Wouldn’t it be great if you knew how much your Deer shed antlers are worth? Antlers that are smooth and white are more likely to hold sentimental value in your house than they would be worth on the market.
Antlers can be obtained relatively cheaply in North America because of the high deer population.
How Much Are Deer Sheds Worth? There is typically a price difference of $12 to $16 per pound for antlers from brown elk. Chalk costs $1 to $3 per pound, while hard whites cost $8 to $11 per pound. Hard whites will cost $6 to $8 per pound, and chalks will cost $1 to $2 per pound for brown deer sheds.
Furthermore, in this article on Huntingmonitor, I will tell you How Much deer sheds are Worth and what factors increase their selling value.
How Much Do Shed Antlers Sell For?
You can find a single fresh shed bull elk antler worth up to $320, with a full-size bull antler weighing up to 20 pounds.
Primary Factors to Consider Antler’s Value
Below, we will cover six primary factors that determine a shed’s or antler’s value.
Timing
During the months of February to June, antlers are in high demand. It may not make a huge difference when you sell antlers online since other factors are more important.
There are fewer buyers in times of lower competition, and prices are likely to be higher. You can advertise antlers on Craigslist or eBay; many buyers will offer lower prices and want antlers all year.
Species
Antler’s value varies based on its species. You will unlikely find a few whitetail sheds worth as much as a single moose paddle simply due to its weight.
As with anything else on the market, antlers’ base prices can fluctuate constantly based on demand.
Size
The size of your antlers will determine how much money you can earn. Racks with larger dimensions are obviously worth more.
A trophy-sized rack will sell for much more than a smaller rack, and record racks are particularly valuable.
A base price per pound is less relevant at that point than the demand from collectors. According to antler buyer Jared Steele, whitetail racks larger than 200 inches are worth $400.
Symmetry
A set of antlers that mirrors one another usually commands a higher price. Check out the antlers in typical sheds to see if they match. The value of antlers that aren’t typical varies depending on their appearance.
Location
Antlers are also sold based on location. Shipping antlers to another location usually will get you better prices than selling them in an area where the species is abundant. Also, read How to Read Topo Maps for Deer Hunting.
You could make a healthy profit by moving them far away from their native ranges. When you buy or sell online, you should keep this in mind. Before selling antler sheds you should know how to find deer antler sheds in the woods.
You may not get the same price from a seller in Vermont as you would from one in Arizona when you are looking to buy antlers from a mule deer.
Freshness and Conditions
In general, faded white antlers are harder to sell than fresh brown sheds. In most cases, this is due to their high demand, strength, and aesthetic appeal over white antlers.
Keeping brown antlers away from the sunlight in dark, cool places is recommended. Don’t rough up your sheds too much if you want to keep their value. Damaged antlers are less valuable.
Quality of Shed Antlers
When it comes to determining a shed’s price, you should consider the quality of its antlers first. The antler price will fluctuate based on the quality of the antler, both from deer and elk. Antlers are graded, weighed, and then valued based on their value.
Shed Antlers Types
Several types of shed antlers exist, including brown, hard white, and chalk. It is not unusual for shed antlers to be graded by these three categories, although you may find subgrades to each.
There is a difference between fresh brown antlers and hard white and chalk antlers in terms of value and price.
Considering brown antlers are the freshest any antlers have ever been found, they are worth the most.
It is believed that these antlers were dropped by a deer or elk a year ago. It is the brown antlers of both deer and elk that are in demand at the highest prices.
Antlers have been laid out for many years and have turned white over time as a result of sunlight. Despite their faded and weathered appearance, there are only a few chips, chew marks, or cracks on these antlers.
Too many cracks or chips in hard whites can lower grades of chalk. The most common kind of antler has chalk markings and feels rough to the touch because they have been weathered and faded.
Chalk is derived from the chalky texture and feel of these antlers. The least valuable grade of shed antlers is chalk antlers that have been lying on the ground for at least three years.
Why Are Shed Antlers Worth The Money?
As more uses are discovered for elk and deer antlers, their prices have risen. Taxidermists can use large or unique sheds for their creations or display them in collections.
There are many people who like to decorate their homes or even use antlers as furniture out of their antlers. You can use antlers to decorate your home and yard with lamps, chandeliers, and chairs.
Antlers can be eaten despite the common belief among hunters that they are not edible. Most sheds exported every year to China and other Asian markets, where they are used in traditional medicine, are also cut into dog treats and chews.
In ancient times, antlers were used for medicinal purposes. Some Asian countries still grind antlers and use them as medicine to treat arthritis and joints, mainly by treating them with antler powder.
Deer and elk shed antlers are in high demand because of all these different uses and increasing prices. These antlers do not harm the animal since they shed naturally. Renewable resources like this are a true blessing!
Pricing Elk vs. Deer Sheds
Elk and deer sheds are sold by weight and not graded before the sale. At the time of sale, you will notice that each species has a different price.
Because of the demand for elk antlers, they also sell for more per pound than deer antlers, not only because they weigh more but also because they are more valuable.
The larger size and difficulty of finding deer sheds make elk sheds less desirable than deer sheds. A few dollars are usually charged more per pound for elk sheds in order to compensate for this. You can use the best rangefinder binoculars or best budget rangefinders to find deer or deer sheds easily.
In the case of average or small antlers that will eventually be removed, there are few differences between the sheds of mule deer and whitetails. The prices per pound for each grade of deer will remain the same regardless of the species.
