As shed hunting season approaches, the treasure hunter in each of us yearns for that magical moment when our eyes detect a massive antler lying in the brush. Whether it's a big buck or a big bull is often irrelevant, as any trophy-size piece of nature we can take home as a keepsake is worth its weight in gold. Although many of us have had the privilege of picking up an antler we were fortunate to cross paths with, very few of us have had the opportunity to actually see it happen for ourselves. And, we all benefit when they happen to capture the moment on camera and share it with the Internet.
However, even then, we're typically talking about whitetail deer, and occasionally a mule deer out west. But it's not every day you get to see a bull moose drop an antler on camera, and that's exactly what we see in the following clip provided by YouTube channel Into the Wild. And, this wasn't a trail camera capture like you might expect, but rather video footage shot by an overhead drone. As the drone turns to follow the animal's movement, the bull quickens his pace.
As he does, his antlers catch on some small trees. One of the springy branches pulls the bull's right antler right off his head as the drone's video rolls.
It is so rare to capture footage of a deer, elk, or moose shedding an antler. This may very well be the only drone footage in existence to show this rare sight. Talk about the right place at the right time! I'm never fortunate enough to capture something this cool with my drone. And even if I did, I'd probably freak out and end up crashing my expensive drone because I'd be so excited. Make sure you check local regulations regarding drone use in your hunting area before trying to film something similar.
It also looks like he matched up the drop that happened on video, so the other side must not have hung on very long. It's always interesting to see how these animals drop. Sometimes both sides come off quickly or at the same time. Other times they walk around for weeks with only one side. There really seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. The antlers loosen and fall off when they're ready.
In any case, this video has us pumped to go out and burn some boot leather looking for antlers now.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
