LAC BELLEVUE - Organizers of the third annual antler shed hunt say participation and support for the event continues to grow, with 130 people registered this year.
Hosted by the Lac Bellevue Ag Society, the annual event sees people of all ages flood the St. Paul Provincial Grazing Reserve in search of “sheds.”
According to Darren Tymofichuk, the vice-president of the Lac Bellevue Ag Society and the organizer of the community event, sheds are what you call the old antlers from deer, elk, and moose. The animals grow a new set of antlers each year and typically lose their old ones in the late winter and early spring.
“Typically, they're brown in colour. After the sun bleaches them out a bit, they turn white. So, it's easier to find them once they're two or three years old. It's just kind of a hobby, just to go out and look for them. A lot of people call them brown gold,” said Tymofichuk.
Participants spent the day searching the grazing reserve area around Lac Bellevue on foot and by ATV, before coming back to the Lac Bellevue Hall for a beef on a bun supper and social in the evening.
“We usually go out in the springtime with the kids, and the kids enjoy it. So, I figured it’s a good family outing to get some fresh air and enjoy the great outdoors,” said Justin Brousseau, whose six-year-old daughter Oksanna found an elk horn.
Tymofichuk said one of the amazing parts of the shed hunt is how it can link people from urban and rural environments.
“It's important to have different types of events to bring in different groups of people and to kind of have the same common goal. Then hopefully, with enough experience together, people get to know each other and get familiar, and then just build a stronger community tie,” said Tymofichuk.
Back at the hall at the end of the day, businesses and patrons of the Lac Bellevue Ag Society who donated door prizes or supported the event monetarily were recognized for their contributions.
