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Selling Sheds/Racks- your opinion?

Sligh1

Sligh1

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Ok, had 2nd post tonight I was curious about- I seriously want to pose the fair question- I'll put my BIASED response below the question.

Do you think selling sheds AND/OR selling racks should be made illegal, any restrictions OR do you think it should be all legal? WHY?



*Ok, I have this question because I had some problems with my sheds getting stolen and some poaching. So, I guess my vote would be to ban both. Good amount of selling is probably legitimate BUT I feel a large % is growing each year that's not legitimate and is from ILLEGAL means. (In my opinion, I believe 50% (and growing!!) are not taken legit).

I think MOST guys that find sheds on their land OR shoot deer legally would NOT sell them. I think the folks that get them illegally have no motive except MONEY and love to sell them. It stinks that bad apples spoil it for others BUT I feel it's getting nothing but WORSE every year- more and more poaching, house break-in's and theft. If you remove the SALE of antlers- vast amounts of poaching, break-in's, theft, tresspassing would go BY-BY (not all but MOST- it will always go on to some extent). I will celebrate the day that you are not allowed to sell sheds or racks for MONEY. Just my opinion.
 
Personally I would never be able to part with any of MY bone. I have to agree with you on pretty much everything you said. Don't think it would have much effect on those who do these things illegally though. Once a crook, always a crook. Just how these guys are. Sorry for the lack of faith, but experience tells me better.
 
I'll step up to bat on this one.

I enjoy shed hunting alot! I believe anyone who has taken the time to read my journal would agree. Anyways...I sell sheds, always have always will. I mean, how many can you toss in a pile. Better question yet, how many can you toss in a pile when you have a small house and 2 very active preschool aged boys.

That said...I don't shed hunt to make money. I keep all of the real nice stuff and all the little wee stuff for the boys. Yes, "we" get a little money as a result of my time spent but in the grand scheme of things, the ones I sell aren't worth alot anyways.

In continuing, if it were illegal to sell them I'd be fine with that. I'd just keep them, stacking them up, for the thrill of finding them outweighs the few bucks for some craft sized antler. But what about when I die? That days coming, shall my family shoulder the burden of a room full of antler? What if the're just "clutter" to them. They are to many people, just b/c they're my loved ones won't ensure they love the antlers as I do. Shall they have to keep them in thier possession?

However, I live in the land much diff't from the one you described (poaching, theft, break ins, trespassing) so my vision may be somewhat clouded.

If everyone who has an opinion on this topic weighs in, it could be an interesting thread.

I do remind you that not everyone who sells some sheds is a bad apple.
 
Touche sir. Don't mean to offend and you have some very valid points. As you said, could get interesting /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
Great responses so far. To clarify going forward- I was NOT saying all that sell sheds are the "bad apples", I am talking about the ones who acquire sheds/racks illegitimately or illegally.
*I give away sheds if I don't "want them" too- almost all my buddies now have a great set of rattling antlers. I am mainly talking about the giants with the $ sign folks see.
 
Skip,
It's too bad a few bad apples have to ruin the whole bunch, but shed hunting, and shed selling is a larger business than I think most people know. I think the majority of the sellers are legit, and honest, but as with most everything else you'll always have a few here and there that choose to walk the wrong side of the fence. (literally) It sounds to me as if the problem is the fact that you've got some idiots trespassing on your ground. What they're doing on your ground is irrelevant, because first and foremost they're trespassing on ground they know isn't theirs. I really hope you can catch these guys in the act someday, just make sure you've got a plan when you do.
 
personally, my opinion, i couldn't care less, either way. easily said, since i couldn't find one if you beat me with it. as long as it is taken legally, it doesn't effect me. any of you guys that have more than you want, and that are against selling them, send me a pm, and i'll give you my address. ship them all to me, and i promise i won't sell a single shed
 
Antlers, sheds, coins, artwork, baseball cards etc, are all things that people like to collect, sell, trade and so on. They all also probly get stolen from time to time. I think it is rediculous for people to want to make something illegal because some scumbags don't follow laws that are already in place. If you don't want to sell your sheds don't!! If you affraid of them getting stolen put them in a safe.
 
Its just like anything else, just because it is illegal doesn't mean its not going to happen. Its just like taking away our guns, criminals don't care, they will still have them. I don't see anything wrong with it. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
 
How many times do we have to bring this up? I've collected, bought and sold sheds and racks for years.
There must be a band of shed thiefs that I haven't heard of yet.
Give me a break! Are we all that paranoid? And does outlawing something really stop criminals ? Has it worked on Drugs?
I invite all to the Antler auction in Dubuque on the 20th...should be able to find a few of those antler criminals there. I'll be there undercover! (Having a blast!)
 
My respectful opinion/response....

1)I think making illegal the buying/selling would drop the market out and make the desire to steal, tresspass and poach go WAY DOWN. These groups of guys call several well known antler buyers and the antlers are sold within a week. It would all dry up very quick - yes, still SOME under the table sales, of course! Vastly less and vastly less $ value and not nearly the same demand and problems associated.

2)Antler thieves are PREVELANT- you've heard the big examples like that Brian Andrews kid who had his state record stolen out of his house OR Levi Ward who was on here tresspassing last year. What you didn't hear is the 4 counties in my area that had 16 break-ins where all people stole was the antlers and racks. I have to think if there were 16 break-ins (this is straight from DNR & SHERIFF) in 4 counties, this has to happen in most the other HOT counties in Iowa.

