Complete Free Online Course before gathering Shed Antlers in Utah

Photo of a shed elk antler by Phil Douglass, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Late winter and early spring is the worst time of the year for elk, moose and especially deer in Utah.

Deep snow makes it harder for deer to move and find food in the winter. And cold temperatures sap the deers’ strength. By the time winter ends, deer are usually the weakest they’ll be all year.

Winter is also the time of year when male deer, elk and moose shed their antlers. The animals will be without antlers until this spring, when they’ll start to grow a new set.


Gathering shed antlers
Gathering antlers that drop off the heads of deer, elk and moose is an activity that’s grown in popularity across the country, including here in Utah. The challenge with shed-antler gathering is that it happens during the worst time of the year for the animals and the habitat they rely on in the winter.

“By the time winter ends, the animals are stressed,” says Mike Fowlks, Law Enforcement Section chief for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

“The habitat they rely on in the winter is also wet,” he says. “It’s easily damaged. Once the habitat is damaged, it can take years for it to recover.”

Fortunately, Fowlks says you can have fun gathering shed antlers without stressing the animals and damaging their habitat.

“A free course that’s available at our website will show you how,” he says. Fowlks says you must complete the DWR’s Antler Gathering Ethics course if you want to gather shed antlers in Utah between Feb. 1 and April 15.


Free course
The free course is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/shedantler . After you finish the course, make sure you print a certificate that shows you’ve completed the course. “And make sure you carry your certificate with you,” Fowlks says. “By law, you must have your certificate with you while you’re gathering shed antlers.”

If you have young children, and you’ve completed the course, your children don’t need to complete it. As long as you’ve completed the course, your certificate will cover your kids too.

Fowlks says if you complete the course, you can gather antlers across Utah. “Please remember, though, that many of the state’s wildlife management areas are closed in the spring and the winter to protect wildlife,” he says.

You must complete the course if you want to gather shed antlers between Feb. 1 and April 15. If you wait until April 15 or later to gather antlers, you don’t need to complete the course.

For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.

Deep snow causes concern regarding Shed Antler Hunting on the Henrys

Photo by Brent Stettler, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Hanksville -- The deep snow on the Henry Mountains is making it difficult for deer to flee from people who are collecting shed antlers.

To protect the deer, the Bureau of Land Management has enacted a new travel plan. The plan requires motorized vehicles to stay on designated routes.

Before your next trip to the Henry Mountains, please call or visit the BLM offices in Hanksville or Richfield to learn where the designated routes are.

Located south of Hanksville, the Henry Mountains is one of two premium limited-entry deer hunting units in Utah. The unit is renowned for growing trophy-sized buck deer. For this reason, it attracts a large number of shed antler hunters every winter and spring. These hunters hope to collect some of the large antler racks that drop off the heads of the buck deer in the winter.

“Under normal conditions, deer can escape the inflow of people by leaving the roadways and moving to heavy cover or remote locations,” says Brent Stettler, regional conservation outreach manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

This year is different, though, because the snowfall in southern Utah has been unusually heavy. “The snow is making the deers’ fight for survival much more tenuous this spring and their ability to retreat from people much more difficult,” Stettler says. “Please help the deer by learning the new travel rules and obeying them,” he says.

For more information, call the BLM at (435) 896-1500 or the DWR at (435) 613-3700.

For more information about gathering shed antlers in Utah, visit the ‘Want to gather shed antlers in Utah?’ selection at www.wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/newsflash . You can also listen to an interview at www.wildlife.utah.gov/radio .

Utah Shed Antler Hunting Courses now Available

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Photo

If you enjoy gathering antlers that deer, elk and moose shed in the winter, one of your favorite times of the year is almost here.

You'll need to complete the free shed antler-gathering course—and print a course completion certificate—before you gather shed antlers in Utah.

But before you head outdoors to gather antlers, you need to head to this Web page first: wildlife.utah.gov/shedantler.

At the page, you'll find a free shed antler-gathering course. You must complete the course—and print a course completion certificate—before you gather shed antlers in Utah.

"Make sure you carry your certificate with you," says Mike Fowlks, Law Enforcement Section chief for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

"By law, you must have your certificate with you while you're gathering shed antlers."

If you have young children, and you've completed the course, your children don't need to complete it. As long as you've completed the course, your certificate will cover your kids too.


You can gather antlers across Utah

Fowlks says if you complete the course, you can gather antlers across Utah. "Please remember, though, that many of the state's wildlife management areas are closed in the spring and the winter to protect wildlife," he says.

You must complete the course if you want to gather shed antlers before April 15. If you wait until April 15 or later to gather antlers, you don't need to complete the course.



Helping deer, elk and moose

The antlers of deer, elk and moose drop off their heads each winter. During the summer, the animals grow a new set of antlers.

"Gathering shed antlers is an activity that's grown in popularity across the country, including here in Utah," Fowlks says.

The challenge with shed-antler gathering is that it happens during the worst time of the year for the animals and the places the animals live in the winter.

"Two things are happening at the end of the winter," Fowlks says. "The animals are stressed, and the habitat they rely on in the winter is wet.

"Fortunately, you can have fun gathering shed antlers without stressing the animals and damaging their habitat. This online course will show you how."

For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.