The Future of Shed Hunting

[gatheringsheds]

Where do you feel shed hunting is heading in the next ten to twenty years? Considering all the recent media hype. Season structures. The public land frenzy in Jackson. Sage Grouse. Will high priceing lead to the government taxing a resource we collect on public land? Will we be staking claims for a price?
I hope prices plummet to all time lows and everyone loses interest.

 

[wstrntines]

I see it heading down a dark road. I see it becoming structured like mining where the wealthy buy rights to harvesting sheds and they hire grunts to pick them up and they cannot keep them they buy up the rights to the winter range.

 

[hunter_614]

How many of you gather them with the intent for selling? I can not part with mine at this point, Maybe in the future when I have amassed enough I will sale some of the less desirable ones.

 

[gatheringsheds]

If you don't sell them eventually you will no longer have space to keep them. I saved for years then my man cave disappeared then my garage. Once I sold some and got all that space back I started to realize that a pile of antlers can become a new rifle or tires for my truck. This year binoculars. I still keep a "hall of fame" (best, biggest, strangest etc.) plus keep some chalks in the yard.

 

[BrowningRage]

I believe shed-hunting should remain without a harsh season, without a permit, and available to everyone... I believe those who pick them up to sell them, will kill this ideology.

As long as there is money to be made, it will continue to receive more attention, and with it, more regulation. I posted the thread about feelings on a season here in Utah- it met with much resistance. I posted that thread because I don't know how long the state will continue to "allow" us to pick up free money laying around in the hills.

Sooner or later, a state will charge a fee. I don't believe there is enough money in sheds to become like mining where a lease on public ground will be had, but I do believe that sooner or later, the 'gummint' will want its "due". Should that day come (and I hope it doesn't), I hope to high heaven that they tax the sale of antlers, rather than force everyone to buy a permit...

The frenzy will kill the hobby as we know it... :-(

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24

 

[bonepiler]

I see shed hunting getting worse and worse. I do not think it is attributed to the price of antler either. I would argue that if antlers were worthless, there would still be just as many people out there. It has become more than just the money. People are searching for a trophy. They are "hunting" bucks and bulls on LE units that they normally couldn't. It is too big of a fad, and I only see it continuing. Every year I tell myself that it can't get any worse, and yet every year it does. The old days are gone, and will never be back.

 

[steepandeep]

Here is a good example of the future of shed hunting; there is an area in Wyoming that I hit up every year on the opener, its a fairly remote area with limited access. This year I counted 11 guys not including myself, combing the sage hill sides. I've been hitting this particular area up for the last 8 years and in all those trips I've only seen one other guy, just the one time, until this spring. Can you say an explosion in the popularity of picking up antlers! crazy!

 

[elkun]

our wildlife should be getting something out of this, they are not!! tax the sale, and have a time to hunt them.. if you don't like it. tuff!! stay off the mountain,

 

[nontypical]

Mandatory license. The license fee should be in line with current deer or elk license structure...including resident and nonresident fee differences.

Increase penalties for poaching.

This year was the worst I've ever seen for the amount of people. And most were nonresidents.

Ban the sale of antlers? Regulate the trade? If you are a seller, you must purchase a license. If a buyer, you must purchase a license. Much like if you sell a head, to be legal it must have a tag. Yet you can cut the antlers off and sell them and be completely legal.

Do you need a permit to go cut firewood? Cut down your Christmas tree? Pick up rock? Etc, etc, etc.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Lots of reasons for the increase in popularity, from more limited hunting opportunities to the extreme value we now place on antlers. As far as the future goes, because people continue to push the envelope, I fear we will see more regulations.

It will be no surprise to be looking back many years from now thinking "what if we would have done it this way . . .?" Humans as a collective don't seem to have the ability to plan very far into the future.

About the only thing you can do now is do it right yourself, report law breakers when you can, and if you have kids make sure they learn how to walk the straight and narrow path . . .

 

[CrabClaw]

I dont think seasons will work and thus are not the answer. the antler trade needs to be taxed and regulated. Brokers must be registered and held accountable for paying the tax ( which is deducted from the price they give sellers). I think the tax should be hefty if you sell horns.

 

[Shadow]

Tax it to death and require licenses and dates. Maybe the prices could fall out as well. That would be the best thing that ever happened for wildlife at a critical time of year.

