Any hunters here?

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Herb G

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,461
Location
Southern Maryland
If so, do you ever come across any deer antlers? Either fresh or sheds are fine. I'd like to have some to play around with to make pen holder racks from is all. My wife asked me to make her a pen holder set for her work desk from some antlers. I told her I'd try.
I can pay for the postage.

Let me know if you have any you don't want.
Thanks for any help.:)
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Herb G

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,461
Location
Southern Maryland
Just to clarify. I am not asking if you shoot Bambi, only asking if you find any antlers on a nice walk in the woods is all. :biggrin:
 

CREID

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
3,009
Location
Vancouver, wa
I don't hunt anymore. But even if I did, what you are asking is a lot. You may find someone to help you out here, I hope so anyway. But most are going to be protective I think of their stash. There not only used for pens and such but for many other projects as well (gun racks, bow rack, coat racks) to name a few my friends have done.
 

Skie_M

Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
2,737
Location
Lawton, Ok
Well, it appears you live in the area of Virginia. I know there are deer near that area (North American White-Tail Deer), and they are also in the Pennsylvania area. Check your local gun repair shops and taxidermy shops, see if you can run across some hunters who are willing to retire an old set of rattling antlers or have some spare sheds that they've run across in the woods. In my experience, turning them a pen from an antler in exchange is a fair trade that just might blow their minds! :)

It may also be worth your while to ask if you can put up a notice with your number on it at those shops so that an interested hunter could contact you. I plan to put such an advertisement up in a local shop where I'll offer 3 dollars per lb of antler (any species, any condition), and hope to get a decent supply that will last me a while... though I'ld happily also just turn a pen or two to get it as well! :)
 

robutacion

Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2009
Messages
6,514
Location
Australia - SA Adelaide Hills
Well, I don't have any but, was not long ago that I saw a couple of folks coming to IAP and showing a large stash they had just scored, and I would think that they would be able to share some pieces with you.

I'm also in the process of getting a couple from a deer hunting guide from an are North of us, he finds them every year as the deer drop them to start a new set, I know is a technical term for that and that sounds like "shed" but I think is spelled differently.

Best of luck

Cheers
George
 
Last edited:

Skie_M

Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
2,737
Location
Lawton, Ok
Pet stores are a good source for pieces about the size of a pen blank, and they aren't super-expensive. However, if you want a partial rack or full racks to work with then finding a hunter with an abundance of extra antler sheds is the best way to go.
 

Herb G

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,461
Location
Southern Maryland
Herb,
I may be able to help you out. What size are you looking for? A whole rack, single antler or just a section of antler?
I'd be interested in whatever I can get that's in decent condition.
I'd prefer a whole rack or single antler. Something with a tip on it.
I can get sections at the local pet store.

If I could find an elk antler, I'd like to find one about 8-12" long for a handle of a large Bowie knife I own.

Thanks for the offer.:)
 

gimpy

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
2,579
Location
Danville, Pa
Another place to find antler is a locker that butchers deer during hunting season. Not every hunter wants their antler. Lockers save and resell those antlers.

Not in PA, it is illegal to buy, sell, trade or barter for any part of a White Tail.
 

Skie_M

Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
2,737
Location
Lawton, Ok
Another place to find antler is a locker that butchers deer during hunting season. Not every hunter wants their antler. Lockers save and resell those antlers.

Not in PA, it is illegal to buy, sell, trade or barter for any part of a White Tail.

And what do those men in tidy black suits say about giving an antler to someone as a gift, hmm???
 

gimpy

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
2,579
Location
Danville, Pa
Another place to find antler is a locker that butchers deer during hunting season. Not every hunter wants their antler. Lockers save and resell those antlers.

Not in PA, it is illegal to buy, sell, trade or barter for any part of a White Tail.

And what do those men in tidy black suits say about giving an antler to someone as a gift, hmm???

Don't know, but that is a good question......when you go to an auction and there is an animal mounted on a board, that the state they are selling the board and not the animal "mount"
 

Herb G

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,461
Location
Southern Maryland
Another place to find antler is a locker that butchers deer during hunting season. Not every hunter wants their antler. Lockers save and resell those antlers.


I don't think there's any of those in Maryland anymore.
Maybe out in the Midwest, but certainly not here.

It's a shame too. I really like venison. But, unless you know someone who hunts, you ain't finding any for sale around here.:frown:
 

dogcatcher

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
2,359
Location
TX, NM or on the road
It's a shame too. I really like venison. But, unless you know someone who hunts, you ain't finding any for sale around here. :frown:

Go Online, you will find venison and other "wild" game meat for sale. Almost everything is "farmed" raised and then usually processed in USDA approved facilities.

For antlers, the easiest way is to look on eBay. I get most of mine from a couple of local she hunters, but their supply doesn't meet my needs. Not cheap.
 

