ST. LOUIS — Some people take to the woods and fields in late winter and early spring on the hunt for shed antlers.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has a request for those that find antlers: check for a skull plate and report the ones you find.
Male deer grow antlers each summer which turn to bone by the fall. Bucks shed their antlers in the late winter or early spring.
Often, these antlers fall off with a rounded base in the healthy life cycle of a buck. The two antlers are usually shed in quick succession, so if you find one antler, the other may be nearby.
If antlers have skull attached to them, they may have been sick or were poached. These bucks usually don't live long after dropping their antlers.
If someone finds any antler with the skull plate still attached, they are required to report it to the county. Agents will document the antler and confirm that there was no poaching.
Here is a list of contacts for each Missouri county.
Where to find antler sheds
Moniteau County Conservation Agent Nathaniel Hodges says open fields surrounded by woods are good places to look for antler sheds.
“The open lay of the land allows a better viewpoint of the sheds laying on the ground, and deer appreciate the cover that the nearby woods provide,” he said in a news release.
People should have permission from the property owner if they are on private property. This resource includes public lands in Missouri. Follow the regulations of any specific location.
What might cause the skull plate to be shed with the antler
Bucks can damage their heads in fights with other bucks, and cause cracks in the skull that let in bacteria. The bacteria can cause a brain abscess in the animal. These bucks usually do not live long after they shed their antlers.
Sometimes a buck's antlers just shed too early and damage the skull.
This website shows the difference between a healthy antler shed and one with excess skull attached.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources shared a photo of two sets of antlers that they believed may have been poached.
Wildlife Code of Missouri
"(3) Any person who finds a dead deer or elk with antlers still attached to the skull plate while afield and takes those antlers into possession must report the taking to a conservation agent within twenty-four (24) hours to receive possession authorization. Shed antlers not attached to the skull plate found while afield may be possessed, bought, and sold by any person without possession authorization."