Shed Hunting Season Kicks Off in Jackson Hole

Wyoming Residents and Non-Residents Gather for Antler Collection

The season for shed hunting has officially begun for the residents of Wyoming this week. Non-residents are also permitted to participate, but they are required to buy a conservation stamp prior to collecting shed antlers on the designated lands.

Described as the "World Cup of Shed Hunting"

The Wall Street Journal has likened the frenzy in the hills surrounding the Bridger-Teton National Forest, near Jackson, Wyoming, to the "World Cup of shed hunting." People from all over the state and country are on a quest to find freshly dropped antlers, which are yet to be sun-bleached and are often referred to as "brown" or "brown gold" by the antler hunters.

Antler Hunting: A Unique Outdoor Experience

John Bishop, an antler hunter, describes the experience as exhilarating. "It's the adrenaline rush that you get, plus you're outside, you're away from people," he said. "There's really no worldly obligations anymore at that point. It's just you and whatever else is out there."

Earlier this week, Bishop and his group of friends, along with hundreds of other hunters, eagerly awaited the lifting of restrictions on antler hunting in the National Forest.

"The Super Bowl" or "The World Cup of Shed Hunting"

Scott Turner, another antler hunter, compared the opening season in Jackson Hole to "the Super Bowl" or "the World Cup of shed hunting." "It's like the ultimate Easter egg hunt meets Spartan race," Turner said, who has been collecting antlers for nearly three decades.

Increasing Popularity of Shed Hunting

The Wall Street Journal noted that the popularity of shed hunting has seen a significant increase in recent years. Jeremy Barry, an antler buyer, provided a simple explanation for this. "Right now, most people are paying between $15 and $16 a pound for brown elk," he said. He referred to freshly dropped antlers that haven't yet been sun-bleached as "brown" or "brown gold."

Aside from being used to create fancy antler chandeliers in mountain or lake homes, antlers are also in demand among practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. They use them to treat a variety of diseases, including mammary hyperplasia, mastitis, uterine fibroids, malignant sores, and children's mumps.

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