Antler Collecting

The rush, chaos and competition still defined the annual shed hunt, but vehicle registrations in Jackson were down by roughly half due to a new state law, prohibiting out-of-state residents for the opener.

On May 8 at 6 a.m., the Soda Lake elk feedgrounds were cold, windy and empty, except for some Wyoming Game and Fish horses turned out on summer pasture.

Those who aren’t Wyoming residents will get a chance to pick up shed antlers starting Wednesday morning, May 8th at 6 a.m.

It’s about 5:45 a.m. on May 1 at a closed gate leading to an elk feedground in Sublette County. There's 15 minutes until the shed antler hunting season officially opens, as it’s illegal to pick up antlers in much of southern and western Wyoming for the first four months of the year.

Shed hunting in Wyoming will look different this year. The legislature passed regulations that will give residents a one week head start on some public lands, including popular antler gathering areas near Jackson Hole and Pinedale. Also, non-residents will now be required to purchase a conservation stamp to go shed hunting on designated lands.Wyoming Public Radio’s Olivia Weitz spoke with UC Berkeley PHD Candidate Sam Maher who is the lead researcher on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Antler study. Preliminary results suggest that the rule changes may lead Wyoming residents to look for antlers in places they haven’t looked in years, and that out-of-state shed hunters may not be as profit driven as some may think.

It’s the last year non residents are allowed to come to the early start date, and many weren’t happy about that.

Shed antler hunting season is quickly approaching for parts of Wyoming, but a harsh winter could push back the start date.

The saga continues with a shed antler hunting bill that had previously died.After the Senate held a reconsideration vote, House Bill 123 is back, and in fact, it is only two steps away from becoming law.

Two bills that deal with shed antler hunting season in western and southern Wyoming are getting closer to becoming law soon, and they were recently updated to be more strict on non-resident hunters.

Antler hunting season on public lands is a huge event in western and southern Wyoming, and residents may soon get a three-day advantage.Under House Bill 123, public lands that currently have an antler hunting season would still open to hunters on May 1 at 6 a.m., but only for Wyoming residents. Non-residents would have to wait till May 4 to participate.