Shed Hunting –
A shed is an antler that has dropped off of a buck deer or a bull elk. Lots of people go shed hunting every spring. Finding a large antler is a big deal. It shows you that a nice deer made it through hunting season and where he is living.
Antlers are the bones that grow out of the skull. They are used for fighting other males and attracting females. When the antler grows, it is covered in velvet; a soft outer covering that brings blood to the bone to help it grow. In the spring when the temperature warms up the buck starts growing a new antler under the old one. This new growth pushes up and the old antler falls off the deer’s skull. This process goes on every year of a deer’s life and the antlers get bigger every year.
You can use sheds for all kinds of things; hat racks, knife handles, rattle calls, etc… Mainly I just like to find them. To me, it feels kind of magical when you find them alone in the woods.
