Benefits of Shed Hunting

During the late winter months, deer, elk, and moose begin to shed their antlers in order to grow a new set during the summer. Many people like to collect shed antlers, but what are the benefits of doing so? 

Photo Credit: GoHunt.com

Some people like to collect sheds due to their aesthetic value, for crafting, or to sell. If you are a hunter like myself, antler sheds help give you an idea of the size of bucks you have roaming the property you hunt. It also means that the buck survived the hunting season and the winter. Some hunters who manage the deer herd and property they hunt are able to collect sheds from the same buck year after year. Finding multiple sheds will also give you insight to the size and age of deer you have on your property. Typically, a buck will grow larger antlers each year as it gets older. 

Shed hunting is also a good way to get out and exercise during the late winter, rather than being stuck inside. Many people walk for miles looking for sheds, but shed hunting can also be done from ATVs or horseback. Taking your dog is also fun, and dogs can even be trained to find sheds far more effectively than humans. (Make sure your dog is trained not to chase wildlife). Sheds can be found in areas where deer like to bed down such as tall grass, thickets, and densely wooded areas. Feeding areas such as fields, orchards, or food plots are also good places to look. Fencerows and deer trails may also turn up sheds. I like to look for sheds in late February and March, but shed hunting can be done into the spring as well.

It's important to keep in mind the harshness of the winter months, which can affect shed hunting. If the winter has been particularly harsh, wildlife might be stressed and shed hunting should be avoided until the weather gets warmer. Please keep wildlife in mind first. Some agencies and wildlife preserves also have regulations and seasons when it comes to shed hunting. In Nevada, shed hunting is closed from January 1-April 30 in Elko, Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine Counties. This allows deer and elk to use their winter habitats without being disturbed.

Even if you aren’t a hunter, shed hunting is a great way to get outside, exercise, and collect a cool item from nature. It’s also a great opportunity to get kids outside, and the reward of finding a shed is appealing to adults and kids alike. 

Good luck and happy hunting!

Outdoor Adventuring with Little Ones

When I found out that I was pregnant in September, one of the first things I had promised myself is that I would not allow having a child to dramatically alter our lifestyle. We will still travel,  hike and camp, and do all of the things that my husband and I enjoy, but as a family of three now (five counting the dogs) instead of two. I’m committed. In fact, one of the first things that we purchased in preparation for a baby was a nice hiking carrier. 

This week my husband informed me that he had been selected for the half dome lottery in Yosemite for October 8^th. My husband and I are both very experienced campers but until now, I had not put too much thought into what camping with a baby actually looked like logistically.  I suddenly found myself planning a camping trip around a baby who hasn’t even arrived yet. 

My first thought was that the temperatures in Yosemite in early October can range greatly, and keeping baby warm at night was going to be a top priority.  I took to the internet to find out what suggestions people had for camping with a little one. I found tons of great suggestions not only for keeping baby warm, but also entertained, and well rested. I think the coolest thing that I learned was how many great online groups and forums there are, dedicated to helping people travel and adventure as a family.  These groups and sites are wealth of information, and folks who follow them are eager to weigh in on any questions that you have.  Some of the groups I found helpful where; Tiny Globe Trotters: Travel the World With Kids (Facebook), Back Packing With Babies and Kids (Facebook), Adventuremamas.org (and Facebook), and REI’s expert advice page. 

As my due date approaches, the reality that I will soon have another human being to care for who cannot communicate with me gets more real, and scarier. The more prepared you are the more fun everyone will be able to have on their trip, it is reassuring to me that there are so many resources out there that will help me share something that I love with my child. 

Happy Trails!

Reflections on AmeriCorps Service - Nevada Outdoor School

My name is Crystal Rodriguez and I serve as an AmeriCorps member as a Naturalist through Nevada Outdoor School. I go to local and rural schools to teach outdoor-science-based lessons to students from K-6th grade and coordinate camps in the summer. 

My service with the AmeriCorps program has been unbelievably eye-opening. This program gave me the opportunity to grow as a person in ways that make me feel so grateful. I just graduated high school and I was not the type of person who had the natural talent of public speaking or presenting projects. In my job, I am required to not only present material to an audience, but I need to teach the material to students so that when I step out of that classroom, they will be able to teach their friends something new. This program has given me the privilege to wake up everyday excited to go to work; I was never able to say “I love my job,” and actually meant it. I am able to go to 11 different schools and visit an insane amount of classrooms each month, all unique with different personalities and vibes. 

I consider my job as a Naturalist to be an important job in the education community because Nevada’s education standards does not consider science to be a priority subject to be taught. Children in the school district are on the same routine day after day to do both math and reading at least twice a day. So coming into classrooms for the 45-60 minutes it takes to teach a lesson is important, as well as exciting, to the kids and to myself. 

I love that I can make connections with the students, being that I went to school in Winnemucca, and also that I can influence the students to be excited to learn about the environment we live in. My service has removed my fear of public speaking and it has swayed me towards a career in teaching first grade. 

The AmeriCorps program has shaped me into a new and improved version of myself and has put me in a position to help the community with implementing the opportunity to teach their kids lessons about the outdoors along with adding an hour of science to their day. I am so lucky to be serving in a program that helps me accomplish personal goals and that helps the community all at the same time.