DAVIS COUNTY, Utah — It's not news that deer lose their antlers in the spring and thousands of antler hunters collect them every year, but an increased popularity has the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources allowing visitors greater access than usual at Antelope Island for their searches.
“At Antelope Island, we have trail restrictions in place for the majority of the year,” said State Park Manager Wendy Wilson. “Once a year, we lift those trail restrictions for a certain number of folks to let them go out and try to gather some of those shed antlers out here.”
Wilson says the demand for hunting permits has been nearly overwhelming.
“We'll put out an opportunity for people to put in an opportunity to draw out. We had over 1,000 people interested in this event, 100 people drew out,” Wilson said. “It's a rare, very, very popular event.”
Hunters won’t be the only ones out enjoying this time of the year. Animal lovers are out enjoying the newborn animals popping up on the island.
“It's a good time to come out and see baby wildlife, but it's also important to remember that it is an island and they're kind of limited to where they can escape,” said Wilson. “So, if we try to impact them too much, or try to get too close, that does impact the wildlife.”
Only antlers shed from Mule Deer are allowed to be harvested on Antelope Island.
The DWR is recommending several changes to how shed hunting takes place across the state, including:
- No seasonal closures for Utah residents regarding shed antler gathering.
- A seasonal closure for non-residents that runs from May 1 to Dec. 31 each year.
- Continuing to require the ethics course for residents and non-residents, and requiring it for any antler gathering between Jan. 1 and May 31 each year. The completion certificate must be carried (either digitally or physically) by the individual while gathering shed antlers.
- Allowing for emergency closures of antler gathering that are triggered by emergency winter feeding. Any closures for shed hunting would be statewide. The only exception for this would be on private land if the shed antlers were interfering with normal agricultural practices.
- Requiring a certification of registration for commercial antler buyers (an individual or entity that purchases shed antlers or shed horns for the purpose of reselling them for financial gain).
- Clarifying the legality of antler markets (allowing people to modify and resell the antler if the antler was obtained legally
