Before that growth starts, it can be hard to identify individual animals, especially at a distance.
If you have the antler, you know he is still around. Finding that can inspire wildlife watchers and fire a hunter’s dreams with plans for the coming fall.
Searching for them gives a spring walk purpose, so much so that it’s become a hobby for many.
Antler shed hunting
Intentionally looking for antlers dropped by deer, or “shed hunting,” has grown in popularity and interest. People have trained dogs specifically to search for antlers, and there’s even an association dedicated to the pursuit, the North American Shed Hunting Dog Association. But all of that aside, it’s a great excuse to get outside this time of year.
It can be the beginning of scouting for next year’s season, and it doesn’t require a dog or any special or expensive equipment. While the time of day doesn’t matter, the time of the year is important.
Many forest critters crave the nutrients in the cast-off appendages and can make short work of them on the ground. You can find them anytime, but the best time to go is right now.
Unlike in the fall when bucks rub their antlers and spar with small trees, there is not a specific place or location to find sheds. They could fall off at any point in the buck’s normal daily activity. To find them, follow known deer trails and pathways.
Keep an eye out for the contrast of the antler’s white bone color against the seasonally brown backdrop. Slow down and look harder in areas where the buck might bed, jump a fence, stream, or any other change.
What are the odds
Your odds of finding a shed whitetail antler are better now than they might have ever been — there’s simply a lot more deer. The recovery of the whitetail deer might be the greatest species restoration story in North America. From the turn of the previous century to 1943 there weren’t enough deer in Ohio to justify a hunting season. Seeing one, much less finding its antlers in the spring, was likely rare. In 1922 seven deer were reintroduced to Roosevelt Game Preserve in Scioto County. More releases followed as well as natural population movement from neighboring states.
In the same period, a proliferation of second-growth habitat from forestry and abandoned farms, the same second-growth that created havens for ruffed grouse, also benefited the whitetail deer. In 1959 hunters harvested more than 3,000.
As the wildlife managers better understood Ohio’s herd and its needs, the population took off. In 1974 the harvest total exceeded 10,000 for the first time, in 1976, more than 20,000.
The numbers took off exponentially from there, with more than 100,000 taken in 1988 and 261,314 in 2009, the current record.
Last year, hunters reported 238,137 in a hunting season that started in September and ended in February.
What do antlers tell us?
Contrary to what many believe, the number of points on a deer’s antlers do not directly correlate to its age beyond the first year. Yearling bucks typically have spikes or single points. What the size of antlers do reveal is the health and fitness of the animal, much of which is based on nutrition. Genetics also certainly play a role.
The antlers do often get bigger (more mass in the beams and longer antler tines) as the buck reaches maturity and the prime of their lives between four and six years of age. After that, they often grow smaller racks in comparison to previous years.
Antlers versus horns
And while we’re here, a quick word about the difference between horns and antlers. Horns continue to grow throughout the animals lives. Mountain sheep, goats, and pronghorn antelope fall into the horn-wearer category.
Deer, elk, moose and caribou are all North American antlered species.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Devin Meister is a local outdoors and wildlife enthusiast and has a blog called “Average Guy Outdoors.” He is an Ohio University graduate. Reach him at meister.devin@gmail.com.
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