Big Deer Blog

If you want to sell a stack of shed deer or elk antlers, how much are they worth? How much cash can you get for them? For starters, it depends on the condition and grade of the sheds: Grade A: Antler in perfect condition, brown and beautiful, with no fading…no broken tines or chew marks…this year’s drop, antler picked up within a few weeks or months.   Grade B: Antler in good condition, still natural brown color, may be dull or faded on one side and slightly weathered, probably last year’s drop. May have slight broken tine or chip.   Grade C: Antler faded and weathered to white and chalky, maybe some green and chewed on by rodents, on the ground for [...]

One time on a cold, steely day in January, I sat in a tree hoping for last-ditch crack at a buck, or at least a shot at one more doe for the freezer. As the gray blanket of dusk settled into the grain field I watched, an 8-point buck snuck out of the timber, nose to the wind, wary after four months of human intrusion in his woods. Satisfied the coast was clear, the survivor took a few more steps and hooked a sapling on the field edge. That’s when the left side of his rack fell off his head. In all my years in the woods, I had run across a few one-antlered bucks, but this was the first [...]