With customers in the far east ready to pay up to $10 a pound for deer and elk antlers the Bureau of Land Management issued tips for local antler hunters this week.
Local residents and visitors are combing eastern Nevada’s backcountry in search of deer and elk antlers shed over the winter. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ely District encourages shed antler hunters to do so only on foot.
Driving trucks or OHVs off open roads and trails damages habitat that deer, elk and other wildlife depend on, says BLM Ely District Wilderness Ranger John Miller. “Vehicles cut deep tracks in the muddy ground that erodes the soil, reduces the land’s ability to support wildlife; and that can take years to heal,” Miller said.
Miller offered some suggestions that allow hunters to look for antlers without damaging the public lands, stressing animals in the area or being fined for improper motorized vehicle use:
• Once you arrive at your shed antler hunting area, park your vehicle and hunt for shed antlers on foot.
• Once you’ve found some antlers, pack them to the nearest road. Then, leave them near the side of the road until you can drive back to pick them up.
• Search for shed antlers via horseback.
For more information, contact the BLM Ely District Office at (775) 289-1800 or the BLM Caliente Field Office at (775) 726-8100.
Antlers are considered to be aphrodesiac in Chinese medicine and can fetch up to $10 a pound.
In addition to not causing unnecessary environmental damage antler hunters are encouraged to keep track of just where they parked their vehicles to avoid getting lost in the sometimes harsh and unforgiving Nevada outback.
