[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/lost-never-found-antlers\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/lost-never-found-antlers\/","headline":"Lost & Never Found Antlers","name":"Lost & Never Found Antlers","description":"Do you ever wonder what happens to all the shed antlers out there that go unfound?\u00a0 As a shed hunter,...","datePublished":"2015-02-16","dateModified":"2018-11-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Featured-Image-e1430847436107.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Featured-Image-e1430847436107.jpg","height":405,"width":633},"video":{"message":"Forbidden"},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/lost-never-found-antlers\/","about":["News"],"wordCount":641,"keywords":["News"],"articleBody":"Do you ever wonder what happens to all the shed antlers out there that go unfound?\u00a0 As a shed hunter, it drives me crazy just thinking about it.\u00a0 I wish there was some kind of super shed finding gadget . . .\u00a0 something similar to a thermal imaging gun, only it would light up shed antlers.\u00a0 Unfortunately, there isn\u2019t.\u00a0 Thus, any sheds unseen by the human eye forgo the course of Mother Nature\u2026and by that, I mean squirrels and other antler chewing critters.Gosh, do squirrels ever drive me nuts (pun intended)!\u00a0 You spot an antler from your #1 buck laying off in the distance, only to find all the tips have been chewed off once you pick it up.\u00a0 Depending upon where they are dropped, squirrels and other rodents can make quick work of freshly cast antlers.\u00a0 To them, it\u2019s like finding a mineral gold mine!What animals are the most likely to chew on shed antlers?Squirrels, porcupines, mice, chipmunks, ground hogs, rabbits, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, dogs, and even deer have all been witnessed munching on antlers.\u00a0 Of those, I would say squirrels, porcupines, raccoons and mice are the most prevalent antler shavers and crunchers.The antler eater in question will be contingent on the location and habitat type of where the shed antler was dropped.\u00a0 For instance, if an antler falls off in a wooded area or near a tree line, squirrels are likely to be first on scene.\u00a0 \u00a0On the flip side, if an antler was dropped in the middle of a prairie or CRP field, mice are usually the first to start nibbling away.\u00a0Why do animals chew on antlers?It\u2019s just what they do, right?\u00a0 Maybe, but there\u2019s more to it than that.\u00a0 For those critters, running into an antler on the ground is like us walking into a GNC store or a deer finding a Trophy Rock station. \u00a0Containing nearly 20% calcium, 10% phosphorus, and dozens of other minerals, sheds are nature\u2019s supplemental vitamin power packs.\u00a0 Not only are they a huge source of calcium and phosphorus, but they also serve to shave down the ever growing teeth of rodents.Antlers Plowed UnderAnother thought I commonly have while walking or driving past crop fields is,\u00a0how many sheds are laying out there that will be tilled under this spring?\u00a0 It\u2019s an impossible figure to calculate, but it seems like it\u2019s not all that uncommon to hear about a farmer puncturing a tractor tire because they ran over a shed antler.\u00a0 If antlers find tires that often, just imagine how many the plow buries.This is one of the more expensive ways to find sheds. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Photo credit: Nathan PadenIn the end, there’s only one way to stop this lost and never found shed antler epidemic . . . hike more miles. "},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/lost-never-found-antlers\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Lost & Never Found Antlers"}}]}]