Hikers roam fossil park searching for hidden antlers

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Cody Dalton of Cedar Falls is a bonafide bone collector.

So it was no surprise that Dalton and his nature-seeking crew of three made the hour-long trek up to Floyd County on Saturday afternoon to take part in the Fossil and Prairie Park’s shed deer antler hunt.

The second annual hunt saw around 20 interested hikers traverse the 60 acres of snow-covered native prairie grass looking for antlers strategically placed by Floyd County Conservation staff.

Naturalist Heidi Reams led a 20-minute informational session about various aspects of deer antlers and where one can usually find them.

“This year I had a lot more people that what I would call a serious shed antler hunter,” said Reams. “I think they just look for a new place or a new experience to be able to do it.”

Whether they were tines up or tines down, all 10 antlers were found tucked away along fence lines, buried in the snow or resting along a deer trail in the park just outside Rockford.

Dalton said he relished the opportunity to go searching for the antlers – which has developed into a serious hobby of his.

“We are hardcore bone collectors. We love it. That’s what I do,” said Dalton.

Dalton drove up from Black Hawk County with his friend Tangela Green. His other buddy, Austin Harris, made the haul up north from Grundy Center.

The trio came up empty in their quest for antlers, but they didn’t seem to mind as they thoroughly enjoyed the mid-30s temperatures and pleasant winter day stomping through the snow.

“This is my first time up here. We do a lot of travelling when it comes to this time of season and mushroom hunting. It keeps us out of trouble. It’s something that we all get to enjoy as a group,” said Dalton.

Dalton said three years ago his same group found 129 antlers over the course of a year. He rarely sells the antlers he finds. Instead he keeps them in his house – all 155 of them currently, of which 25 are matching sets.

“They’re sitting in our bedroom,” smiled Green.

Dalton said he has had interested parties drive from Wyoming and Montana to purchase them – one of them shelling out $1,500 for his coveted antlers.

But that’s not why he’s into the sport – if you want to call it that.

“We are very hardcore. We walk a lot of miles and a lot of hills,” said Dalton.

Dalton is a sort of deer whisperer, where he interacts with the deer and watches them closely. He monitors their movement, noticing their patterns of behavior and the physical changes that take place within the herd.

Dalton and his friends have been hunting shed antlers for about five years. Dalton also described how he has been keeping tabs on a prized buck near his property with a 10-point rack that has ballooned in size from one year to the next. The rack, which featured 7-inch brow tines on the top of the deer’s skull, spanned 100 inches last year but may have protruded out to 145 inches the last time he saw the magnificent animal.

“Our deer population in Iowa is spectacular. We’ve got some of the best deer in the United States,” Dalton added. “It’s beautiful up here. The terrain for all this wildlife — they’ve got it all for turkeys, deer, pheasants, geese, ducks.”

Dalton also brought with him several antlers and one matching set so folks who attended the hunt could see the impressive finds.

“From the time that they start growing, we watch and see how they blow up,” said Dalton.

While hunters couldn’t keep the conservation department’s antlers they discovered on Saturday, they did receive a Floyd County Conservation bag by showing Reams their buried treasure found in the snow. All 10 of the department’s antlers had a turquoise ring around the bottom.

Danelle Stadtlander brought her son, Gunner Balek, over from Mason City to make a day of it at the Fossil and Prairie Center.

Balek, who is a third-grader at Hoover Elementary, was part of a kindergarten class when he was younger that went on a field trip to the fossil park.

Stadtlander is a volunteer with the school who helped organize the day trip to Floyd County. The highlight of the day is trying to find the fossils – which are a petrified form of an impression that is molded into rock in a process that can take millions of years. She also brings Gunner to the park every year for a picnic in the summer.

Stadtlander and Gunner found two antlers – one almost by accident.

“I actually almost stepped on the other one on the trail over here,” said Stadtlander.

Stadtlander said she loves looking for buried treasures with Gunner, whether it’s sea glass, coins, shells, rocks or in this case, antlers.

“You never know what you might find,” said Stadtlander.

What’s the secret to finding antlers out in the wild?

Dalton has your answer.

“Just never give up. You can walk and walk and walk and not find something. It’s called shed huntin’ – not picking up antlers. That’s the thing,” said Dalton. “Even if we don’t find anything, it’s just cool seeing the kids get out.”

Dalton said the many hunts that he will go on this year take time, preparation and dedication. He also has made lamps out of some of his antlers. He is interested in making knives out of some of his other collection as well.

“I try not to sell my antlers. It’s a sentimental thing,” said Dalton. “It’s a good addiction.”

Reams said male deer will shed antlers right after the rut, which can take place in early fall and the first part of winter. She said does will keep their antlers up until spring, the reason being they are then better equipped to forage for food by removing the snow from what they are looking for.

Stress can limit antler growth, Reams said. But the maximum antler growth for a buck is around five to seven years. Antlers can grow up to a quarter of an inch in a day or as much as half an inch in a week, Reams added.

“Antlers are one of the fastest growing tissues in the body,” said Reams.

Reams stated antler strength is two-and-a-half times stronger than bone.

“An antler can withstand six times the strength of our femur,” said Reams. “That’s how they can get in those big battles and it takes a lot of torque or strength to actually break one off.”

Velvet will grow on the bucks’ antlers prior to the rut. It will dry up and shed when testosterone levels rise during the peak rut season. The velvet is comprised of a system of blood vessels and nerves. During the rut, deer will mark their territory by rubbing or scraping on trees. The scent gland on the forehead leaves an odorous pheromone on the object it rubs on.

“Once that velvet is gone it allows muscle memory, so that’s how they can maneuver through the woods without getting tangled up,” Reams added.

Reams said the best way to find deer antlers is to put yourselves in their shoes.

“You just have to kind of think like a deer, so to speak,” laughed Reams.