Want to gather shed antlers from Jan. 1 through May 31? Take the free, mandatory ethics course

SALT LAKE CITY — Gathering shed antlers or horns from many big game species, including deer, elk and moose, is a popular pastime in Utah. But before you head outdoors to collect shed antlers during the next few months, you must complete the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources' Antler Gathering Ethics course — and the dates the course is required have recently changed.

After dropping their antlers each winter, male deer, elk and moose will grow a new set of antlers starting in spring. Looking for the shed antlers is a fun activity that many Utah families enjoy. However, late winter and early spring are tough times of the year for deer, elk and moose, which is why the educational ethics course is required if you want to go "shed hunting" between Jan. 1 and May 31. (Previously, taking the course was only required for those collecting shed antlers between Feb. 1 and April 15. In May 2024, the Utah Wildlife Board approves 2024 big game hunting permits, changes to shed antler gathering.)

"During winter, big game animals, especially deer, often have a difficult time obtaining enough nutritional food," DWR Once-In-A-Lifetime Species Coordinator Rusty Robinson said. "As a result, they often survive on fat reserves they have built up before winter. If the animals receive constant pressure from people and repeatedly have to run or move, they can use up the fat reserves and energy they need to make it through the winter. Being disturbed briefly once or twice isn't too significant, but we have over 20,000 people who routinely shed hunt in Utah each year, so ongoing, repeated disturbances can be detrimental to deer."

From late winter through early spring, the habitat that big game animals rely on is usually wet, which means it's more at risk for damage. The free antler gathering ethics course can help you learn how to minimize stress to wildlife and also how to avoid damaging their habitats during this critical time of year.

Completing the course is mandatory if you want to gather shed antlers from Jan. 1 to May 31, and it must be completed each year. However, if you wait until after May 31 to gather antlers, you don't need to complete the course. You can find the free 2025 course on the DWR website. About 20,000 people take the mandatory course each year to look for shed antlers in Utah.

After you finish the course, you must either:

• Store the certificate of completion in the Utah Hunting and Fishing app
• Print your certificate of completion and carry it with you in the field while "shed hunting"

People who haven't taken the mandatory Antler Gathering Ethics course or who are detected harassing protected wildlife may be cited by DWR conservation officers.

Areas where you can't collect shed antlers

Completing the course and having the certificate of completion with you allows you to gather antlers in many locations across Utah. However, some notable exceptions include:

• Wildlife management areas: Many of the state's wildlife management areas are closed in the winter and spring to protect animals and their habitat. Double-check for any closures before entering a WMA to gather shed antlers. You can find a Wildlife/Waterfowl Management Areas (WMAs) and any seasonal closures on the DWR website.
• Private property: You must have written permission from the landowner before gathering antlers on private land.
• Native American lands, national parks and many national monuments are also closed to gathering antlers or horns.

Commercial shed hunting in Utah

In May, the Utah Wildlife Board also approved a new law designating that legally obtained Gathering shed antlers or horns may be purchased or sold at any time in a whole or altered state. However, a certificate of registration — a document that authorizes a particular activity — is required for commercial antler buyers. A "commercial antler buyer" is defined as an individual or entity that buys shed antlers or horns to resell them for financial gain. This new rule does not apply to shed hunters who pick up shed antlers off the ground and then sell them to an antler buyer.

Reporting "deadheads"

If you find a skull with the antlers or horns still attached (often referred to as a "deadhead"), that animal could have been poached. Do not pick up or move the skull or disturb footprints or other evidence at the scene. Instead, you should report it through the Utah Deadhead Reporter app, which was DWR releases new app for reporting ‘deadheads’ to increase efficiency, to increase the efficiency of those reports.

You will need to download the app when you have cellphone service, but once downloaded, you can submit a report from the field even without cellphone service. To submit a report on the app, you will need to include:

• Your DWR customer ID
• A GPS location of the skull
• Photos of the animal and surrounding scene
• Other important details

Conservation officers often let the person who reported the find keep the antlers if they determine that the animal died of natural causes or other non-suspicious circumstances.

For more information about gathering shed antlers in Utah, call the Contact the Division of Wildlife Resources.