EDMONTON – Like fashion anywhere there are trends in the antler industry.
Traditionally the most sought after set of deer antlers were sides that mirrored one another. But that’s changing.
“There’s a shift to weird looking non-typicals,” said Don Reitsma of Royal Crown Ranch in Blackfalds, Alta.
Gaining attention in the industry are antlers with drop tines and odd-looking antlers that point down, not up.
“Hunters love drop tines, especially if they’re on both sides of the deer,” Reitsma said while standing beside the antler competition booth during the first annual white-tailed and mule deer association convention.
The official scoring system by Boone and Crockett has also shifted to take account for the odd antlers, he said.
Normally drop tines would be a deduction, but there is a growing acceptance of a Boone and Crockett Gross score that doesn’t deduct for non-typical antlers.