3)It's not like banning guns where .005% commit the crime, it's not a 2nd ammmendment issue, it's not about protection. This is a game management issue and a way to fight poachers who do it for $. This problem is PREVELANT and growing at an alarming rate. The guys buying the antlers think they are purchasing legal/legit antlers in MOST cases BUT in many of those cases they are NOT. Get rid of antler selling and get rid of the MAJORITY of poaching, break-in's, tresspassing IMO.

4)I have recently spoke with several folks from the DNR that deal with deer management AND prosecuting game violations. All are in favor of antler selling bans. All equally expressed the chaos this creates and the amount of poaching and tresspassing and break-in's that occur. The folks I spoke with all dreamed of the day it would be illegal as it would reduce the illegal activity massive levels.

If antler buying/selling was all LEGAL and legitimate I'd be all for it. I know some is and again, I feel bad for folks who do it legit and have stuff ruined by bad apples. But the amount of bad apples is huge and GROWING. If laws had to ruin the guy's hobby of collecting antlers to vastly decrease poaching, etc- I'm in. Just my RESPECTFUL OPINION.
 
Outlawing the selling of sheds will do nothing to prevent poaching. A possible sitaution in which racks and skull plates are highly monitored may but sheds???? T sell a rack here you need alot of paperwork. I've never done it, never plan to, but at least there are a bunch of hoops to jump through if a guy wants to sell his trophy.

I forgot to add in my firsr reply. I also buy a few sheds each year and resell them. I buy them off meighbors of mine, they are usually found in haystacks or near grain piles and get chucked into the tractor cab. My friends know when I buy them off them I stand to make a buck, but so does the guy who buys their canola, or barley, or cattle for that matter and it's a good relationship of scratching each other's back. If money was the driving force in shed hunting/collecting most guys would be smart to give it up and spend that time working a part time job. I know the 50 pounds or so of craft antler that I'll eventually sell won't fetch nearly as much money as I'd have made in those 200 hrs or so slinging burgers out a drive through window and that wouldn't have been near the work as trudging through 2 feet of snow all that time.
 
someone needs to invent a small GPS devise that you can put in a small drilled hole in sheds and or racks. If one goes missing kick on the transmitter and maby you will find a lot of stolen stuff.
seriously, this is America, I dont sell or buy sheds, Dont see anything wrong with it, but if I wanted to I better be able to.
 
Outlawing the selling of sheds is not going to stop anything. There is such an antler envy out there now, where everyone and their brother is out to find sheds. They want to be recognized for finding world class sheds, and a large amount of sheds, most don't care if they sell them.

Talk to any shed hunter around. This year has to be, by far, the worst year ever on people out looking for sheds. There is no "private" spot anymore.

In my opinion, outlawing the legal trade of antler will just end up screwing the guys that do it right and love to do it, like Iowabruce. It will do nothing to detour the guys that are out to find a 200 inch set to everyone can pat him on the back for finding it.
 
If it were outlawed the poaching for racks or sheds would get worse. As an example, look how making it illegal to sell elephant ivory increased poaching. Supply and demand folks. It may be illegal, but if I wanted and had the cash, I could have a 6ft tusk in my possesion by the end of the week. Making it against the law hasn't stopped the trade, only increased the price! If you have a 60 inch shed that's worth 25.00 bucks now, wait until there are less of them for sale. The price will go though the roof making it look like a fast way to make a few bucks by tresspassing to pick up a few.
Then after we make it illegal, what are the game commissions going to do with the antlers they confinscate from the law breakers since it's now illegal to sell them. I know, why not do like Kenya does .............................

ivory-tusks-Namibia.jpg

This way, nobody can enjoy them.
Maybe I'm being a bit sarcastic here, but it's a simple fact, Make the sale of an item illegal and poaching will increase as the value increases.
Enforce the laws we have, throw the book at tresspassers and illegal sellers. No need to have the whole class go to detention when only one didn't do his homework.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nannyslayer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">There is such an antler envy out there now, where everyone and their brother is out to find sheds. Talk to any shed hunter around. This year has to be, by far, the worst year ever on people out looking for sheds. There is no "private" spot anymore. </div></div>

I have to agree with you on that Brian. I have NEVER seen it like it has been this year. I never use to start looking for sheds until March 1'st and this year I found trespasser tracks through all of my good bedding areas in early January! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad.gif Using no-flash trail cams and posting scum bags pictures all over town may be the only way to end this craze. Slapping them with some fines will hurt a little, but when they are bringing down over a grand a piece for big sheds, piddly fines won't play much in the factor. Every community has the resident dirt balls that will track across your piece during the week while YOU are WORKING. Unlike you and me, he doesn't have a job or works part time so he has plenty of time to pick up sheds to sell to compensate his income which is the Welfare check he is getting from US in the first place! It is bad and will only get worse as the shed hunting past time becomes a race for the $$$$. I'll just keep picking up the ones they miss and hope to get a few "mug shots" on my cams next spring. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Saskguy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">sell a rack here you need alot of paperwork. I've never done it, never plan to, but at least there are a bunch of hoops to jump through if a guy wants to sell his trophy.

</div></div>

Thats what we need, more accountabilty in antler sales (w/scull plate). Right now people can sell them at will with little to no documentation.

I would say for a legal sale a harvest tag must be attached to the antlers and anyone that buys and sells that rack must sign off w/ID conformation. Might make some of these guys think twice.

As far as sheds. They just need to enforce the current trespass laws and increase the fines to make it a serious deterent as well, but I wouldn't be apposed to seeing some type of documentation here as well.
 
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