are.

If there's something out there that can be ruined, there will be people who will do just that. Just the way the world works. Getting worked up about stuff like that will just give you an ulcer.
 
I wish antlers value would drop to nothing. Cut 50 percent of the people out. Mandatory shed dates, closures don't work. Game ranges should be alot bigger and fwp does not have the man power to enforce it.
 
Like Shed God, I got my start looking for shed antlers long before it was popular. I had found a few sheds when I was a young kid, but what really started me was when I was 12, I lucked into a giant deadhead whitetail. The endorphins released by the excitement was better than any drug. I was addicted. I have know Idea how many antlers I have found since that day in the spring of 79. At first I kept every antler I found, but soon I was leaving the small antlers and only kept the large or unique antlers. I left thousands in the hills. Now I pick up just about everything, I may not pack them out, but I am not going to leave one out in the open so other people know when they are in a good spot. In 94 I started to keep a running total of the antlers I found, that number is currently north of 9000, I don't know how many I found in the 15 years prior to 94, but it is likely safe to say that in those years when there was almost zero competition and few work and family commitments that I found at least another 5000 and likely quite a few more. I have sold some, but would be happy if the price of antlers was zero. Selling some small ones and handing the check to my wife does help with her tolerance of my addiction though. I have learned a lot from shed hunting and it has made me a much better hunter in general.
 
Its pretty neat when you find a big set or find 8-12 antlers in a day. But those days only happen after a lot of miles, like once in a lifetime. I dont want any part of the circus on the game ranges in MT, it mostly seems like a big drunken beer bash.
I found this set elk hunting with my son in 2018, I have walked this drainage 3-4 more times since then and have never found another antler. Its mostly just good excercise in Gods Country.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20240904_101131_Gallery.jpg
    Screenshot_20240904_101131_Gallery.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 24
SITKA Gear

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
113,668
Messages
2,028,980
Members
36,275
Latest member
johnw3474
Back
Top