Shed Hunting- is there mounting opposition?

[robby denning]

Hey we have a season here on our stinking Springs winter Range and tex Creek. Opening day of legal shed season is worse than opening day of rifle season. I'm not kidding. But yeah some of the sheds already been picked up and you do see tracks out there. But there's a heck of a lot less guys out there right now when it's critical than before there was a season. sad situation all around as no matter what happens I think shed hunting has changed forever. And will never be the experience that it used to be


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[ckleeves]

Hey we have a season here on our stinking Springs winter Range and tex Creek. Opening day of legal shed season is worse than opening day of rifle season. I'm not kidding. But yeah some of the sheds already been picked up and you do see tracks out there. But there's a heck of a lot less guys out there right now when it's critical than before there was a season. sad situation all around as no matter what happens I think shed hunting has changed forever. And will never be the experience that it used to be


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Your exactly right. It won't ever be like it used to be. Unless the antler market completely dries up. Which I'm always hoping it will! I would love to take my kids out to find some worthless pieces of bone that fell off a deers head that nobody wants!


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[beachbunny]

For someone who lives on the east coast.This is hard to fathom and I know what opening day of deer season is like .It's like a firefight sometimes,That is why I stopped going, So shed hunting is the same now,
I feel for you old timers

 

[IdahoElk]

I have a problem with people chasing already stressed to the max animals for their antlers,one clown in our valley got hooked by a bull he was chasing on his quad,really messed him up bad.
Leave the animals alone until April or June.

 

[sneaky]

In Colorado game wardens cite people for taking off their orange vest at the kill site while gutting animals. Most the time these hunters had no idea they were even being watched. Citing guys for stashing antlers would not be that hard in my humble opinion. I'm a dummy and yet I've watched hunters through my spotter on winter range pick up antlers and they didn't even know I was around. No not everyone would get caught but the way it stands right now there's zero deterrent. And as it says in the article above the game wardens in Colorado were getting it done


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That's why everyone should always do the right thing, you are always watching with your pirate spotter

 

[wyodan]

We have had a season in western Wyoming for several years now. I believe the law has good intentions, I just don't agree with it as it is written. The first problem is that the consequences are not substantial enough to deter law breakers from doing it. As long as they can make more money than the punishment, it seems some will just break the law. The second problem is the law is a roundabout method of keeping people off of the public lands. I have an issue with that because I live here to enjoy the public lands.

I do agree with the intent of the law though, I just think it needs modified. I also would like to see enforcement of wildlife harassment, and not just new laws to react to a problem. I fully agree with the guy that said opening day of shed season is worse than the rifle opener. I will probably never go out on May 1 again.

 

[robby denning]

That's why everyone should always do the right thing, you are always watching with your pirate spotter

I got that low blow. Might be watching you right now. who knows


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[Rizzy]

Hard for me to say no shed hunting in February-march, when I'm out in the same spots Wolf hunting. Tough issue at hand for sure.

 

[wooduckman]

In my opinion, the tough part is defining what shed hunting is. I have a spot I'm itching to go scout for Turkeys. I'm hoping to get up there a couple times in the next month or so just to get the lay of the land and to see if there are birds around. While my intention is not to looking for sheds, I'd pick one up if I saw it. Does that count as shed hunting? What if I just mark it on my GPS and go back on X date when shed hunting season starts? I still could have pushed the animals around (obviously wouldn't do this) when I saw the shed the first time, but by not picking it up until the start of shed season I'd be legal. It seems there needs to be better enforcement, but it's a slippery slope that doesn't seem to have a perfect answer.

 

[kjack_74]

Checking shed hunting if there were a season would not be as hard as enforcing the hunting regulations. The number of wildlife officers is the same as during hunting season and the areas of interest are less and even more importantly the ways to access those areas are also limited so it seems that patrolling shouldn't be an issue and honestly on a year like this any help we can give to the animals is worth it, either we protect this years fawns and calves or we have drop off in the big bucks and bulls in 5 years.

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[COlineman78]

Even if they put a season on it there will be those that will be too intense and go "scouting" a big bull/buck to watch where it drops and therefore defeat the purpose and it's not like they're about to ban walking around (even though they probably should). Not sure what the correct solution would be to protect the animals. Wildlife harassment laws don't cover this as just pushing them once is detrimental that time of year even if you aren't harassing them.

 

[Straight6]

Wyoming has had a shed season since 2009, has it helped? Maybe. It doesn't stop everyone, just the honest guys, haven't been out on opening day yet and not found boots tracks.

The problem with the shed season and people stating how easy it would be to enforce is that every state already has wildlife harassment laws on the books. If the shed season is so easy to enforce as you all think it is, then why isn't it just as easy to enforce the harassment laws that already exist? I spend 30-40 days each winter on the western Wyoming winter range, you know how many times I've seen a F & G officer in the past 12 years? 4 times! The officers cover a huge area and contrary to popular belief cannot cover it all every day by any stretch of the imagination. They aren't out there 7 days a week and they have to patrol more than just the winter range in their region. Making more laws because the current ones aren't effectively enforced does not solve the issue.

