The shedding treasure hunt
RIDGWAY - There’s always something to hunt in the Pennsylvania Wilds, and right now, it’s antlers. Outdoor enthusiasts across the area are rustling up antlers shed by whitetail deer and elk.
But why are these antlers even on the ground?
After the rut is over, sometimes as early as December, deer shed their antlers. When everything in nature is geared toward reproduction, anything used to reach that goal tends to go away when it’s no longer needed.
Antlers are attractive, especially to does. Seeing those long, strong beams with any number of points signals that this buck is healthy, smart, agile; tough enough to beat competitors; strong enough to ward off threats; and can access resources to stay healthy.
While great for getting the girl, antlers are expensive in terms of energy and nutrients to grow them. They almost seem like a waste, especially when compared to horns. Antlers, like those on deer, moose, elk, and other cervids, are a kind of bone that generally fall off and regrow regularly. Horns, like those on rams, goats, and cattle, are made of keratin; they stay in place and grow slowly throughout the animal’s lifetime.
Some hypothesize that dropping their antlers makes animals lighter and more agile, using less energy during the lean winter months. After a buck is done strutting for the ladies and fighting off the other guys, he doesn’t need that rack to hang him up and slow him down.
Once spring rolls around and food becomes more abundant, growth takes off. Especially for bone, antlers grow incredibly fast. Hormones, day length, and available nutrition contribute to the growth. The bigger the rack, the healthier the buck.
While growing, they’re covered in a soft, fuzzy membrane called velvet. This keeps blood and nutrients flowing to the relatively soft antlers. Come late August, they harden and blood flow stops. In as little as a day, the velvet sloughs off, and the buck is ready for the rut.
But let’s get back to the end, after the antlers fall to the ground. This kicks off a bit of a treasure hunt throughout the woods. Once early spring melts the snow away, the hunt is on.
One such hunter is Bethany Ford, who has been shed hunting for years. She was hooked after acciden
tally stumbling across one while bird hunting as a kid. For the past eight years, though, she’s been more serious, even training her dogs to help her out.
Her bird dog, Boone, is young, and birds are more his thing, but he sniffs out a good number of sheds. The ones he finds count toward Ford’s total. Grizzly, the 11-yearold lab that belongs more to her boyfriend, Adam Retzer, is an old pro, bringing in high numbers to Retzer’s seasonal count. Their newest lab puppy, Hank, is just starting shed hunting this season, unsure of who benefits from his finds.
Ford enjoys having a goal while spending time in the woods. Exploring new places, the thrill of the find, and a little friendly competition with family and friends keeps her captivated.
And the best place to find them? Well, that would be where the deer are. Good bedding spots and food plots are typically the worth looking.
“I always check a nice, cozy pine tree and open food areas,” Ford said. “Also, just following a deer trail can sometimes be lucrative. Anytime a deer jumps something, like water, is also a good chance for an antler.”
No matter the size or finder in Ford’s household, the sheds get used. Small ones become drawer pulls and coat hooks or the points are cut down for the pups to safely chew on. But the biggest and best are being saved to construct a Christmas tree. Ford, Retzer, and their dogs have a lot of hunts ahead of them to make that happen, and they seem pretty happy about that.