On a spring day in April 2023, a wildlife organization in Wyoming, USA, accidentally discovered a pile of antlers while patrolling in the wild.
The antlers were piled up in a hidden corner and covered with branches, seemingly deliberately hidden.
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When the staff counted it, there were 40 antlers, which was an astonishing number!
Could it be that someone is illegally poaching deer in the reserve?
Weeks of local investigation eventually led to the targeting of a man named Jonathan Lee Cox, who later confessed that the antlers were his.
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In addition to these, he admitted to reselling a total of 454 kilograms of antlers with a street value of more than $18,000.
In the end, the man was fined $6,000, banned from public lands in Wyoming, and prohibited from participating in any other hunting activities for three years.
“40 antlers, this is the penalty?!” Regarding this result, many people will think that the penalty is too light.
But in fact, contrary to our conventional thinking, this man did not actually harm the animals during this poaching.
These antlers are actually shed by the deer themselves, and the man only collects and trades them illegally.
Antlers: grow and fall off every year
For deer, antlers are consumables. Most species grow one and then shed one each year, making it the most economically valuable part of a deer's body.
Generally, only male deer have horns, and only a few female deer, such as female reindeer, have horns on their heads.
Take elk, for example. Elks reach sexual maturity after they are 2 years old. Before looking for a mate, two specific locations on the top of the deer's head, also called deer pedicles, will grow upwards with tissue rich in flesh and blood.
The antlers at this time are actually the deer antlers we are more familiar with, which are relatively soft and covered with furry hair.
Deer antler, essentially, is a piece of “meat” from a deer. It is fed by the body's blood and grows very quickly.
Once they reach their full size, the antlers harden. The original cartilage tissue is replaced by hard bone tissue, and the furry fur of the antlers will fall off, revealing the unique color of the bones.
At this time, it is still very scary to look at the fur that has not yet fallen off and it is hanging on the horns.
It starts to fall off from November to December every year, and it only takes 4-8 months to grow into a large antler that weighs more than 20 pounds and is tens of centimeters in length. At its peak, the antlers can grow 2.5 centimeters per day.
It can be seen that how much energy is required to support the growth of such huge antlers, with two on each head!
But for the deer, the investment is worth it.
Because during the breeding season, antlers are the best “endorsement” for a male deer.
Having large antlers means that you are in good health and have extra energy to support the antlers. It also means that you have a greater genetic advantage, which helps attract the favor of females.
And when competing with other males, antlers are also the best weapons, and their resistance against other predators is also leveraged.
shake off antlers
After the breeding season, the huge antlers lose their ability to attract the opposite sex, and the time begins to enter early winter, which is a season full of challenges for animals.
Perhaps out of self-preservation, they stopped providing antlers during a period of scarcity, or perhaps because they felt it was too burdensome, the stag's antlers would fall off on their own as long as they shook.
A bloody wound will be left on the head, which will heal automatically after a while, and new antlers will begin to grow again at this location.
Antler hunters can create a career worth hundreds of thousands of dollars a year
Deer antlers are a very popular ornament in the United States and are allowed to be bought and sold.
In history, it frequently appeared on the headdress of specific ceremonies. It was also a hunting trophy that Americans were proud of. They would hang the large and exaggerated antlers together with the deer head in their houses for decoration. Antlers are made into knife handles, harnesses, buttons, lamps and other accessories.
In recent years, it has become popular to turn antlers into dog chew toys because dogs like antlers.
Americans' love for antlers can be seen in the price they sell for.
In 2017, 1 pound sold for US$10. In 2023, the price increased to US$15, and the top product was US$18 (almost US$40/kg).
Antlers generally weigh between 3-9 pounds, but larger ones can reach 20 pounds. As a rough estimate, a pair of high-quality antlers will cost you nearly $1,000.
Some serious antler enthusiasts bid higher in order to collect the best antlers for decoration. They are willing to pay $1,500 for a pair of antlers and tens of thousands of dollars for an animal carcass with antlers.
The high demand, coupled with the fact that antlers grow and take off, gave rise to the antler hunters.
Ben Dettamanti is an experienced antler hunter. According to himself, he can earn US$20,000 from selling antlers every year.
At the same time, he is still running his own self-media account, where he shares his story of collecting antlers. The self-media can also bring him more than 80,000 US dollars in income.
When antler hunters swarm into wild deer habitats, chaos ensues.
The peak season for antler collection is during the winter, when large numbers of hunters roam the preserve, putting a lot of pressure on the deer.
It is already difficult to survive in winter, as there is less food to eat, and coupled with the pressure brought by humans, the birth rate of deer will decrease in the coming year, and in severe cases, deer will become weak and die.
What’s even more exaggerated is,Some hunters will use a rope to hook the antlers and use the rope to pull them off before they fall off naturally.
Therefore, the regulations on collecting antlers are now very strict in every state in the United States.
Basically every place has a “closed season.” Colorado and Wyoming prohibit the collection of antlers in specific areas from January 1 to April 30, and this year's antler hunting activities are about to begin.
During opening hours, if you want to pick up antlers, some places require you to pass an “examination” and obtain a license.
But in national parks and protected areas, taking away antlers is never allowed.
Because these antlers can only be collected and auctioned by agencies that manage these animals, the money raised from the auction will continue to be invested in animal protection.
So, if you want to ask: If you see a deer antler in the wild, can you pick it up and take it home?
The answer is: think twice before you act!
This is only allowed during the open period and in areas where collecting antlers is allowed. Otherwise, it is illegal and you may face heavy fines and imprisonment.
However, there are always people taking risks for profit!
Two stags with their antlers intertwined
at last
Deer antlers also have one of the biggest uses in our country, which is medicinal use.
Immature deer antlers, deer antlers, are considered a valuable traditional Chinese medicine, especially the young antlers, which are known as the “treasure of treasures”.
The antlers that fall off automatically have no medicinal value, so some farms will cut off the antlers with a knife before they grow.
Unlike mature deer antlers that fall off automatically, the acquisition of deer antlers can only be bloody and painful, because deer antlers themselves are made of flesh, blood and nerves.
However, now that technology has advanced, deer that undergo antler cutting surgery will not die in pain on the spot, nor will they be unable to survive due to lack of antlers in the later stage.
There are many unscrupulous businesses who, in order to sell their own products, always avoid important matters and confuse right and wrong in publicity.
“The deer doesn’t feel pain when the antler is cut.”
“Cutting the antler has little effect on the deer. It will fall off anyway and will grow back next year.”
Some even say it's for the deer's benefit.
“The antlers are cut off to help the deer, because the deer is likely to get caught in the antlers and be unable to move, and eventually die.”
I just want to say that when it comes to taking deer antlers, it is an established fact that humans have harmed deer. If you can't stop it, don't cover it up and beautify it.
Editor in charge: Shang Shangwen Q