We recently found a nice moose paddle antler thanks to a combination of teamwork and a little bit of thinking like a moose.
We were checking one of our local spots that had been recently logged. The walking was tough for both us and the dogs. Hardwood had been cut and left scattered all over the area, creating a maze of brush piles and fallen limbs. Moving through it was slow and difficult, and it made it especially hard for shorter Finley to keep up with Trip.
As it turned out, that difference between the two dogs would end up helping us.
Finley’s patience and style in the woods have made him a great shed dog over the years. If you want to read more about his story, check out Finley: An Unlikely Shed Dog.
After some persistence we eventually located an area where moose had clearly been feeding during the winter. Once we saw the sign, we slowed our pace and started searching carefully.
Over the years Finley has learned that when we move through thick areas, I tend to look for the path of least resistance. He stays close because he knows that’s usually how we move through tough terrain. Interestingly enough, moose tend to do the same thing when traveling through dense woods.
Trip, on the other hand, hasn’t quite learned that lesson yet and prefers to blaze his own trail.
As we continued through the cut, Finley suddenly lifted his nose into the wind. His body language made it clear he had caught the scent of an antler. Unfortunately, there wasn’t an easy way for him to reach it from where we were standing.
So we called in some reinforcements.
I called Trip over from where he had been working and let him catch the wind as well. Sure enough, Trip picked up the scent in the exact same direction Finley had indicated.
Unlike Finley, Trip had no hesitation about pushing straight through the thick brush.
He took off out of sight, crashing through brush piles and weaving through the logging debris. Finley followed behind more cautiously, working his way through the openings.
Within seconds of them disappearing into the brush, I heard the unmistakable sound of an antler dragging through the limbs.
A moment later both dogs came back through the cut with the antler in tow, proud as could be.
Trip has made some memorable finds of his own too. One of my favorites is the story of Tripper’s first solo moose antler.
In this case it was Finley’s patience and willingness to stay close that helped locate the scent. But Trip deserves just as much credit for charging through the thick brush to retrieve it.
Every antler we find becomes another learning experience for the dogs, and it’s always fun watching them develop into better shed dogs with each trip.
If you want to support our shed hunting adventures, you can explore our collection of naturally shed moose antler dog chews here.
About the Author
Caleb Lewis is the founder of Allagash Antlers and a lifelong outdoorsman from Northern Maine. He collects naturally shed moose antlers in the North Woods with his trained shed dogs and produces premium moose antler dog chews sourced directly from the wild. Through years of shed hunting and working with thousands of antlers, Caleb has developed deep knowledge about antler durability, safety, and why moose antlers are among the longest-lasting natural dog chews available.
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