In addition to the recreational benefits of shed hunting discussed last month, another use of sheds was discovered years ago. In fact, American Indians and other primitive tribesmen used shed antlers in a variety of ways. Antler tines, burrs and beams served both utilitarian and decorative purposes at countless campsites across North America.

Some antlers were cut up for tools, while others were cut up for jewelry. It boggles my mind to think about how many gigantic whitetail antlers were probably found back then, and cut into tools!

CRAFT ANTLERS
Later on, shed antlers and deer racks were often used for coat and hat racks in cabins and rustic villages. Today's craftsmen continue to find new uses for sheds, and this demand no doubt contributes to the surge we've seen in buying and selling. Burrs can be made into belt buckles and buttons. Tines can be made into pens. And elaborate carvings of natural scenes on antlers are extremely popular these days.

The person who came up with the idea of making lamps out of shed antlers probably struck a gold mine! He or she must have been thinking, "People want to buy these things I make. In addition to the time spent walking and putting the lamp together, I can make 100 percent profit with no other real effort required!"

Interesting, isn't it? But it's more than that. Being able to make money off sheds is a big draw in the sport, if the love for profit outweighs a person's love for the sheds themselves. Since I really don't deal in buying and selling sheds, I decided to get a fresh perspective on the business end of the sport. I went to Dan Cole of Minnesota, a shed hunting veteran for over 35 years who is also a very serious antler collector. Dan has hunted sheds in nine different states and four Canadian provinces. He's made over 25 trips to Canada exclusively for shed hunting. Dan has some great insights.

"Ninety-eight percent of all shed antlers sold fall in to the craft antler business," Dan says. "And there are some very beautiful decorative items designed and crafted out of antlers. Chandeliers, lamps, wall sconces, pens, buttons, earrings, door pulls, carvings and a variety of other items can be beautifully made by skilled crafters. This aspect of antler sales will always have its peaks and lows, but there will always be some market for craft antlers."

OBSESSIVE COLLECTORS
There is also a very lucrative market for unusually large shed antlers, and they sometimes bring very high dollar amounts in auctions and private business transactions. Granted, the rumors here are just as prevalent as those surrounding a big deer that was shot. I don't know how many times I've heard exaggerations like, "Did you hear this or that store offered him $50,000 for the rack?"

Huge amounts aren't offered as often as some may think, but there is no question that large sheds do bring big money. If you log onto an online auction site like e-Bay and type in "deer antlers" or "shed antlers," look at what some of those auctions bring in price. Heck, one of my friends was offered several thousand dollars for a set of sheds he'd found. It's insane what people will pay for them these days!

The fact of the matter is that there are a growing number of folks out there who truly love antlers. And like a Van Gogh painting, high-scoring sheds and deer racks bring the most money simply because they are so rare. It all goes back to supply and demand.

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