It's time for hunting antlers -- with the deer not attached

Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, it's time for many hunters, like Bob Harris, to go hunting. Not the kind of hunting most people would think of, especially without a gun. The activity is antler hunting.

Harris said, "With the hunting seasons all but closed and cabin fever setting in, it's a great time to head for the fields and woods to seek out shed antlers. Hunting for the shed antlers is an invitation to venture outdoors and can be very rewarding."

Starting in February, whitetail bucks begin dropping their antlers that they grew for the fall rut. The exact timing varies from place to place and from year to year, but now you can be sure that there are antlers on the ground throughout Missouri and looking for them puts the hunter closer to nature. Should you be a deer hunter, seeking shed antlers may provide clues to locations and habits of the bucks that survived the hunting season.

During this time of year, bucks spend most of their time looking for food so smart antler hunters focus on spots where their food is readily available. Some of those places include harvested crop fields, corn cribs, food plots on conservation areas and fields where hay bales are stored. Corridors between feeding and bedding areas are also worth checking.

Although you need permission to trespass on private land, hunting shed antlers doesn't have to be confined to places where hunting is allowed and landowners usually give permission. Last year Harris checked with a farmer who had problems with too many deer on his property so he told him to hunt for antlers and in fact, he told Harris that he would like to go with him. After finding four sets of antlers the farmer said he enjoyed the hunt so much that he planned to go again with his son the next day. "I don't hunt deer during the season because I'm too busy, but this antler hunting comes at a time when I can get out to find them and now that I have a start, I might try to find enough to make a chandelier," he said.

Golf courses, orchards and even subdivisions near woods are all good spots to check for antlers.

Last February, Harris found several sets of shed antlers on a south-facing slope that the deer had been using for bedding since the south slope offered maximum exposure to warm sunshine on clear days.

Hunting shed antlers is like any kind of hunting in that the more you do it, the better you become. Veteran antler hunters like Harris often bring home dozens of antlers a year after learning where to hunt.

Even if beginning hunters come home empty or only find one or two antlers, there are other rewards that will keep them coming back during February when the woods are much different than during the regular hunting season.

Of course, you might find shed antlers at anytime of the year, but for the next few weeks the best specimens are available. Mice, squirrels and even deer gnaw on these antlers to get the nutrients they contain so the whole antlers don't last long in the wild.

There are still people who refer to the antlers as horns, but unlike horns that are found on cattle and sheep that are usually permanent, antlered animals like deer, elk and moose drop off and are replaced each year.

There are many uses for shed antlers, including making knife handles, different kinds of home decorations and even chandeliers as advertised in magazines and cost big bucks (no pun intended).

When you hunt shed antlers you never know what you might find. Harris said, "Several years ago, I was hunting antlers and I came across several nice arrowheads in a dry stream bed and also found a very nice hunting knife that some hunter had lost during the hunting season. Later I found out that the knife belonged to a friend who never thought he would see it again."

With all the bucks roaming through Missouri woods and fields today, there are bound to be some antlers laying around for the taking, and you don't need a permit to hunt them (yet).