Ecological role Discarded antlers represent a source of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals and are often gnawed upon by small animals, including squirrels, porcupines, rabbits and mice. This is more common among animals inhabiting regions where the soil is deficient in these minerals. Antlers shed in oak forest inhabited by squirrels are rapidly chewed to pieces by them.
Trophy hunting Antlered heads are prized as
trophies with larger sets being more highly prized. The first organization to keep records of sizes was
Rowland Ward Ltd., a London
taxidermy firm, in the early 20th century. For a time only total length or spread was recorded. In the middle of the century, the
Boone and Crockett Club and the
Safari Club International developed complex scoring systems based on various dimensions and the number of tines or points, and they keep extensive records of high-scoring antlers. Deer bred for hunting on farms are selected based on the size of the antlers. Hunters have developed terms for antler parts: beam, palm, brow, bez or bay, trez or tray, royal, and surroyal. These are the main shaft, flattened center, first
tine, second tine, third tine, fourth tine, and fifth or higher tines, respectively. The second branch is also called an advancer. In
Yorkshire in the United Kingdom roe deer hunting is especially popular due to the large antlers produced there. This is due to the high levels of chalk in Yorkshire. The chalk is high in calcium which is ingested by the deer and helps growth in the antlers.
Shed antler hunting Gathering shed antlers or "sheds" attracts dedicated practitioners who refer to it colloquially as
shed hunting, or
bone picking. In the United States, the middle of December to the middle of February is considered shed hunting season, when deer,
elk, and moose begin to shed. The North American Shed Hunting Club, founded in 1991, is an organization for those who take part in this activity. In the United States in 2017 sheds fetch around US$10 per pound, with larger specimens in good condition attracting higher prices. The most desirable antlers have been found soon after being shed. The value is reduced if they have been damaged by weathering or being gnawed by small animals. A matched pair from the same animal is a very desirable find but often antlers are shed separately and may be separated by several miles. Some enthusiasts for shed hunting use trained dogs to assist them. Most hunters will follow "game trails" (trails where deer frequently run) to find these sheds or they will build a shed trap to collect the loose antlers in the late winter/early spring. In most US states, the possession of or trade in parts of game animals is subject to some degree of regulation, but the trade in antlers is widely permitted. In the national parks of Canada, the removal of shed antlers is an offense punishable by a maximum fine of C$25,000, as the Canadian government considers antlers to belong to the people of Canada and part of the ecosystems in which they are discarded. File:Moose Antlers in Denali National Park.JPG|A shed moose antler in
Denali National Park and Preserve,
Alaska (2010) File:Antlers found shortly after being shed by a deer in Eastern Oklahoma.jpg|Antlers found shortly after being shed by a whitetail deer in eastern
Oklahoma Carving for decorative and tool uses made from a red deer antler, .
Wallace Collection, London (2010) Antler has been used through history as a material to make tools, weapons, ornaments, and toys. It was an especially important material in the European Late
Paleolithic, used by the
Magdalenian culture to make carvings and engraved designs on objects such as the so-called
Bâton de commandements and the
Bison Licking Insect Bite. In the Viking Age and medieval period, it formed an important raw material in the craft of comb-making. In later periods, antler—used as a cheap substitute for
ivory—was a material especially associated with equipment for
hunting, such as saddles and horse harness, guns and daggers,
powder flasks, as well as buttons and the like. The decorative display of wall-mounted pairs of antlers has been popular since medieval times at least. The
Netsilik, an
Inuit group, made bows and arrows using antlers, reinforced with strands of animal tendons braided to form a
cable-backed bow. Several
Indigenous American tribes also used antler to make bows, gluing tendons to the bow instead of tying them as cables. An antler bow, made in the early 19th century, is on display at
Brooklyn Museum. Its manufacture is attributed to the
Yankton Sioux. Through history large deer antler from a suitable species (e.g.
red deer) were often cut down to its shaft and its lowest
tine and used as a one-pointed
pickax.
Ceremonial roles Antler headdresses were worn by
shamans and other spiritual figures in various cultures, and for dances; 21 antler "frontlets" apparently for wearing on the head, and over 10,000 years old, have been excavated at the English
Mesolithic site of
Starr Carr. Antlers are still worn in traditional dances such as
Yaqui deer dances and carried in the
Abbots Bromley Horn Dance.
Dietary usage In the
velvet antler stage, antlers of elk and deer have been used in Asia as a
dietary supplement or
alternative medicinal substance for more than 2,000 years. Recently, deer antler
extract has become popular among Western athletes and
body builders because the extract, with its trace amounts of
IGF-1, is believed to help build and repair
muscle tissue; however, one
double-blind study did not find evidence of intended effects. Elk, deer, and moose antlers have also become popular forms of dog chews that owners purchase for their pet canines.
Shed hunting with dogs Dogs are sometimes used to find shed antlers. The North American Shed Hunting Dog Association (NASHDA) has resources for people who want to train their dogs to find shed antlers and hold shed dog hunting events. ==References==