Quite a while ago, Wyoming enacted regulations on shed antler and horn hunting. That law banned collection of shed antlers west of the Continental Divide during the winter. The purpose of the law was to prevent the harassment of wildlife in those months when the animals can’t afford to spend any extra energy running away. They’re already spending almost as much energy just getting their food as they get from it, so if people start running them around, trying to get them to drop their antlers, they might not make it through the winter.
But the rules have evolved to go a bit further. They had to. There were some bad apples causing problems, so a few years ago, the rules got some modifications. There’s still the prohibition against venturing onto public lands west of the Divide until the spring, but now residents get a one-week head start over nonresidents. Additionally, nonresidents have to buy a shed hunting stamp, which in effect is a license. Residents and kids under the age of 15 don’t need the stamp, but adults from outside the state do.
I’ve read a few horror stories about people getting threatened, harassed or otherwise bullied while they were out in the woods looking for sheds. If you get harassed or threatened, report it to law enforcement or a game warden as soon as you can.
And this should go without saying, but if you’re out there in the woods, looking for sheds, give other shed hunters space, and try not to cut them off from the places they were heading. They call it shed hunting for a reason – treat it like hunting, and give your fellow shed hunters the courtesy you would like them to give you.
Good luck this spring.
