(light acoustic guitar music) - [Justin] As fast and as noisy and as busy as we are in modern America, horn hunting is a great way to get away.

You're looking for something, you're out there, you're camping out, and if you're blessed or if you're lucky, you get paid to do it.

(light folk country music) - Why do people hunt Antlers?

I think it can either be a springtime, you know, fun activity for the family to get out, or it can be a deal where you're actually looking to make money.

Some people you might say there's an antler addiction.

You know, people just really get into it, that's their thing.

- I think I grew up with Dad, and he was hardcore, extreme, packed trip, 20, 30, 40 miles in to hunt.

And so I just grew to love that more than even hunting.

Growing up and doing it and teaching these guys, keeps you out there.

What do you think Emmy?

It's like an Easter egg hunt set better, huh?

(laughs) (light folk country music) Oh man.

Big one, you see it laying right out in that green grass?

- [Kid] I call it!

- No, that one's mine.

(laughs) I gotta come outta here with one.

(both laughing) Oh boy, that's a big one.

Hey, hey, slow down.

You're gonna, it's way down there.

We might wanna horn hunt this and then come back and pick that up.

- [Kids] It's mine!

(Justin laughs) Told you it's addicting.

Up until the last couple years I've been as hardcore, I think as you can get.

(thunder cracks) And dangerous sometimes.

I told my wife one night, I said, I think I'm more addicted to surviving than finding horns.

But now I've got all the kids, and all their buddies and you know, it's just fun to take all of them now.

I think it's probably some of our best family memories.

Still gotta get out and find my own, but probably not as obsessed as I once was.

(light folk country music) I don't care to go with a bunch of people, but I've heard of hundreds of people for the Jackson and Dubois openers, you know.

Part of it for me is to not see other folks, get out a little bit, escape it all.

- I've seen Antler hunting really grow in popularity and it can be very profitable for people to go out and find antlers on the landscape, especially if you can find a lot of 'em.

As antler hunting has become more popular, winter closures have been put into effect in those key winter ranges that animals depend on.

It wasn't because we had anything against antler hunting per se, it was more a matter of just, we just didn't want people stressing the animals out.

When you bump an animal that time of year, it can move them away from some good forage that they had or push them into deeper snow where they're burning more calories 'cause they're postholing.

Or it might push them into an area that they have less cover, where it might expose them to predation.

If we can prevent them from being pushed or stressed, we should do it.

- (sighs) Well I'm ready to find another horn.

Let me see yours, Em, that brown one.

We could make, we could make mom a horn lamp for Mother's Day, see?

We've kept some back to make horn lamps.

I'm keeping the big sixes now, I don't sell those.

I talked to our horn buyer the other day and it looks like they dropped about $4 a pound.

He buys 'em and they cut 'em all into little pieces and sell 'em as dog chews.

Some of my friends just wish the whole price would drop completely out of it, but I don't think that'll get people to quit horn hunting because the thrill of it, you know, it's treasure hunting.

We're wired to find, get excited about finding stuff, so we would do it if it didn't have any pay probably.

(light folk country music) I used to get pretty discouraged if I didn't find a horn.

When you're out, you know that's what you're there for.

But anymore, any day that you're alive and get to do it out here with friends and family.

Any day's a good day.

(light folk country music)