...shed hunting

Shed hunters ready for an afternoon in the boreal forest. Each hoping to get the $50 offered for finding a shed moose antler.

There have been other critters in the area. Hopefully they're still hibernating.

On the trail of shed moose antlers.

Moose were definitely in the area. This is what they do to trees when they are very hungry and want to reach the branches at the top. Most of the small trees in the area looked like this.

The youngest shed hunter in our family tromping through the snow.

In the spring, summer, and fall moose keep their antlers right on top of their heads. But, in the middle of winter they shed and abandon them wherever they fall. That creates a perfect opportunity for a family with two small children to get out in the woods and spend an afternoon looking for them. Of course, it did take some bribing. I offered $50 to the first person in the family who found a shed moose antler.

It was a fairly safe bet. Finding a shed antler is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. In fact, in the past 23 years I have found a grand total of: 1.

The bribe worked and soon we were on our way to some of the best moose habitat on the Kenai Peninsula. You'll understand if I don't divulge the exact location but I will tell it is covered with acres and acres of small birch trees and willows. We put on our snowshoes and shuffled down the trail. Moose sign was all around us. Depressions in the snow where they had bedded down, moose pellets, moose tracks, and the broken branches of small trees indicated the area was heavily populated with the huge brown critters.

We had a great time taking pictures, looking at a tuft of fur on a tree branch, talking, and walking through the snow. But, alas, no antlers were to be found. My $50 was safe. Just as I had expected. Hopefully the bribe will work the next time we decide to go...shed hunting.