 

[theox]

You people that want all these regulations make me sick!!! Just accept the fact that lots of people enjoy it and we have to share the hills. Maybe you find less sheds now than previous years but it's still an excuse to get out in the hills. There is no reason we need a season and fees to shed hunt! We don't need more govt regulations and all the bs just do your part and educate people about not harassing wildlife while out there and to be respectful to others etc. this does not need regulation. This is not diminishing any resource. If the deer/ elk are there the sheds will be to. I think all this regulation talk stems from jealousy. Someone else beat you to "your spot" and UR bitter. Guess what it's not "your" spot if it's on public land. so get over it and do your best not to allow regulations we are not california and certainly not Europe we shouldn't need a permit for everything and restrictions on everything. If everyone quit getting their panties in a bunch and quit crying to the Dwr about it the Dwr would keep their nose out of it but instead everyone cries because some one beat them to the sheds now the Dwr has to deal with it. Just shut up and go hiking for sheds. Remember the other guy out there looking for sheds or hunting is on your team and we
Shouldn't be making enemies but making friends. Just remember to the other person you see you are the other person to them and your not anymore privelaged to be out there than them.

 

[trophymuley]

Theox

 

[dragonshed]

Thank you theox for posting some sense.
If there is one thing that we can all agree on is we need to do something about the illegal atv/snowmobile use. We already have the regulations in place, we just need to figure out how to enforce them.

 

[jm77]

No seasons, taxes or licenses.

Close critical winter range to ALL motor vehicle traffic until May 1st. Period.

 

[gatheringsheds]

The one thing that befuddles my brain is why does the BLM leaves gates open and allows snowmobiles to run amuck on winter range. Then when March 15th rolls around (our reginal shed season opener) they close and lock those gates.There's only two reasons to snowmobile on sub par winter range snow. You're either accessing a private cabin (unlikely) or you're looking to source a big buck then go back before the season opener and grab his sheds. The BLM needs to protect winter range and stop the snowmobile madness. There are better places to ride at higher elevation on forest land where you won't be stressing wintering animals.
BLM GET A CLUE!!!

 

[Tomichi]

Gathering sheds...I'm in the house for the second change of dry clothes for the day. Where were you 30 years ago? Really the DOW area manager here in Gunny tried it. Jim Huston. Local folks went ballistic. He was talking about abuses on the winter range back then.. A lot of the big bucks and bulls the old timers have on their walls and barns..well hate to disappoint you folks on grand dads ethic's but....

He also suggested bringing the Fossil Ridge Wilderness line down hill to "bounded on the West and North by State HWY 135 and USFS Road 742. North and East by USFS Road 765 and County Road 76. and on the South by US HWY 50. Holy smoke...Just imagine... Now that would be a wilderness AREA!!!
Frank we got to do it our selves. Get it their face... I ride way above the game. I could ride from the house but I don't. I wish these raised in town moved here recently fools could see that their sled tracks end up being super highways for predator's. Since the bad winter we have had identical tag numbers as the numbers that got us to the best in the west after going limited. We are not "back" why? Lions, coyotes, Hybrids and people on the winter range. Shed hunting is not benefitting the big game herds in the Gunnison Valley. I believe the current Federal agencies and our elected officials have a dream for our winter range... Mountain Bike Trails and Cheat Grass.. That's all I see them managing for.

 

[Littlebaler]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-15 AT 05:39PM (MST)[p]>You people that want all these
>regulations make me sick!!! Just
>accept the fact that lots
>of people enjoy it and
>we have to share the
>hills. Maybe you find less
>sheds now than previous years
>but it's still an excuse
>to get out in the
>hills. There is no reason
>we need a season and
>fees to shed hunt! We
>don't need more govt regulations
>and all the bs just
>do your part and educate
>people about not harassing wildlife
>while out there and to
>be respectful to others etc.
>this does not need regulation.
>This is not diminishing any
>resource. If the deer/ elk
>are there the sheds will
>be to. I think all
>this regulation talk stems from
>jealousy. Someone else beat you
>to "your spot" and UR
>bitter. Guess what it's not
>"your" spot if it's on
>public land. so get over
>it and do your best
>not to allow regulations we
>are not california and
>certainly not Europe we shouldn't
>need a permit for everything
>and restrictions on everything. If
>everyone quit getting their panties
>in a bunch and quit
>crying to the Dwr about
>it the Dwr would keep
>their nose out of it
>but instead everyone cries because
>some one beat them to
>the sheds now the Dwr
>has to deal with it.
>Just shut up and go
>hiking for sheds. Remember the
>other guy out there looking
>for sheds or hunting is
>on your team and we
>
>Shouldn't be making enemies but making
>friends. Just remember to the
>other person you see you
>are the other person to
>them and your not anymore
>privelaged to be out there
>than them.

Yes this !!