Deer Antler

[chompish]

Hi All,

I'm looking at recovering some deer antler as i'd like to make a sgian dubh for a christmas present.

First question, is it legal to recover deer antlers?

Second question, when and where are the best places to collect some?

[Gythral]

Novemberish at the end of the rut when the stags drop their horns, and for a few pieces for your own use there is probably no legal issue.
but first you have to find some, then it has to be of a usable standard!

Probably the best bet is someone like the Highland Horn Co.!

[basscadet]

Aye, you arent supposed to forage for antler, as the deer needs to chew them so it has the minerals for growing new antlers..
Of course if you kill the stag it is different, as he doesn't need them any more.

There is a guy who carves horn/antler just across the road and down a bit from Lawers hotel. My advice would be to forage round the back of his place.. Had piles of offcuts last time I passed that way..

[Caberfeidh]

The stags don't drop their antlers until March/ April. Best places to search are the flat grassy areas beside rivers, and where branches of trees have fallen, overloaded with snow. The stags graze the pine needles, and rummage around in the fallen branches, sometimes knocking the antlers off prematurely (this would only happen around March/April. Also at the foot of steep banks, where the stags have to put a bit of effort into galloping up the bank; the strenuous jumping leads to loose antlers falling there . Random ones can be found anywhere, particularly in Caberfeidh Towers, as I am prone to picking them up. When searching, you have to imagine an antler, and stand still, scanning the ground around you, and at your feet. Often I have tripped over one whilst eagerly staring hawkishly into the distance.
The legal stance is that no-one owns the deer, only the right to shoot them, so no-one owns the cast off antlers. You try explaining that to an irate gamekeeper. Best way is to avoid confrontation rather than struggle through it.

[electricfly]

There is a guy who carves horn/antler just across the road and down a bit from Lawers hotel. My advice would be to forage round the back of his place.. Had piles of offcuts last time I passed that way..

WARNING! He owns a very fierce and effective Border Terrier attack dog. (which can and frequently does squeeze under the gate to deliver a barrage of savage assaults below the knee!)

[CharlesT]

WARNING![/b] He owns a very fierce and effective Border Terrier attack dog. (which can and frequently does squeeze under the gate to deliver a barrage of savage assaults below the knee!)

A recommendation under the Gaiters thread would seem fitting then.

[chompish]

Novemberish at the end of the rut when the stags drop their horns, and for a few pieces for your own use there is probably no legal issue.
but first you have to find some, then it has to be of a usable standard!

Probably the best bet is someone like the Highland Horn Co.!

Thanks for the recommendation! keeping a close eye on when their shop goes back online

Also thanks for the other suggestions, think i'll leave the gathering until next year and just go with buying some this time round.

[CharlesT]

Have a look on e-bay. I sold some roe deer antlers, a sika antler and a red deer switch antler last year and there were a lot of other sellers. Roe antlers make great handles if well pearled.

[Old Bill]

Surely they belong to the landowner / estate or someone....??

[electricfly]

Surely they belong to the landowner / estate or someone....??

For the most part, the red deer population in Scotland is wild. Any body parts of expired deer therefore technically have no ownership, until they are collected/appropriated by the estate or anyone else who comes across the remains.

The only exception to this would be where deer are raised and kept under farming conditions in enclosed areas for venison produce and the like. In such circumstances remains would then be owned by the farming estate.

[stuart mclovin]

Was going to say the same as Bass Cadet regarding the wee house down from the Lawers hotel, but pilfering his stock isn't ideal!. If you go on the scavenge i'd suggest the lower land down from Stuc a Chroin on the approach from Loch Lubnaig if you are local to it. Twice i've been there this year and the place was teeming with deer galloping away.

[Moobli]

The stags don't drop their antlers until March/ April. Best places to search are the flat grassy areas beside rivers, and where branches of trees have fallen,

That was where I found mine

[Caberfeidh]

I was forgetting ~ there's a horn-carver's shop in Braemar where you can buy a whole cast antler for a fiver or so, should you want to save yourself the bother of hiking all over the hills and being assaulted by grumpy gamekeepers...

[innkeeper]

Here we have been told by game keepers the Antler's or there's well the land owners. The argument being thats there on his/her land so they belong to the estate. Saying that they have all so said that if a lucky walker picks one up and is well happy with there prize they dont have a problem with that. It's if you go out and look for them and to collect an arm full that's where the row begin's.
But saying that they collect them while looking after there land and then sell them on to who ever the money being part of there (tips)

[dogplodder]

My dog found this near the River Mhalagain after coming off Faochag in May 2013.