Antlers

[Mike Belt]

OK, just what is it about antlers that is so fascinating and possibly becomes the driving force of many hunters...and has been since man began hunting? It's easy to say that it's my primal heritage handed down from Great, great, great, great, great,",",",",", Grandpa Ugh; the one with all the paintings of massive antlered animals on his cave walls. I don't deny there's some truth to that. But if Grandpa was one of the first hunters around, where'd his primal instinct and heritage come from. Was he simply born with it? I tend to agree that he was; just as I was. No one in my immediate family ever hunted a deer. No one in family generations preceding that did either. So where did that fascination come from?

Antlers don't eat good no matter how long you boil them, they're very uncomfortable to sleep with, you can't bounce them like a ball and they aren't very comforting on a cold winter's eve. But they are beautiful and they are fascinating...and I am fascinated by them. Their color, their shape, their size. I spend money I probably shouldn't pursuing them. I forfeit meals and countless hours. I endure sweltering heat and bone chilling cold. All just to lay my eyes and occasionally, my hands on them.

In today's hunting environment the word antlers seems to raise a few hackles; understandably in some instances. I pay little attention. My fascination with them overrides trivial arguments from all sides and I'd much rather spend my time in pursuit than in persuasion. Their colors, their shapes, their sizes...and I'm unashamed to say I love big antlers and I will never try and defend that. With this said, the number one fascination I have with them is of their owners. Without them this would just be a blank page. Without them there would be a deep void in my soul. In many a soul. Without their knowledge they have and continue to ground and connect me with who and what and where I am. To belong to such a brotherhood is my privilege and honor. The lessons learned in humility and humanity aren't taught in a classroom and they don't come easy. But they are simple. Look. Listen. Learn.

Here's hoping the upcoming season brings you what you're looking for...and then some.

 

[in the dog house]

One thing that goes way back with antlers is using them for tools. Digging, making weapons, survival.

 

[stringtalker]

I like shootn does just as much as bucks, both are trophies to me

 

[Nealmeally]

I'm an antler addict... They scattered all over the house. Every room has at least one antler in it... My wife likes em also. I have a pile of antlers of deer I killed in one room and I need to do something with them. They in the way. And I'm running out of wall room also. Good problem to have though.. I've been fascinated with em and collecting all I can find as long as I can remember..

 

[Shed Hunter]

The answer to your question will vary from person to person. Some see them as useless bones. Some chase after them for a sense of accomplishment. Some feel the story of the true owner and see the beauty within them. To me each antler is an individually crafted work of art. They are the weapons of a majestic warrior. They hold a story that can't be fully told. It can only be felt. When you first grab an antler, whether it be a shed, pickup skull, or a kill, you feel a part of the animal within you. Your curiosity peaks and you want to know more, but you can't. You never will. The animals story will always remain untold, but you have a part of him.

 

[@fulldraw]

The bigger the rack the more hats they hold. Lol

 

[nate17]

The answer to your question will vary from person to person. Some see them as useless bones. Some chase after them for a sense of accomplishment. Some feel the story of the true owner and see the beauty within them. To me each antler is an individually crafted work of art. They are the weapons of a majestic warrior. They hold a story that can't be fully told. It can only be felt. When you first grab an antler, whether it be a shed, pickup skull, or a kill, you feel a part of the animal within you. Your curiosity peaks and you want to know more, but you can't. You never will. The animals story will always remain untold, but you have a part of him.

Solid... Couldn't have said it any better.

 

[MUP]

The answer to your question will vary from person to person. Some see them as useless bones. Some chase after them for a sense of accomplishment. Some feel the story of the true owner and see the beauty within them. To me each antler is an individually crafted work of art. They are the weapons of a majestic warrior. They hold a story that can't be fully told. It can only be felt. When you first grab an antler, whether it be a shed, pickup skull, or a kill, you feel a part of the animal within you. Your curiosity peaks and you want to know more, but you can't. You never will. The animals story will always remain untold, but you have a part of him.

Solid... Couldn't have said it any better.

Very good post MC.

 

[Winchester]

Good posts and I couldn't agree more, Antlers, big Antlers, are a huge driving force and have been for centuries!! I know some don't Horn hunt at all, but let a big massive buck walk out with a group of does and fawns, and when legal there isn't a red blooded man anywhere that wont shoot the buck first!!! Like I said yesterday, if deer dint have antlers hunting them would be no bigger than rabbit hunting is today!

 

[DocT]

speaking of antlers, i can't find mine that i use for rattling.

 

[BSK]

Great posts Mike, Master Chief, and Winchester! I too am fascinated with antlers. I like to look at them, collect them, and hold them in my hands. And the bigger and more unusual the better. The fact I can't explain why I like them so much probably means my fascination with them is deeply instinctive.

All that said, I'm deeply concerned by the growing movement towards measuring ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING about deer hunting against the inches of antler killed. This is a recipe for disaster. If a hunter uses inches of antler killed as the only measure of success and/or skill, hunting outside of the corn belt will never be satisfying or enjoyable, and the art of deer hunting will die.

 

[7mminatree]

Great posts Mike, Master Chief, and Winchester! I too am fascinated with antlers. I like to look at them, collect them, and hold them in my hands. And the bigger and more unusual the better. The fact I can't explain why I like them so much probably means my fascination with them is deeply instinctive.

