An unmatched pair of big shed antlers found in McHenry County

Bob Jeffries had a good day Thursday shed hunting.

“He found these two sheds while scouting a new hunting spot out in McHenry County,” his son Tom emailed. “Not a match, as they are both right sides, but looks like similar genes.”

And I would say looks like they are good genes.

White-tailed bucks shed their antlers annually, a bell curve that peaks around mid-February. The best time to hunt sheds is February and March.

In Illinois, sheds may be collected on private land with permission. It’s prohibited at all forest preserves and park districts I know. In Illinois, shed hunting is prohibited at state parks, nature preserves or where specifically prohibited, but allowed on Fish and Wildlife Areas, Conservation Areas, and Boat Access Areas, if open to the public.

SOTW, the celebration of shed antlers found around Chicago outdoors, runs when worthy and depending on what is going on in the wild world.

To make submissions, email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com) or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), X (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or Bluesky (@BowmanOutside.bsky.social).