Shed hunting in the spring is almost as popular as deer hunting itself. Shed hunters are out in full swing across much of the country.
Deer sheds are used in craft making, décor, and other projects. Quality sheds often fetch high prices from buyers.
Sometimes, the greed by certain people to get their hands on quality antlers causes them to do things they shouldn’t to get antlers shed by whitetails, mule deer, moose and elk.
Case in point, 16 shed hunters received citations for illegal shed hunting in Utah.
If you’re tempted to break Utah’s shed antler gathering closure prohibiting the gathering of antlers shed by deer, elk and moose this year until April 1, the Division of Wildlife Resources wants you to think again. So far, 16 people have been cited for violating the closure and some of those offenses were allegedly class B misdemeanors.
Enforcing the closure has been a top priority for DWR conservation officers. Since the statewide closure started, officers have spent more than 500 hours watching areas where big game animals congregate in the winter. They’ve also responded to several tips received on the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher, or UTiP, hotline.
DWR Director Greg Sheehan issued orders first on Jan. 31, expanding them statewide Feb. 3, prohibiting shed antler gathering on both public and private land. The closure order is designed to reduce stress on deer, elk and moose and help more of the animals make it through the winter.
Of the 16 people cited since the closure, DWR Captain Mitch Lane said, several were cited for unlawful take of protected wildlife; in these cases, the take was antlers and horns.
Unlawful take of protected wildlife is a class B misdemeanor. The violators now face fines as high as $1,000.
“Our officers cited these individuals after watching them look for and then pick up antlers,” Lane said. “Or we caught them with antlers in their possession.”
Do not be tempted to breaking the law to gather antler sheds. There are plenty of legal means to go about it.
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Photo: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, St. George News
