Looking for an answer about antler traps UPDATE I have been trying to find out if antler traps are illegal in Indiana. I have a couple built but hesitate to put them out until I know for sure they won't be an issue. All of my searches lead me to believe they are not. Any info otherwise would be greatly appreciated!
Did you do a search on the Hunt-Indiana forum under their ask a conservation officer spot? May have an answer out there already. In the meantime I'll shoot a text to the local CO I know.
I reached out to the DNR yesterday via their web site and got a response that as long as the trap did not harm the animal in anyway that they are legal. Looks like one is going out this weekend to see if they work. Oh yeah there will be a camera on it!
That's to bad--- Hopefully the camera will give me clues on how to improve it if it doesn't produce....
I don't use them, cool idea but I feel they'd be potentially damaging to the deer. The antlers will come off when they're ready to come off.
My thoughts too. Only "shed trap" I would use would be stacking some square bales on top of each other making a roof with corn underneath.
I made one with plastic chicken wire that was pretty easy to rip through if they got stuck and I am pretty sure that is exactly what happened. I went back and the whole thing was mangled where one got stuck but I never did find a shed in that area that year
Using bungee cords not wire... no harm will come to the deer other than a full belly.. Can't see how they could hurt them self...
I'm afraid breaking an antler off prematurely could potentially harm the pedicle and mess up the next seasons growth or even kill the deer. I've seen deer sheds break off with part of the skull still attached bad enough to maybe kill the deer.
I've found sheds like this too and always wondered if the whole pedicle and part of skull came off with the shed, how does it even grow an antler the next year?
