A shed antler makes a lovely perch

Pictured here is an antler that has dropped from the head of a whitetail deer buck. After finding this antler I placed it conspicuously on some rocks in order to get a good photo. Waiting several minutes before moving on proved beneficial as an inquisitive titmouse flew down to investigate, thus giving a sense of perspective as to the size of the antler.

A whitetail deer's antlers will fall off its head sometime during winter. Usually both antlers do not fall at the same time or in the same place. Finding one 'shed' does not mean you will easily find the buck's other antler. The second one may fall days later in a more remote place such as maybe in water while the deer crossed a stream.

Always obtain permission from a landowner before hunting for sheds on his/her property.

Often an antler will be shaken off when a buck makes a big jump when crossing a ditch or a fence. If you go looking for sheds these are good places to examine. Another good place to look is on a south-facing hillside close to a farm field. Deer naturally like to bed on south-facing hillsides during winter because the sun keeps the south side warmer and cold northwesterly wind is less severe there.

Mice and squirrels will slowly gnaw away a shed antler if they find one in the woods.

Through the Woods is a weekly nature photo column by Aaron Horrell. Find this column at semissourian.com to order a reprint of the photo. Find more work by Aaron at The Painted Wren Gallery.