Something for nothing

‘Shed hunting’ is a popular and rewarding close-season pursuit, as Barry Stoffell discovers on a day of fossicking in the hills of Kerry

- Barry Stoffell

It has oft been remarked that the best things in life are free and, as the month of May arrives, nature — the great provider — seems more than usually generous. The sap is rising all around, the grass is growing at a rate of knots and the 40 shades of green for which Ireland is justly renowned are unfolding in all their verdant glory.

Despite being in the depths of the close season, this time of the year offers deerstalkers something for nothing, too. By the end of April, most of our sika and red deer have thrown their antlers, with the fallow following suit a few weeks later, and there are few better ways to spend a fresh May morning than scouring hillside or forest for shed antlers.

High and wild

‘Shed hunting’ is a hugely popular spring pursuit in many parts of the world and, in the US in particular, whole organisations are devoted to it. Here in Kerry, I always set aside a few days in late April or early May to walk the high and wild places where the stags hang out and I’m usually rewarded with something for my trouble. Since far fewer stags than usual were culled this year due to COVID-19, I was hopeful of a bumper crop and, keen to make the very most of nature’s bounty, I decided to raise my game and consult an expert.

I spoke to Ashley Glover, a fellow stalker and veteran shed hunter of the Wicklow mountains. A collector of discarded headgear from the sika and hybrid population of Wicklow for many years, Ashley was happy to share his experience. “Once you are confident that you’re in an area that holds a decent number of stags, shed hunting is a mixture of understanding deer behaviour and good, old-fashioned common sense,” he said.