Shed Those Winter Blues
Shed Those Winter Blues
Breakaway Classic Adventures: Tis the Season to Go Out and Collect Antler Sheds
Sheds come in all sizes, even the smallest ones are exciting to find! Photo / Indrek Kongats
Today marks the end of another month and one step closer to spring. We still have 19 or so days of dreary wintery weather to go through before we get one step closer to summer. Summer, it’s a funny thing how we worship summer as if it’s the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The ironic thing though is that summer is nothing without winter, the Yin and the Yang that makes life, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, so appealing. Imagine a black and white world that’s just grey all the time, a one-season world with nothing to look forward to. I pity all the people south of the Mason-Dixon Line - unimaginable how they stay sane!
Shedding the winter blues for many of you that were not into skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing or building snow forts and bombarding the enemy with snowballs, becomes a challenging endeavor. Fortunately, the groundhog slept in and didn’t get to see its own shadow and winter will be over shortly. With the only snow being on the slopes of HoliMont and Holiday Valley, we can start hiking and exploring the woods. Christopher Robin was fortunate that he had the Hundred-Acre Woods to explore while most of us live on a half-acre or less. Looking for places other than our own property requires a short drive to the nearest State Land. Fortunately for Cattaraugus residents there are ample of those to choose from. I am most excited about the recently opened (in 2021) Poverty Hill parcel. These 946 acres have remained dormant for almost 35 years since the last activity there was a now defunct ski resort closing in the 90s. What’s significant in this is that it’s almost virgin territory and the high terrain makes it even more remote as few will traverse the 2,100 feet of elevation to its peaks.
So besides hiking what can we do with this gem of a property? Shed hunting comes to my mind almost immediately! What is shed hunting? What’s involved and how does one get into shed hunting? First off, shed hunting isn’t about looking for those Amish buildings nor is it about finding a place to give someone a whipping out back. Shed Hunting is about finding antlers or horns discarded by deer, elk, antelope and sheep to name a few species. In our neck of the woods its mostly deer antlers that we’ll find.
Deer antlers are trophies, analogous to a king’s crown, treasured by hunters since the beginning of time. Useful for making tools and weapons by pre-historic man, modern man uses them for decoration or the age-old bragging rights ritual that somehow defines our masculinity or manhood until our spouse or girlfriend one-ups us! To me, antlers are somehow mystic and beautiful whether they adorn the head of a trophy buck or hang as a light fixture in one’s living room. They represent a traditional pastime passed down by generations upon generations of outdoorsmen and women. They have spawned many a tall tale of those unbelievable racks, haunting those deep dark stretches of a forest wilderness that few have succeeded in penetrating, luring us to try!
Some facts about antlers - they are one of the few sustainable and renewable resources that when removed or harvested don’t harm nature nor the environment. Antlers are naturally shed by male deer or ‘bucks’ as commonly referred to by country folk. Not to be confused with ‘Benjamíns’ a term used by them-there city folk since they have hundreds more bucks than we do, but less cents when it comes to outdoor lore! Bucks lose their antlers each year usually in late winter… that means right now! This is the time to go gathering them.
After the breeding season is over in the late summer or early fall, bucks have no need for their antlers. The battles have been fought, the damsel(s) has been rescued and it’s time to put away their swords. Scientifically speaking according to the internet, thus it must be true, ‘a drop of testosterone, after the rut (mating period), causes weakness in the connection tissue (footnote; comparison to Samson and Delilah and the cutting of those precious locks - found in the bible, - so it must be true) and the antlers just fall off! Does the loss of the antler symbolize that lock of Samson’s hair, giving his female partner, the doe in this case, a magical power over him (also found on the internet)??
Here are some guidelines as to going about hunting for sheds. Remember this is an outdoor activity that is great for the whole family and even the family dog. Dogs are naturally curious with a great sense of smell and always have their nose to the ground. Humans can learn from man’s best friend! Only the person that knows absolutely everything has his nose up in the air! Kids love hunting for sheds with numerous side discoveries like finding an abandoned Wren’s nest in some bushes.
Tip #1: You will be covering wet and uneven ground so rubber boots with good Vibram-type soles are a must.
Tip #2: Deer can find their way through the thickest undergrowth full of briars and thorn bushes. A good pair of leather gloves and thick jeans, or better yet, briar-proof pants are also a necessity.
Tip #3: Regardless of the outside temperature, you are sure to get hot so layer your clothing so you can peel off the layers to stay cool. Carry a backpack to carry discarded clothing and also your treasures.
Tip #4: Deer paths are the best place to start so look for signs of well-travelled routes. They’re the mostly likely spots to find a shed, although don’t neglect looking to the sides as well.
Tip #5: If you are training a young hunter or explorer don’t forget to carry a journal and camera to record what you find so you can return during hunting season or future shed hunts.
Tip #6: Your final tip is don’t give up if you don’t find anything the first time out. The probability is low. According to statistics found in Dennis Warlord’s book Antlers, 60-75% of all the bucks in your area are harvested by hunters. Expect to find approximately 10 shed antlers per square mile. That’s a lot of territory to cover, but you could hit the mother lode in just a few hundred yards of hiking, adding “World’s Greatest Sleuth” to your resume!
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Indrek Kongats is an artist, traveler, outdoorsman, and business owner residing in Ellicottville. He operates River Dog Art Gallery in Houghton, NY, and his Breakaway Classic Adventures specializes in adventure travel destinations. Learn more about him at breakawayclassicadventures.com.