{"id":1303,"date":"2016-03-17T04:00:25","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T08:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/?p=1303"},"modified":"2016-03-17T04:00:25","modified_gmt":"2016-03-17T08:00:25","slug":"antler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/antler\/","title":{"rendered":"Antler"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Quite recently I made two bolt-action rifle pens for some cousins of mine, by marriage, who live in Missouri. While I am not a hunter and in fact have never fired a weapon, my cousins grew up hunting deer, among other things I would imagine, so while the pen design and material didn’t appeal to me personally, the idea of a gift is that it suit the recipient, not nessarily the maker or the giver.<\/p>\n
The pens finished very nicely I think and I am pleased with the results, and surprising to me, I am quite willing to work with antler again in the future.<\/p>\n
Antlers are extensions of the skull grown by members of the deer family. They are true bone structures that usually grow in symmetrical pairs. In most species, only the male grows antlers and their primary function is to increase his likelihood of sexual selection by attracting females or helping him fight other males. In many temperate zone species, antlers are shed and regrown each year.<\/p>\n
Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle. While an antler is growing, it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone. Antlers grow faster than any other mammal bone. Growth occurs at the tip, and is initially cartilage, which is later replaced by bone tissue. Once the antler has achieved its full size, the velvet is lost and the antler’s bone dies. This dead bone structure is the mature antler. In most cases the antlers fall off at some point. As a result of their fast growth rate, antlers are considered a handicap since there is an immense nutritional demand on deer to re-grow antlers annually. Antler size can, therefore, be a very accurate indicator of disease and nutritional status, i.e. larger antlers often indicate a healthier animal.<\/p>\n
Antlered heads are prized as trophies—the bigger, the better. The first organization to keep records of sizes was Rowland Ward Ltd., a London taxidermy firm, in the early 20th century. In the middle of the century, the Boone and Crockett Club<\/a> and the Safari Club International<\/a> developed complex scoring systems based on various dimensions and the number of tines or points, and they keep extensive records of high-scoring antlers.<\/p>\n Gathering shed antlers or “sheds” attracts dedicated practitioners who refer to it colloquially as shed hunting, or bone picking. In the United States, the middle of December to the middle of February is considered shed hunting season, when deer, elk, and moose begin to shed. The North American Shed Hunting Club<\/a>, founded in 1991, is an organization for those who take part in this activity.<\/p>\n In the United States sheds fetch around US$10 per pound, with larger specimens in good condition attracting higher prices. However, the above is a wholesale price; antler retails for up to $36 a pound through wood-turning suppliers which sell the antlers to pen makers.<\/p>\n The most desirable antlers have been found soon after being shed. The value is reduced if they have been damaged by weathering or being gnawed by small animals. A matched pair from the same animal is a very desirable find but often antlers are shed separately and may be separated by several miles. Some enthusiasts for shed hunting use trained dogs to assist them. Most hunters will follow ‘game trails’ (trails where deer frequently run) to find these sheds or they will build a shed trap to collect the loose antlers in the late winter\/early spring.<\/p>\n In most US States, the possession of or trade in parts of game animals is subject to some degree of regulation. But the trade in antlers is widely permitted. In the national parks of Canada, the removal of shed antlers is an offense punishable by a maximum fine of $25,000 CAD. A reason for making this an offense is that removing shed antlers can deprive small animals of a valuable nutrient source.<\/p>\nAntler Collecting<\/h2>\n