moose antler; leave it or keep it?

[forestgnome]

Ah, springtime!

A favorite rite of spring is shed antler hunting during nice, long bushwacks. I average one find per year ( I always search for the matching antler but I've never found one).

Someone once told me not to keep them because they are a protein source for rodents.

My wife made me get rid of all but one, so I tossed them into the woods behind our house. A few have been nibbled on, a few are still untouched after a couple years.

I've decided to only keep an antler if it's a real huge one. Last spring, I left a small moose shed and an average deer shed where they lay, and took pictures instead.

Any thoughts, scientific or otherwise, about this?

 

[spider solo]

I found a half set last year and thoughts of carrying it out crossed my mind. Turned out it was so heavy I probably only carried it about a quarter mile.
I left it on a spur trail that is seldom used..entwined in some branches for others to admire.
I have no strong opinion on taking them out of the woods or not. It seems like a pretty low impact either way.

 

[Rik]

I think Leave no Trace would say leave it where you found it. I don't really have an opinion on it but I'm sure others would enjoy finding them as much as you do.

 

[proszach]

yeah i say leave it there. it's the right thing to do, LNT-wise, plus i wanna see it too!

 

[forestgnome]

Oops, of corse, LNT. Keeping them does violate LNT.

It's a wonderful experience finding an antler, even if you don't keep it. Last year I just photographed them. They actually are excellent subject matter for photography, whimsical and thought provoking. I think I'll just stick to that.

 

[spider solo]

Nice photo.
There are several considerations about LNT and taking something out of the woods.
For example I prefer to view the wildlife alive when I'm in the woods. Yet there are very many who claim the granted right to kill what they see. This would be awkward for LNT philosophy.

To keep things simple I would pass on a story of a lady whose family took great pleasure in watching a snapping turtle. Year after year it would come to a sandy spot in her yard to lay it's eggs and in due course they would hatch. The family took great delight in anticipating this event and look forward to they day they might see the hatchlings make their way down to the pond.
One year a turtle hunter arrived on that pond (yes, they do exist)...when he left there was no trace... of him...or the turtle... that once delighted the family.

If perhaps you were to take the antler would there not be hope that the following year there might be another?
If you took the animal would the hope that others might one day find an antler be greatly diminished far more so.

Not trying to stir the pot to much on such a touchy subject..it is easy to realize who the law favors.

Yet who has the more impact the one who removes the animal with no trace.............or the one who removes the antler?

 

[SherpaKroto]

There is little relationship to where a moose will shed its antlers from year to year. When they are ready to go, the moose will do what it needs to get rid of them. Once one drops, the other will be gone in a very short time (imagine trying to walk with one antler). I have carried 3 antlers back to my cabin in Maine, all over 3 miles, one on a bushwhack.

The turtle was a living being, the antler is not. I don't hunt (anymore), I flyfish, but practice catch and release on all occasions except our annual brook trout fish fry, and practice LNT as best as I can. I do not believe a moose antler being removed from where it fell violates LNT principles.

 

[tonycc]

This reminds me of a story from Exit Glacier National Park. We camped on the far side of the river which flowed from the glacier. It was a harrowing, cold and risky crossing in fast current with the glacier calving frequently. Once in our campsite, we found a large shed moose antler. As few days later, as we were getting ready to leave, one of our crew members jokingly said he was going to take the antler home as a souvenir. One of our guides, who was very lacking in self confidence, stated he should be the one to take since he was Alaskan. He then proceeded to carry this large trophy across the ford. Promptly upon reching the other side, he was greeted by a ranger who reminded him of the national park rules which forbids the removal of any artifact from a park. She turned him around and sent him back across the ford to replace the antler where it was found. We still chuckle over this one.

Shed antler hunting is a very common activity among wildlife enthusiasts in this area this time of year. Both the antlers, and the animals that shed them, are renewable resources.

Tony

 

[MattC]

What you choose to do is up to you, but I think taking antlers pretty clearly violates LNT. One of the seven basic principles of LNT is "Leave What You Find", including "Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them"
Trees are renewable resources as well, but chopping down a tree obviously violates LNT. Chopping down a tree obviously isn't pefectly analagous to picking up an antler, but I still think the principle holds for both examples.
If someone feels that the LNT principles are too strict, that's an issue for discussion, but I think "Leave What You Find" is a pretty clear statement.

