#1 Typical Whitetail Antler in Shed Record Book: 6-point 104 6/8 left side picked up in Illinois 1992.
#1 Non-Typical Whitetail Antler in Shed Record Book: 24-point 156 5/8 right side found in Saskatchewan 2007.
Individual bucks often shed their antlers the same week every year.
Older bucks in good physical condition generally retain their antlers longer than those who are nutritionally stressed.
Older bucks that skip meals during the breeding season and rut hard the previous fall may be in poor post-rut condition, and are choice candidates for early antler casting.
Increasing daylight and a buck’s falling testosterone cause antlers to shed.
Once a buck drops one antler, the other one usually falls off within hours or a day.
Huge whitetail antlers can be found city parks and suburbs. Get permission to shed hunt these areas if you can.
Mark off small grids, walk slowly and look straight down for a brown or white antler.
Look for pieces of antler as you hunt: a tine or the white gleam of a beam.
Rainy days are good for searching—wet antlers shine and stand out.
Squirrels and porcupines chew on antlers for the calcium and other minerals they provide.
Deer antlers can fetch $5 to $18 a pound, depending on grade and size.
Sheds are valued by size and grade, from Grade A Brown (best) to old, white Chalk (worse).
