Hunters collect antlers, leave heads intact

0 Comments | USA TODAY, May, 2008 | by Jeff DeLong

Racks can make lucrative prizes for hobbyists, but some harass animals to shed

For people such as Cooper Munson and Chelise Crookshanks, the mountains of eastern Nevada offer not only rugged solitude, but a potential bony bonanza.

It's a place they go shed hunting -- roaming in search of antlers shed by deer and elk during the winter and spring. They can sell the racks for up to $20 per pound or fashion them into craft items such as lamps and candleholders.

"It's a hobby," Munson said. "I just love being in the outdoors and getting out with friends and family."

Munson and Crookshanks are getting company, some of it bad company.

Wildlife officials in Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Montana and Wyoming say shed hunting is increasing in...