Discover the Thrill of Bitterroot Valley’s Annual Shed Hunt

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - It happens every spring, May 15 to be exact, on Highway 83 in the Bitterroot Valley as hundreds of vehicles line the highway to begin the annual shed hunt.

What is the ‘shed hunt’?

It’s an opportunity for antler hunters to race to their favorite spots and gather up as many antlers as possible.

Education and Program Manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Vivaca Crowser, appeared recently on KGVO’s ‘Catchin’ the Big Ones’ broadcast to explain the annual phenomenon.

Annual Shed Hunt Rush is May 15 on Highway 83

“Sometimes it'd be weeks before May 15 that people would line up along Highway 83, and as we know, that road is busy and gets a lot of traffic,” began Crowser. “We had people parked, sometimes leaving vehicles just alone or camped there, so finally, we just had to sit down with the Montana Highway Patrol, the Department of Transportation, and Fish, Wildlife and Parks, to try to do something to improve the safety there for the people along the road and people just driving along next to them.”

Crowser said the new pre-registration period for the shed hunt is already underway.

FWP Has Advance Registration Through April 19

“Registration is April 1 through the 19^th,” she said. “It opened at noon. But just remember that it is not a rush. Last year, I think a lot of folks were in a hurry, afraid that they would miss the opportunity or be later on the list, but just know you've got that whole time to get your name in there.”

Crowser said the entire registration process is available online.

“It's all done through email if you have a ‘MyFWP’ account,” she said. “Right now, we don't have all that synced, unfortunately, but you will get an email, and we're communicating everything that way. There's also a page on our website that has all this information, a great collection of questions and answers where you can find out more.”

Crowser said over 500 people have registered last year.

“We had a lot of people, over 500 people registered, “ she said. “However, on the actual day, not all 500 showed up. You know, I think what we see a lot is a group of six people, for example, going to go out. Everyone registered and took the best number, and then we had the other five not show. We really are encouraging people just to have one person in their party. There's really no way to completely control that, but as a courtesy that helps us have a better idea of how many people we're going to have show up.”

Advance Registration is to Help Reduce Crowding and Danger to Drivers

Crowser explained how the hunt will be conducted on May 15 starting at noon and that shed hunters must have a Montana Conservation License.

“We start with the lower numbers, so at 9:00 a.m., we will start lining people up,” she said. “For example, if you end up in numbers 1 through 75, then you'll be in that first time slot where you need to get there and between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. That information will go out when you get your number, but we'd stagger that between nine and 11:30 a.m. so that it's not everyone arriving at once, and then we have a lot of staff and volunteers on-site to help get those vehicles lined up. We stake out the parking spots ahead of time, as well.”

Shed antlers are often used for crafts and decorations, and some are used to make knife handles.