Shed Hunting for Antler Chandeliers
Our artists here at The Peak antler Company have had many fun and interesting stories in the last 20 years of creating custom antler chandeliers and antler furniture. Recently, a customer inquired about using antler sheds she had collected over the years. We incorporate our clients’ own shed antlers all the time and love to do so. Some cases it may be best for us to purchase the shed antlers as credit towards a new antler lighting piece or antler furniture order. This time we were able to use many of the original antlers from the customer’s shed hunting and fill in a few gaps with other antlers from our stock. Our clients wanted a small farmhouse style mule deer antler chandelier for a dining room, for her 70th birthday present.
Shed Antlers From Local Mule Deer:
The fun part of the story comes when we meet with them to lay out their antlers for the chandelier. The customers have been shed hunting on their property from the same herd of deer since the early 2000’s. They’ve seen these bucks grow up over the years and discovered their shedding patterns. With years of watching this herd she playfully named the deer and tracked the sheds to each buck and labeled the antlers. “King” was the leader of the herd and has passed away recently. There are also several years of sheds from “Wylie”. The antlers are distinct to the deer, although all mule deer antlers look similar, a watchful eye can distinguish the pattern variations.
We were able to keep the names on each antler used to honor the sentimental value of each antler shed. Truly a memorable piece we are excited to be able to be a part of.
If you are interested in antler shed hunting there are many resources available. Here is a great article from Outdoor Life noting specific things to look for when deer antler shed hunting:
4 Shed Hunting Experts Told Us Their Strategy for Finding Antlers
Want to find more shed deer antlers? Take notes from these regional experts
“Individual bucks have distinct shedding patterns. I once found three years of sheds from a single buck all lying almost on top of each other. And where I find one shed, it’s a good bet that there will be more in the same 400-yard radius. I think it’s because they find these little microclimates to spend the winter in, and because they’re not getting bumped, they group up and stay in those areas for weeks or months.” Locale: Northeastern Montana. Source: Elliott Garfield, longtime deer and elk hunter in Missouri River Breaks and Montana’s Hi-Line