Matt

 

[marty]

I think it becomes a moot point. If you don't take it, someone else eventually will......

 

[Jaytrek57]

I think it becomes a moot point. If you don't take it, someone else eventually will......

I often apply this logic to making the bed in the morning, but alas my wife does not agree with it.

National Parks have very stringent rules in this matter. Not sure about other lands, would have to research, but would imagine they are close. Though I suppose if lands were open for hunting it wouldn't be that much of an issue, could be wrong, just thinking out loud.

FWIW, people here in the Blue Hills (MA) are always "bushwhacking" deer trails to find antlers.

I think proszach said it best, "plus i wanna see it too!"

I guess Sherpa will just have to have a huge party and invite everyone to his cabin in Maine to see antlers.

Peace.

 

[tonycc]

I agree it is cleary against NLT principles. However, it is easy to rationalize taking them home. Me? I've never been lucky enough to find one. I'll admit though, it would probably depend on deciding whether to leave it.

Tony

 

[Keeper]

I saw a deer running towards me one day. It came within about twenty feet of me and a friend of mine which is exactly when its antlers fell off. Very cool. My friend kept the antlers which I imagine was fine with the deer considering we opted not to keep the deer itself.

It's simply impossible to LNT. It's an imperfect practice at best. If park rules say you can't take it then so be it. If they don't then it lies in your own convictions. I can't imagine it being very detrimental to the environment compared to everything else we do even when observing LNT, so I wouldn't feel guilty about it.

My experience has been that the people on this board are lightyears ahead of the general public who litter their way to the summit. A few antlers seem way-low on the priority list. Oh, and when your wife tires of the single antler sitting in the attic, throw it in the woods to recycle.

 

[mommabear]

I found a turkey feather on a trail once and took it home. I was on an ADK hike at the time and the leader suggested I go ahead and take it. Other hikers still complained. I don't feel bad about it, but I'm glad the leader, who was well respected, supported it.

It's not a clear line for LNT. I have to say, I would like to see it in the woods too. If I ran across the antlers in the woods, I would think that they would be a cool thing to bring home. I'm not sure if I'd do it though because it's still rare enough in the Northeast. Deer antlers are something else. We have a lot of deer. Unless somebody has an environmental or animal reason to leave it, I think it's in the "gray area" enough that whatever you decide to do with it, it's up to you.

 

[JohnL]

From LNT.org, Leave No Trace; The Center for Outdoor Ethics:

"Leave Natural Objects and Cultural Artifacts: Natural objects of beauty or interest such as antlers, petrified wood, or colored rocks add to the mood of the backcountry and should be left so others can experience a sense of discovery. In National Parks and some other areas it is illegal to remove natural objects."

JohnL

 

[spider solo]

JohnL good to hear from you.
I think you've hit "the nail on the head" on one of the great parodoxes we face.
Thousands upon thousands of animals are removed annually (killed) which could indeed add greatly to the mood of the back country.
Though some National parks and other areas are exceptions... it is a parodox to worry about the antler (or feather)...when the animal itself is being "removed" by the multiple thousands.

So a simple question becomes much more complex.........

 

[Jay H]

I found one half of a set of moose antlers in Denali NP two years ago. It was huge and had a huge chunk bitten off of it. It was easily at least 25lbs and nothing that I was going drag out in my pack over the course of 2 days in the backcountry, even if I wanted to. I did take a picture of it though. I have that somewhere.

Jay

 

[newjeep123]

If you take the antler to 'appropriately" display in your home or camp or otherwise use in a respectful manner, then by all means take it. If you're just goint to show it off to a few people and then store it in your basement, you probably should leave it there.

 

[Puck]

They are eaten by rodents as a source of calcium. In the past I have left deer antlers for them, However, if a mouse got into my food bag I may not feel so generous and would take away thier cal supplement.

Feathers on the other hand are good for tying flies.

 

[twigeater]

If it violates park rules, leave it, if not, keep it. I've yet to find an antler myself, but I have a deer antler, and my home is full of other woods treasures.

With 30,000 moose in Maine, say 1/3 are bulls, that means 20,000 antlers are shed each year...apply the same math to 300,000 deer...
Then think of the number of hikers, etc who *might* be lucky enough to see one of those antlers...then the number who would actually lug one out...

Kind of off subject, but if anyone has kids interested in nature, a kit called "Owl Puke" is a really cool thing. You can also buy just the pellets in various sizes.