California Shed Antler Season 2027

California lets shed antlers be bought and sold at any time under Fish and Game Code section 3039. California Department of Fish and Wildlife puts it this way: "(b) Shed antlers, or antlers taken from domestically reared animals that have been manufactured into products or handicraft items, or that have been cut into blocks or units that are to be handcrafted or manufactured into those articles, may be purchased or sold at any time. However, complete antlers, whole heads with antlers, antlers that are mounted for display, or antlers in velvet may not be sold or purchased at any time, except as authorized by Section 3087."

California Department of Fish and Wildlife lists its California shed rules without dated closures, so they hold year round. The weeks that matter most are the ones when antlers drop.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife's published shed rules name no permit, course or license for collecting. Landowner permission and the land manager's own rules still apply wherever you walk.

Fish and Game Code section 3039, printed in the CDFW mammal booklet, lists shed antlers among antler items that may be bought or sold at any time, and bars the sale of complete antlers, whole heads with antlers, mounted antlers and antlers in velvet except as Section 3087 allows. California Department of Fish and Wildlife: "(b) Shed antlers, or antlers taken from domestically reared animals that have been manufactured into products or handicraft items, or that have been cut into blocks or units that are to be handcrafted or manufactured into those articles, may be purchased or sold at any time. However, complete antlers, whole heads with antlers, antlers that are mounted for display, or antlers in velvet may not be sold or purchased at any time, except as authorized by Section 3087."

California Department of Fish and Wildlife names mule deer, black-tailed deer, tule elk, Roosevelt elk and Rocky Mountain elk among the antlered animals of California. For whitetails, Iowa Department of Natural Resources puts the drop at mid January to mid March: "Whitetail deer have about a two-month shedding period in Iowa, beginning mid-Jan. and ending mid-March."

California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The rules here were read from its own pages on September 21, 2026, and each one links to the page it came from. Rules change between winters, so the agency page is the one to check before a trip.