Herb G

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,461
Location
Southern Maryland
Oh, I know all too well about what people are asking for antlers online.
Just because they ask that much doesn't mean someone is paying that much for them. I've seen some nice antlers on Ebay, but they're asking nosebleed expensive prices for them. I wish them well. :rolleyes:
 

farmer

Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2012
Messages
807
Location
NV
Deer antler

You want Deer and elk sheds ........

From my understanding is if the animal is shot it make the center of the deer antler blood read on the inside of the deer tine .
I have deer tines that are blood red and worthless .
Also the ones where the antlers were left out side in the sun , Worthless .

I bought most of mine on ebay as dog chews from a guy out of Montana .
And the fair market price is 15 bucks per pound , that is what china is paying ..

I ran across a real cowboy who pretty much rides the range 8 month out of the year .
I buy my deer and elk antlers SHEDS from him ..
Africa deer antler is cleaner ( more white and more solid of a bone marrow area .

There is a person selling this in your for sale section
Called Averon rod I think
Synthetic or fake Ivory

Please note the arveron rod is only figured on one side ...
Sorry I don't make many pens and haven made a pen out of any animal parts yet .
 
Last edited:

DB in VT

Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Messages
143
Location
Vermont
my solution

I recently made friends with a couple of local game wardens. They told me that they come into possession of antlers almost every day. They are supplying me with antlers in exchange for a couple of pens.
Also not a bad friend to have if you're into the outdoors at all.
 

Skie_M

Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
2,737
Location
Lawton, Ok
...
From my understanding is if the animal is shot it make the center of the deer antler blood read on the inside of the deer tine .
I have deer tines that are blood red and worthless .
Also the ones where the antlers were left out side in the sun , Worthless ...

A bit of background for those who are interested in this phenomenon ...

Antlers are bone, rather than hair or horn (horn is keratin, like fingernails and hooves)... bone has marrow, when it's large enough. As the year progresses from Spring into Summer, and then Fall, the deer grow their antlers. They are covered in a soft layer of skin and fur, and are somewhat sensitive. This skin is called "velvet".

If a deer is killed in this state, the marrow within the antlers is still red with fresh blood, indicating that THIS DEER WAS KILLED OUT OF SEASON. Now, that's not to say that it is a guaranteed illegal deer, as deer get killed out of season by vehicular collisions or animal predation all the time and anybody could have picked up the antlers afterwards, to include the person who hit the deer, as in some states that IS perfectly legal (since the deer damaged your vehicle .... you get to keep what's left of the deer - check with local game warden and police for the laws in your particular area first, before packing a road-killed Bambi into the back of your truck....)

In late Fall, the antlers become mature and the velvet is shredded away by the deer marking their territories ... preparing to fight each other over mates and defend themselves from attack by predators... at this point, the marrow within the antler dies, and turns brown. It will remain this way even after the deer has shed the antlers. Antlers are generally shed one at a time, in somewhat random fashion ... it is very rare to find a matching set in close vicinity to each other (within 50 feet), but fairly common to find them within the same area (square mile or so).

It may be possible to track the life and growth of a deer as it reaches and peaks at maturity by collecting it's shed antlers over the course of it's life ... the antlers will increase in size (length and beam) and number of points, changing it's configuration fairly slowly through each yearly permutation.


As bone is a natural material, it is subject to weathering and decay ... if left out in the elements, sun and rain will weaken the bone structure, and it may be consumed in small amounts or greater, by insects or animals that happen across it .... it is, after all, a good source of calcium. If a shed is not picked up within say, 2 years of it having fallen, for most species, it is probably not going to make for a strong pen body. It could be stabilized, but then it's not just bone anymore ...

There are, of course, exceptions, especially in the colder northern climates .... Alaska and Canada in particular. In some cases, shed antlers that were trampled into the mud decades ago by a herd moving around made it down near the permafrost layer and were preserved by the cold and darkness, being buried.
 

Herb G

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,461
Location
Southern Maryland
A bit of background for those who are interested in this phenomenon ...

That's all well & good, but what does that have to do with me asking if anyone has any antlers they can spare? :rolleyes:

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy trivia, but not here is all.
 
Last edited:

Skie_M

Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
2,737
Location
Lawton, Ok
Just explaining where those "bloodshot" antlers come from and why they aren't all 100% illegal poached antlers... They are OK for rattling sets if you seal the bottoms, but are more prone to breakage as they may not have the full growth of bone in size or density ... The mature antler sounds different, and deer may be able to tell that difference.

You still generally don't want bloodshot antler for making pens, though... they can make a mess as you cut into the marrow on your lathe! :(
 

Skie_M

Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
2,737
Location
Lawton, Ok
That's ok ... we're all spinning at hundreds of miles an hour on a muddy ball of rock around a continuous fusion explosion just over 2 minutes away at the speed of light, hoping and praying that we don't get sucked into a supermassive rogue black hole or wiped out in a cosmic game of billiards gone terribly wrong .... and we're all crazy, because we think everything is normal and just fine! :)
 
Top Bottom