One thing I hated about leaving childhood behind was outgrowing the Easter morning search for hidden eggs. Until I discovered shed hunting, the adult equivalent of a child’s Easter egg hunt, I didn’t know a grownup could have so much fun finding dropped antlers hidden by tall grass. My husband introduced me to this spring ritual soon after we met. Discovering that first antler thrilled me the same way finding treasured Easter eggs had.

Any Easter Bunny worth his salt knows how to hide an egg so that finding it is nearly a miracle. Well-camouflaged eggs require a hunter’s eye to zero in on miniscule differences between the hiding place and the colored cackle berry. Mother Nature and male deer combine to practice the Bunny’s trickery on a less sophisticated level when it comes to hiding this bony headgear. By late winter, grasses lose their green and most of their winter russet and gold to turn a tawny color. That tall, sere grass perfectly camouflages these bone-colored antlers, hiding them so effectively a person can step on it before recognizing its presence.

Bucks that don’t become menu selections during hunting season lose their antlers somewhere between January and March. The buck drops one antler at a time, or sometimes both beams shed at the same time. As a result, experienced searchers know look for a second prize in the near vicinity of the first.

Once an antler drops, the fun begins. The best part about this seasonal activity is it isn’t over in one morning. Throughout the shedding season, different deer may lose an antler near the place where one was previously found, often times a bedding area. Shed hunters can return to a site several times and find treasure. We once visited a location near Casper, Wyoming, where herds went year after year to drop their racks. We found fresh antlers as well as weathered, rodent-gnawed beams at this site.

Just as some Easter egg hunters are luckier than others are at finding eggs, some antler stalkers discover more treasure than others. One reason has to do with how often these folks search, but some people have the eye. Over the years, I have found a few antlers while my husband has found many. We know a few individuals who find record numbers every single year. They’ve devised a system that works for them.

I always hoped to find enough of these natural treasures to build an arch similar to the one built of elk antlers in the Town Square in Jackson Hole. Without a lot more work than my spouse and I put into this, that isn’t going to happen. However, I wouldn’t mind taking a lesson from friends who turn their finds into lamps, playing pieces for checkerboards, buttons, drawer and knife handles, and wine racks. Regardless of whether I become an artisan or not, I love recalling that childhood thrill of searching for and finding a well-hidden object, whether it’s an egg or an antler.

Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.