Antler sheds

[RoninPA]

Noticed an odd shape and color at the base of one of my trees at my back boundary yesterday. Went out and found this laying there. My question, and I think I know the answer; what is the likelihood that the other one is close by? Next nice day I'll go out and roam around to see what I can see. Where we live, behind us is open fallow fields (75-80 acres) at the base of a mountain surrounded by tree filled fence rows and wooded areas. We have a bunch of deer (10-12) that regularly come into the yard and around the house looking for food (or to molest the bird feeders attached to our rear raised deck - bottom of the feeders are 6-7 feet off the ground) to knock out all the seed and then eat it off the ground or to harass the flowers/plants I try to grow. We do not actively put food out like the neighbors do.

This is the first shed that I have found while living here (27 years) - guess I need to start looking up in the wooded areas.

 

[Mobuck]

I/we didn't spend much time shed hunting this year. The few we stumbled over were 50/50 fresh/older and one was exceptional in size. Only 5 points but the mass was amazing. I've been cruising the soybean fields hoping to find any sheds dropped there before a tractor tire finds them next month.

 

[contender]

I've found a few sheds over the years. Sometimes,, I've found the matching pair close to each other & more often,, just a single antler. But it's fun to hunt them! (Just watch out for mountain lions!)

 

[arfmel]

I've spent plenty of time looking for the 2nd antler when I found one of a set. Never managed to succeed. I have found what appeared to be two from the same deer on two consecutive years. Unfortunately the same side both years.

 

[Mobuck]

Best find I made was a matched pair lying next to a ragged multiflora rose bush. Apparently, the buck 'had an itch' and the rose bush snarled both antlers.

 

[gnappi]

The very few we found in upstate New York were pretty well chewed up by squirrels, mice and other small creatures. I've never seen one here in Florida.

 

[RoninPA]

I think I found the match, I'll get a picture and post to see if y'all agree.

 

[RoninPA]

Just wandering around one day last week (during the nice weather) in the woods that will get decimated when they start developing and noticed something out of the ordinary so I was hoping it was what I thought it was. And it was. Here they are together. Do you think they came from the same animal? Since there are very few bucks that I see right in this area, I believe they are.

 

[contender]

I'd say very likely from the same deer.

 

[thinckley]

Looks like a matched pair to me! Congrats!

 

[JAYDAWG]

Yessir!!!
Very cool.
Good for you

Cheers,
JAYDAWG

 

[rugerguy]

we find it much easier to find them together along with the head, like this one back in our woods after it was truck by a car?? or some such and ran off into the woods........and yes in a short period of time the rest of the carcass simply disappeared???, the broken leg was the last thing to go.........

 

[Mobuck]

Grandson said there was guy on FB wanting to buy shed antlers. When he told me the price, it worked out the seller would need to have about a pickup bed full just to cover gas money to deliver. I'd rather just leave them stacked next to the cedar tree in the yard for ornaments.

 

[contender]

There is a market (where legal) for shed antlers. But it's usually done by the pound. If the prices offered are too low,, then by all means,, use them as decorations.

I know of a guy who used to sell antlers to an "artist" for their "creations!" He said it was a pretty good arrangement.

 

[needsmostuff]

I'm always looking for larger elk sheds for knife and gun grip projects.
Prices around here are anything but low.
As they are not native or common around here I often see racks for sale in the $500 or more range,,,,,,, which if course I cannot cut up and sell on a $100. knife

 

[thinckley]

I'm always looking for larger elk sheds for knife and gun grip projects.
Prices around here are anything but low.
As they are not native or common around here I often see racks for sale in the $500 or more range,,,,,,, which if course I cannot cut up and sell on a $100. knife

I remember finding someone who sold antler scales and blanks for just such projects and they were very reasonable. I will see if I can find them again.

 

[Mobuck]

I recently heard of a guide in WY(?) who must have access to a tremendous elk population. He collected and sold something like 10,000-12,000 pounds of elk sheds. I can't imagine how many individual antlers that would be.

 

[contender]

Wow,, I bet that guide was able to buy a new truck with that.

Actually,, most elk antlers usually weigh 30-40 lbs each if I recall things correctly. (I'm not taking a set of mine down to weigh them.)
If you use an average of 35# per antler,, and divide it into 12000, you come up with 342.8 antlers. Still a pretty good number for sure.
If you figure elk antler usually brings $10-$15 a pound,, (some larger or better ones bring even more,) with an average of $12.50 a pound,,, that's $150,000.00.
I'll bet he earned it by traipsing all over the woods & places where they would gather & shed.

 

[JAYDAWG]

I recently heard of a guide in WY(?) who must have access to a tremendous elk population. He collected and sold something like 10,000-12,000 pounds of elk sheds. I can't imagine how many individual antlers that would be.

Wow,, I bet that guide was able to buy a new truck with that.

Actually,, most elk antlers usually weigh 30-40 lbs each if I recall things correctly. (I'm not taking a set of mine down to weigh them.)
If you use an average of 35# per antler,, and divide it into 12000, you come up with 342.8 antlers. Still a pretty good number for sure.
If you figure elk antler usually brings $10-$15 a pound,, (some larger or better ones bring even more,) with an average of $12.50 a pound,,, that's $150,000.00.
I'll bet he earned it by traipsing all over the woods & places where they would gather & shed.

Most all the sheds purchased in bulk and used in commercial applications come from here. Check it out.
Pretty cool

 

[contender]

Interesting!

Ok,, I may have been off quite a bit on the weight of sheds. I saw a bundle in that video,, that if I read it correctly,, about 3-4 sheds weighed 40 Lbs. So,, if that's the case,, then let me re-do my math.

If that guy had 12000 lbs of antler,, and using the average price seen in that video (over $18 a pound,) I'll use $18. That still comes out to over $216,000.00.

WOW!!!!!!!

In any event,, that's a LOT of antler.