Shed Antler Hunting - The Search Begins
- Thread starter umchorn2
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Elk is in fact the English name for the Moose. Wapiti is the Mountain Goat. Both are a misnomer when applied to the Canada or Carolina Stag or La Biche or Waskisew.
Virginia Deer
Elk is the British English name for moose. In case you never noticed, there are some subtle differences between English dialects in different regions. The term moose is derived from native languages, and is specific to North America. Moose live on both continents, whereas you won't find our Elk in Europe.
Its not uncommon for different places to use different common names for things. That's a major reason for the latin names in classification. For example, Canadians use Grizzly while Americans tend to use brown bear. To a taxonomist they are both referring to ursus arctos.
Regardless of this argument, the term canada stag means nothing...
I'm well aware of the purpose of Latin names.
Elk is the Moose, the name was misapplied by people who only knew the Elk was a large deer. Just like the Jaguar is known as el Tigre, the Tiger, when it is not. I know that Moose or Mooswa is Algonkian, just as the Whitetail and Mule Deer were Apsimooswa, the Little Moose to some.
Our Elk is found in Eurasia, where you have the oddity of an old world species being called Canadensis, and the even odder situation of Asian ecotypes; Tien Shen, Altai, etc being called Asian Wapitis when Wapiti is properly the Mountain Goat.
Moose have been called Elk and Flathorned Elk in this country. Just like in the interior of BC Mule Deer are sometimes called Blacktails, generally by people over 60. The Indian names for the Mule Deer range from Little Moose, to Jumper, to literally Blacktail.
My original point was about the use of the term horns for antlers, it is widely accepted, Jack O'Connor wrote about hunting along Moosehorn Creek in the Yukon, there is likely a Deerhorn Creek in most provinces, Elkhorn Creek is in Ontario (does that refer to the Elk or Moose?).
So the next time someone posts about Horn ####, I fully expect the peanut gallery to insist they call them antlers.
Blacktail deer is a subspecies of mule deer. Not all mules are blacktails, but all Blacktails are mulies.
I don't see what names of rivers has to do with the common names of animals?
Please show some evidence that wapiti means mountain goat (which isn't even classified as a true goat) to support your claims, because Google says it's an elk.
Are you really? Doesn't look like it. The main purpose of scientific nomenclature of living things is to prevent confusion; to clearly indicate to all parties concerned exactly which species of animal or plant is being discussed. The use of common names leads to just the sort of confused babbling into which this thread has degenerated. Your arguments here all seem designed to promote that sort of confusion, not lessen it.
The Mule Deer is a post-glacial hybrid of the Blacktail and the Whitetail, if anything it is properly a subspecies of the Blacktail, not the other way around. The Boone and Crocket Club specifically set out to replace the colloquial Blacktail with the term Mule Deer.
The names of creeks is only relevant in the acceptance of the word horn for antler. It is in common usage.
As to the Wapiti, not everything is on the internet, Google doesn't sum up human knowledge.
Hybrid? Since when? Never heard that before. Source??
And that's a damn good source for wapiti meaning goat...
Back to the topic.
I know a guy that lives in the country near here and this is what he does to get deer sheds:
He has a large picnic table in his yard. Puts alfalfa and oats under it during winter and spring. When bucks sneak their heads under to feed, and antlers are loose enough, they will fall off when they rub on table.
No "hiking" required. Usually gets a pile of them every year.
I know a guy that lives in the country near here and this is what he does to get deer sheds:
He has a large picnic table in his yard. Puts alfalfa and oats under it during winter and spring. When bucks sneak their heads under to feed, and antlers are loose enough, they will fall off when they rub on table.
No "hiking" required. Usually gets a pile of them every year.
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Jeez,a whole thread full of English teachers. Whoda thunk that?
I have a couple kicking around the basement.... Will put aside and bring it next time we meet up.... good chew toy and will get him used to the scent....
Lots of English professors on this thread. who cares boys? we know you mean antlers when you say shed hunting, we know your packing your rifle/shotgun not anti-aircraft guns, and we know you mean clips/mags as in the #### that goes in your gun that holds your bullets. sheesh, back to shed hunting....
Two years ago I took in 75 pounds of sheds...mostly whitetailed deer and mule deer 4 & 5 pointers (120-140 inch WT/140-170 inch mulie mostly 2.5-3.5 year olds) and a few moose anlters to an antler buyer. Grade was evenly split between hard brown (this years) and hard white (last years sheds) and I got $600 for them. I figured it paid my gas for those days I went looking.
However anything over 75 inches and typical or over 85 inches non typical whitetail will command a premium and larger sheds over 100 inches will be worth considerably more than the $12 per pound for hard brown over 1 1/2 pounds weight per antler. Elk shed usually sell for $10-12/lb if they're 5 point or better otherwise the grade drops to craft. Moose fresh hard brown @ $10/lb avg.
Most sheds ultimately end as dog chews and Asians buy the most tonnage. So it's easy to see that deer,elk and moose antlers are worth 5x the price of number 1 copper and 8x the price of yellow brass. Cutoffs are highly controlled and you must have a tag and permit to sell to an antler buyer who is able to buy, possess and sell cutoffs and not all are.
This is a legitaimate economic activity and can be lucrative although for most it's more of a hobby or pastime. The market for shed antlers is critically imortant in my opinion to conservation and can be a viable economic activity for those of us who are able to value and understand how wildlife can be part of strengthening and diversifying our country's economy when other resources seem to be losing value in a changing global economy.
However anything over 75 inches and typical or over 85 inches non typical whitetail will command a premium and larger sheds over 100 inches will be worth considerably more than the $12 per pound for hard brown over 1 1/2 pounds weight per antler. Elk shed usually sell for $10-12/lb if they're 5 point or better otherwise the grade drops to craft. Moose fresh hard brown @ $10/lb avg.
Most sheds ultimately end as dog chews and Asians buy the most tonnage. So it's easy to see that deer,elk and moose antlers are worth 5x the price of number 1 copper and 8x the price of yellow brass. Cutoffs are highly controlled and you must have a tag and permit to sell to an antler buyer who is able to buy, possess and sell cutoffs and not all are.
This is a legitaimate economic activity and can be lucrative although for most it's more of a hobby or pastime. The market for shed antlers is critically imortant in my opinion to conservation and can be a viable economic activity for those of us who are able to value and understand how wildlife can be part of strengthening and diversifying our country's economy when other resources seem to be losing value in a changing global economy.
down under the Wombat does it , an fox/dogs ....no squirrels or porcipines rather echidnas (e-kid-na) but I don't think they do. maybe a possum might aswell
any animal will if chasing some minerals I suppose an that's what ive heard as to why the ends get chewed
