Making a Point
As deer hunters began the season on Monday, most were looking to fill the freezer.
But for artisans, retail stores and holistic healers, the antlers can also fill a niche.
Though most of us wouldn't consider grinding up antlers for wellness, velvet antler — or antlers ground while in the velvet stage — date back to traditional Chinese medicine.Dr. Richard Fortune, an Oriental medical doctor and licensed acupuncturist in Cranberry Township, said the antlers are found in all members of the Cervidae family, of which whitetail deer are a species.“In the Far East people may search this out. Out here in the West they know very little about it,” he said.In traditional Chinese medicine, Fortune said the antler is often processed as a component in more complex medicines.Fortune said antler has functions that include strengthening the kidneys, liver, bones and tendons; fortifying the stomach; nourishing the blood and helping with reproductive disorders in men and women.“It has an effect on the blood. It increases red blood cells and the amount of hemoglobin in the body,” Fortune said.“It also has a cardiotonic effect and therefore gives a stronger heartbeat.”According to naturopathic doctor Lisa Kellerman, the ancient remedy also has found its way onto mainstream shelves.“It's marketed in products; mine is called IGF-1,” said Kellerman, who also runs a retail store in Butler Township.Kellerman said deer antler contains a human growth hormone that helps restore and maintain muscle mass. Marketed by Nature's Sunshine, IGF-1 contains an extract that's sprayed under the tongue and is most popular among those seeking anti-aging supplements.“We sell a fair amount of it” Kellerman said.
People aren't the only ones to find a use for antlers. Many pet stores sell them as chews.“They're long lasting and they're good for teeth and gums,” said Theresa Price, owner of Pets in the Park in Butler Township. “They have no odor and they don't stain.”Price said the deer and elk antlers are naturally shed and billed as being rich in calcium and phosphorus. She gets the antlers from a commercial distributor, and packaging says they are free of hormones, antibiotics, steroids and preservatives.“People keep asking me if they can just pick them up in the field, and I don't know the answer to that,” she said. “They would have to clean them.”“My dog loves them,” she added. “The elk antler is way larger. I got him the elk antler. He's a horrific chewer.”<br></br><br></br>
As well as hunting deer at home, Ron Stutz and five of his friends do regular elk hunts in Colorado.“We tend to accumulate a lot of antlers,” said Stutz, 56, of Butler. “You mount so many you get tired of mounting animals and you run out of wall space.”Last year, Stutz began to fill table and floor space by transforming antlers into lamps.“I looked at some pictures of lamps and figured out how to do them on my own,” said Stutz, who has made several table lamps with deer antlers and floor lamps with larger racks from elk.To make the lamps, Stutz uses oak dowel rods to fuse multiple sets of antlers into the desired shape. Antlers with large, gentle curves work best, since they must accommodate the 18- to 24-inch drill bits necessary for stringing the wiring, which Stutz describes as a tedious process.“When (the antler) curves, I start from the other end. If I happen to make a hole, I patch it. You can't even tell,” Stutz said.The same holds true with fusing multiple antlers, which he selects for their compatible color and size.“It just looks like natural antlers all the way through it,” he said of the antlers and dowels.His future projects might include chandeliers, wall sconces and drawer handles similar to those at Cabela's, which are not made from real antler, Stutz said.
Jim Bonetti has been known to hunt, but he often gathers antlers while walking his property in Marion Township.When Bonetti gets the antlers home, he uses them to make knife handles. Discarded parts are sliced and drilled into beads, strung into necklaces by his wife, Sylvia.“You might find 50 sets of antlers, but there are only certain ones you can use because of the shape and the straightness of it,” Bonetti said, explaining the perfect handle must fit the curve of the human hand.To make blades, Bonetti recycles old pocket knives, creates his own out of files and, in some cases, buys them.“I love carbon steel. It keeps its edge really well,” he said. “The quality of the blade is important. You wouldn't want a cheap one.”Bonetti affixes handle to blade by drilling into the antler, then securing it with a special epoxy. Sometimes, he paints or carves designs into the handle before applying a sealer.Sylvia applies the same sealer when using the antlers for beads, which she strings on suede cord with an array of other baubles.“You slice them and sand them and the color comes out in them,” she said, showing antler pieces that range between subtle browns, reds and grays at their core.“The insides: That's the minerals,” she said, speculating the differences were due to diet.Such observations are part the couple's evenings spent crafting. It's also what lures them into the woods.“Every time I go out in the woods, I see something else,” Bonetti said.
Although he doesn't craft with antlers, Rocco Sloboda knows many people do.“I have some brochures for people that actually buy your antlers and they make them into chandeliers and ash trays and pencils,” said Sloboda, citing the antlers as a potentially viable product at his deer farm in Venango Township.But according to Sloboda, the antlers can also attract other deer, helping hunters in the woods.“Guys use them, they clang them together. The way they rap them together, resembles two bucks fighting in the wild. They call them rattlin' horns,” Sloboda said.“It draws attention (of other bucks). They bring another buck in to see what's going on.”<br></br><br></br>
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