Moose and deer are dropping their big, unwieldy racks of antlers right about now. But finding sheds once they've dropped can be tricky.
Welcome to this week's edition of Something Wild. I'm Rosemary Conroy for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
Starting about now, male moose and deer will begin dropping their antlers. For some people, finding these sheds, as they are called, is an obsessive winter pasttime. It's like a treasure hunt and a race against time combined. That's because leaves and snow quickly camouflage dropped antlers. And then there's the squirrels and mice who gobble them up for the calcium they provide.
Both bulls and bucks start to grow their antlers in the spring. The better the animal's health, the bigger the rack it will grow. For a large moose, that can mean sporting a headset weighing thirty to forty pounds. A whitetail's deer rack is typically judged by the number of tines, or points, on each antler. Again, the more points, the bigger and healthier the buck.
They grow these pointy protuberances, of course, to help them attract females, and to defend against potential rivals - kind of like how males of our species drive flashy cars or carry fancy cellphones. Every species has its method.
For deer and moose, however, once mating season is over, there's no more reason for those big, unwieldy things on their heads, so once the testosterone drops, so do the antlers. And since the rut is now over, you should start to find antlers scattered about.
The best place to look for sheds is usually where the best food is. That's because males eat very little during the mating season, and so right now they are wicked hungry. For moose, this often means recently logged forests, where they browse the new growth, and corn and hayfields commonly attract hungry deer.
If you find a shed antler, consider yourself lucky. It often takes patience, persistence and a sharp set of eyes.
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, NHPR and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. For Something Wild, I'm Rosemary Conroy.
