Adult male elk, or bulls, grow their antlers between April and August. Unlike horns, which are permanently attached to an animal’s head, antlers regenerate annually. The animals eat government-funded alfalfa pellets, living in a carefully managed symbiosis with a town that presents itself as a frontier outpost, and which has a median home price of three million dollars.
Most of the antlers come from the National Elk Refuge, an expanse of hills and meadows on the outskirts of Jackson where roughly eight thousand elk spend the winter. Jackson’s trademark is a town square with four archways each arch was made from some fourteen thousand pounds of antler. A large arch of intertwined elk antlers greets passengers as they arrive at the local airport, and, in town, antler chandeliers hang from tall ceilings at a high-end furniture store. If nothing else, shed hunting can turn into a hobby that pays for itself or provides you with a little extra cash for when the real hunting begins.In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, some antlers are easy to find. In some instances, individual antlers or sets have been sold at a much higher price to collectors looking for giant or one-of-a-kind animals.Īs for smaller matched sets, a 170-inch mule deer goes for around $60, and 300 class elk sells in the $200 range. A 400 class elk can fetch over $1500, while a 200-inch mule deer can be worth $500 or more. This is because the market is saturated with humongous whitetail antlers from farmed deer.Īlthough some buyers will pay a premium for sets, this generally only applies to extremely large or unique antlers. Fresh whitetail sheds generally fetch around $6-8 per pound, but are not as easily sold as mule deer and elk. Chalky, white antlers still have a value, but around $1-3 per pound. Last year's white antlers in good condition are $8 per pound for mule deer and $10 per pound for elk. Most antlers are purchased at a price per pound and on a quality grading system.Īs a general average, brown mule deer antlers fetch around $10 per pound and brown elk antlers average $12 per pound. Shed antlers are big business, and buyers are out there looking to pay you to find them. Just because you're not willing to eat the antler doesn't mean your dog won't be thankful a shed hunting trip. Dogs enjoy gnawing on them and get calcium as an added bonus. This is now a large part of the shed antler market.
When heated, the gaseous ammonia is released in the baking process, acting as a leveling agent.Īlthough you would not just bite into a shed antler or boil it up and put it on a plate, recently antlers have grown in popularity as dog chews. This was the predecessor to baking powder, which is still used today in thin shaped cookies and crackers. This product is made from distilled, ground antler by burning in kilns, which makes ammonium carbonate. Although rare now, some old recipes still call for Hartshorn. Processed antlers can also be used in baking recipes. Antlers can be used to make gelatin by boiling the ground antler and straining off the remains, which could be used to make fruit gelatin or added to homemade jellies.
Deer antlers are edible, and not just as a pill used in eastern medicine or a health supplement. You've heard the adage "you can't eat the horns," but that's not necessarily true.
0 kommentar(er)
