Shed Antler Hunting

Today was a rough day at work, with nothing quite working out as planned and productivity not what I was hoping it would be.  I was feeling a bit stressed out and needed to cool off a little bit.  Fortunately for me, the sun was out and the temperatures were creeping into the 40’s.  My last appointment ended close to 4:00 and decided to hit the woods in search of shed antlers.  Within minutes I was walking through the winter woods, surrounded by many songbirds, spooking some squirrels, and following a creek with very steep banks.  Life was good.

 

Generally speaking, I am not very good at finding sheds.  Part of the problem is that I don’t usually put in the time looking for them, and the other part of the problem is that I usually rush through the woods.  Today I was in no rush and ambled along slowly, taking the time to search carefully and focusing on prime locations such as creek crossings, fence rows, and thick brush near the busiest deer trails.  I found all sorts of deer sign, as well as some fresh beaver work.

About 20 minutes in, I realized that whether or not I found any sheds, it had already been a successful trip.  The stress of the day was gone and I found peace wandering alone through the woods.  I started to head back towards the truck on a slightly different route, and suddenly there it was.  My first shed of the season!  Not giant by any means, a healthy 4 point antler laying among the leaves, but it sure was exciting.

The rodents had already gnawed on it a bit, and the antler had quite a bit of character.  I finished searching the area, carrying the antler proudly in my hand as if I just won some award.  It made me think back to Billy’s first shed, located in Southern Illinois in 2009 while we roamed Little Black Slough Nature Area. I still love this photo of him clutching it next to the state champion Cherrybark Oak tree.

Of course I also have to remember Daniel’s first shed, found at the bottom of a sledding hill about 200 yards from my house in our subdivision common ground.  He didn’t really know what he had at the time but he sure knew it was pretty cool.

All very different experiences, but all also fantastic memories.  I’m thankful for the time I had in the MO-Outdoors today, and happy to have had some success.  Get out there and find your own sheds, or mushrooms, or wildflowers, or whatever it is makes you happy.  One thing is for sure, you won’t find them sitting on your couch.

 

Thanks for reading!