How a deer sheds its antlers and why some people collect them

You might not know this, but male deer buckslose their antlers every winter.

Once a deer has shed its antlers, it might have to wait until spring before it grows a new pair. This renewable process has given some people a new hobby.

"Shed hunting" is the process of scouring woodlands in search of discarded antlers, sometimes from deer and sometimes from moose. One Windsor, Ont., -based shed hunter,Chris Durocher, has found over 30 deer antlers so far this year across the county.

"There's a chemical reaction,the calcium builds up over the pedicle and it literally happens within seconds,"Durocher said."Sometimes they drop them both right on the same spot, sometimes he'll drop one and not the other for a week."

Durocher has been shed hunting for eight years, and has found the practice is a good way to keep him busy during his varied hunting schedule.

"I am an avid hunter, so this time of year there isn't too much going on before the turkey hunting season starts," he said."It's nice to get out in the woods, enjoy the spring and find the odd deer antler laying on the ground."

Getting out there

Durocher certainly has an impressive collection of antlers.But, that doesn't mean that shed hunting comes easy.

"There are a few tricks to the trade that I won't share due to the amount of competition out there, but there is a real thrill of coming up in the woods and knowing that that animal dropped it off his head and left itthere is a nice prize for you."

Capturing it in action

Extraordinary moment with moose caught on camera

1 year ago

Duration 1:41

Woodsman Derek Burgoyne caught this bull moose shedding its antlers while he was surveying hardwood trees near Juniper, N.B.

Antlers being shed is a startling natural process, and very rarely is it captured in real time.

"Never in my wildest dreams would ever imagine catching this on film," said Burgoyne. "This is winning the lottery when it comes to wildlife photography for sure."

Using the antlers

Discarded antlers aren't just a prize for budding hunters.

"Antler chandeliers, maybe a jewelleryholder and people do like to give them to their dogsthey're high source of calcium," he said. "Like everything, social media has blown it up."

"There's always been shed hunters out there [and] we're fortunate to have a lot of deer ...but there is a lot of competition."