Shed horn season is quickly approaching and in order to hunt for sheds individuals must take an educational course and obtain a certificate of completion. Castle Country Radio was able to speak over the telephone with Conservation Outreach Manager, Aaron Bott who spoke about the details.
“If folks want to get out and go shed hunting between February 1 and April 15 you actually have to take this ethics course offered on our website https://wildlife.utah.gov/ you have to take this ethics course that basically instructs people to be mindful and courteous of wildlife especially at this time of year,” said Bott. Completing the course is mandatory if you want to gather shed antlers from February 1 through April 15. If you wait until after April 15 to gather antlers, you don’t need to complete the course.
Folks are strongly encouraged to not disrupt deer/elk when out shed horn hunting. “Again, we really encourage people to please be mindful of the wildlife. It’s just a hard time of year for them so where every possible give them a break. Those antlers will come down, and the more mileage you put in in the backcountry the more success you’ll have. So just give them a break and I guarantee you’ll have some fun if you put in the mileage,” explained Bott. From February 1 to April 15, you must have an antler-gathering certificate on your person while collecting shed antlers or horns. It’s important to remember that the certificate does not authorize you to trespass on closed areas or private lands to collect shed antlers or horns.
The DWR office asks that while folks are out in the backcountry to be their eyes and ears. “The hunts are just about all done and people are really only having this opportunity to get out and go shed hunting. It’s nice to have folks looking around and if they see anything suspicious or find a dead animal that looks like it may have been poached, you can call that in and report to us, and we’ll come and investigate,” said Bott. Individuals who see something are urged to call the local DWR office or text 87411 to report anything illegal.
The local DWR office will be hosting a Fly-Tying Clinic on February 4, however, at this time the class is full and is closed. The DWR plans to upload the clinic so that individuals will have an opportunity to watch it online, should be made available mid-February. “We’ve got several videographers from the division coming to help us out. We’re going to get some close-ups of how to tie at least three basic fly patterns and then we’re going to share this with the public. It will be on your YouTube channel and we hope to get that out by the middle of February at the latest. You should be able to get online and learn how to tie some basic flies that are great for this area,” said Bott.
To keep informed on DWR please visit their website at https://wildlife.utah.gov/ or their Facebook page.