All that said, I'm deeply concerned by the growing movement towards measuring ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING about deer hunting against the inches of antler killed. This is a recipe for disaster. If a hunter uses inches of antler killed as the only measure of success and/or skill, hunting outside of the corn belt will never be satisfying or enjoyable, and the art of deer hunting will die.

Yep, there is a fine line between stewardship and management and ego's.

 

[Mike Belt]

BSK...Only time will tell.

Antlers are a Catch 22. Hunters' dreams are filled with big antlers. The snap of a twig invites visions of a monster buck's approach. Most hunters go afield with the hope of tagging one... no matter how much they may deny that fact. My concern is the mere mention of antlers striking up a debate or putting one in a defensive position. They are what they are. I'd like to give credit to those that realize that and still love the hunt.

 

[BSK]

Antlers are a Catch 22. Hunters' dreams are filled with big antlers. The snap of a twig invites visions of a monster buck's approach. Most hunters go afield with the hope of tagging one... no matter how much they may deny that fact.

Unquestionably true Mike. I absolutely dream of monster bucks. On the other hand, how I measure "success," and what constitutes a good season, is not based on the harvest of a monster buck. If that was how I measured deer hunting, I would have given up in frustration long ago.

 

[Mike Belt]

We all would have. Still, it's a driving factor whether it be unrealistic or not.

 

[BSK]

We all would have. Still, it's a driving factor whether it be unrealistic or not.

I would call it more of a "hope." I don't realistically expect to ever kill another "monster" buck (by TN standards). But I still love to hunt. I hunt because I love doing it, not because of what I might someday kill. Now you could always take examples to the extreme, and find a point where I would no longer be interested because of antler size, but in today's reality, I'm not out there hunting BECAUSE I hope to kill a monster.

 

[Deer Assassin]

I like shootn does just as much as bucks, both are trophies to me

ditto

i know ill never kill another 180 plus deer in tn but that would never stop me from going again

 

[Realtree]

I love the game of it. Trying to out smart the mature bucks and most the time they win and it makes you wanna go that much more.

 

[Recoil]

Well said, sir.

 

[BHC]

I would agree in fascinated with antlers, but really I'm just fascinated with deer and nature.. Antlers are what make a buck unique, and qualify him as a trophy. But for me it's really just about being out in nature trying to remain unnoticed by the creatures around me... It's about the intensity, and anticipation... It's amazing how I can go from bored out of my mind to trembling with an adrenaline rush in about .5 seconds... It's also about fellowship with friends and family, maybe a little snack talk or raggin here and there... But I do love to look at those antlers.. And really the thing is, it's the antlers that create most of the excitement behind everything I love about hunting.., if they had none I don't think I would enjoy it half as much... It would take it down to possibly even below turkey hunting on my list...

 

[W.Seay]

I hunt because of big antlers! If big antlers didn't exist, I would not deer hunt. Great post Mike!

 

[catman529]

I love shooting does, and antlers are not the main reason I deer hunt, but I will admit there is something about a big rack that is exciting and will make you go crazy about a buck you want to kill. If I didn't like antlers I wouldn't have them all over my wall... only 3 of the racks on my wall are ones I killed, two are matched sheds, two are skulls of monster bucks I just found in the woods, and I have a whole shelf piled with sheds. Something in the human brain loves big antlers and horns for sure.

Here's a hypothetical question...sometimes I wonder how one would think of killing a monster buck if NOBODY else in the world cared about antlers. Say you killed a 190" buck with a bow and nobody cares about the rack so you don't have anything to brag about more than you would killing a doe. Would the antlers still mean the same to you? I can't answer the question myself because I really don't know... I definitely do love the big non typical racks whether or not I killed em, that's why I have two giants I did not kill on my wall, not to show off and brag about, but because I love looking at em.

 

[BSK]

catman529,

I don't kill bucks to show them off. I kill them for myself. So yes, I would still be fascinated with antlers even if I had no one to show them to.

 

[Mike Belt]

Same here. I think I'd still be just as fascinated with them if I was the only hunter in the world.

 

[W.Seay]

I like big antlers for me, I don't care if anybody else knows about them or not.

 

[Winchester]

Agreed, its not what anyone else thinks about the rack, its me who loves the big racks and yes I would hunt them just like I do now even if I was never allowed to show them to anyone. Now take the rack away, and I would still deer hunt, but with about as much enthusiasm as I do when rabbit hunting!

 

[kknights27]

Yea. Dont hunt for what everybody else will be impressed with, hunt for yourself, and what you want, long as its legal. I havent killed many deer. I get shaky seeing a deer of any sex or size, while hunting. Antlers do get the blood moving a bit more though.

 

[BSK]

I havent killed many deer. I get shaky seeing a deer of any sex or size, while hunting. Antlers do get the blood moving a bit more though.

Don't worry kknights27, the above situation never changes, no matter how many deer you've killed. I've killed a couple of truckloads--literally--and my heart still jumps when I see a doe! Antlers just make it worse!

 

[DaveB]

I started deer hunting in 1967. First time I saw a deer was in 1970. I don't feel any different when I see one today. My Heartbeats pick up, BP goes up a tick or two, and I get ready to make a killing shot. Doe buck no difference.

 

[Mike Belt]

With a bow in my hands a doe will give me the shakes. With a gun in my hands I'm pretty steady until I see big antlers. Then I'm trembling inside but steady on the outside. After the shot I'm shaking all over.