Unethical shed hunters exist in every state, but so do unethical hunters, unfortunately, we are not going to get away from that no matter what the law is. Has the price of antler contributed to the shed hunting popularity? Sure, but most of the people I know and shed hunt with don't sell their sheds, simply do it for the fun of it and to get out of the house in the spring.

Utah recently banned shed hunting until April 1st, but had cow elk hunts going until January 31st. January was brutal on the deer in northern Utah, but they let the cow hunters go out and push around any animals they come in contact with. They haven't stopped the people out snowmobiling on the winter range (yes, I've seen it lately), or snowshoeing, or rabbit hunting, or predator hunting, the list goes on. Shed hunting can be done ethically just as all those activities can be. Its not an all or nothing deal, it rests on the ethics of each individual. Now when you find a solution to fix the ethics of the few "bad" hunters and shed hunters, then you'll be on to something!

 

[tipsntails7]

Shed Hunting- is they're mounting opposition?

Wyoming has had a shed season since 2009, has it helped? Maybe. It doesn't stop everyone, just the honest guys, haven't been out on opening day yet and not found boots tracks.

The problem with the shed season and people stating how easy it would be to enforce is that every state already has wildlife harassment laws on the books. If the shed season is so easy to enforce as you all think it is, then why isn't it just as easy to enforce the harassment laws that already exist? I spend 30-40 days each winter on the western Wyoming winter range, you know how many times I've seen a F & G officer in the past 12 years? 4 times! The officers cover a huge area and contrary to popular belief cannot cover it all every day by any stretch of the imagination. They aren't out there 7 days a week and they have to patrol more than just the winter range in their region. Making more laws because the current ones aren't effectively enforced does not solve the issue.

Unethical shed hunters exist in every state, but so do unethical hunters, unfortunately, we are not going to get away from that no matter what the law is. Has the price of antler contributed to the shed hunting popularity? Sure, but most of the people I know and shed hunt with don't sell their sheds, simply do it for the fun of it and to get out of the house in the spring.

Utah recently banned shed hunting until April 1st, but had cow elk hunts going until January 31st. January was brutal on the deer in northern Utah, but they let the cow hunters go out and push around any animals they come in contact with. They haven't stopped the people out snowmobiling on the winter range (yes, I've seen it lately), or snowshoeing, or rabbit hunting, or predator hunting, the list goes on. Shed hunting can be done ethically just as all those activities can be. Its not an all or nothing deal, it rests on the ethics of each individual. Now when you find a solution to fix the ethics of the few "bad" hunters and shed hunters, then you'll be on to something!

I agree with almost everything you said, but harassing game is tuff to pin on someone unless the warden sees it. Shed hunting? I don't know anyone that carries around 40 pounds of bone for the fun of it.

I think it's just a stab at mitigating the traffic in the area. Will it work? Probably not. I can just see guys out before the season walking around using their gps to mark sheds.

Next guys will be selling maps to good sheds instead of the sheds themselves.


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[sneaky]

I got that low blow. Might be watching you right now. who knows


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Hey, I tried sending you that link last year when one came up for sale lol

 

[5MilesBack]

In Colorado game wardens cite people for taking off their orange vest at the kill site while gutting animals.

I'm not sure how well that one would stand up in court. By the DOW's own rules.....you are required to detach the carcass tag "immediately" on a kill before even working on it. And by their own rules......once the tag is detached, that license is invalid. If the license is invalid as soon as the tag is detached, then you are no longer hunting with a valid license.......and that's the only time you are required to wear orange in the field.

 

[wyodan]

I agree with almost everything you said, but harassing game is tuff to pin on someone unless the warden sees it. Shed hunting? I don't know anyone that carries around 40 pounds of bone for the fun of it.

I think it's just a stab at mitigating the traffic in the area. Will it work? Probably not. I can just see guys out before the season walking around using their gps to mark sheds.

Next guys will be selling maps to good sheds instead of the sheds themselves.


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Everything you just said is illegal as stated in the Wyoming law.

 

[robby denning]

5miles, had some friends at Montrose cited for this.


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[CM]

Correct me if I am wrong, but in most states isn't it illegal to sell harvested big game meat? I don't see a giant leap from selling harvested game meat to selling shed antlers (but I could be wrong). I generally don't like more laws but if you made selling sheds illegal the incentive to push animals around to make them drop goes way down. I also think it would be easier to enforce this than it would be to catch people on the winter range harassing animals.

I wish as a community we could just be intelligent and not push wintering animals around, but there is always "that guy." A few greedy guys ruin things for the rest of us.

 

[Opah]

Careful whay you wish for, I am sure California started with restricting shed hunting now it is ilegal all together. Not a big issue here in Socal its like rare the you see any sheds, kinda like seeing a Buck.

 

[TheTone]

Too many unemployed people, people on "disability" and those seeking social media fame out looking at all times is the biggest problem around me. Its a bummer, I love going out and looking but its harder and harder all the time.