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North Dakota, 2027 shed season

North Dakota Shed Antler Season 2027

North Dakota wildlife management areas are open to shed hunting, and sheds need no permit to possess.

“Shed antlers are legal to possess.” North Dakota Game and Fish Department

Agency statement
Rule type
from North Dakota Game and Fish Department
5
Rules quoted
each linked to the agency page
None named
Course or permit
in the agency rules quoted below
September 21, 2026
Rules read
from the agency page
The rule

Shed antler rules in North Dakota

Agency statement

PLOTS walk in land is open for hunting, and collecting sheds is not hunting, so PLOTS tracts take the landowner's permission. A dead head with the antlers still on the skull plate needs a game warden's permit before it leaves the field.

Statewide

Shed antlers are legal to possess without a permit.

Shed antlers are legal to possess.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source

Wildlife management areas and other state and federal lands

The department says WMAs and other state and federal lands are open to shed hunting and advises checking each property's regulations first.

Wildlife management areas and other state and federal lands are open to shed hunting, but a good rule of thumb is to check the regulations on public property before heading out.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source

PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen)

Shed hunting is not allowed on PLOTS walk in land without landowner permission, because collecting sheds is not hunting.

All other activities, including shed hunting, require landowner permission.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source
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Courses, sale and state land

More North Dakota shed rules

Buying and selling sheds

A dead head (antlers still attached to the skull plate) cannot be possessed without contacting a game warden and receiving a permit.

If you happen to locate a dead head, you cannot possess it without contacting your local game warden and receiving a permit for the animal.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source

State wildlife land

WMAs are open to shed hunting; WMA motor vehicle use is limited to constructed roads, established trails and parking areas, and WMA specific rules are posted at entrances.

Wildlife management areas and other state and federal lands are open to shed hunting, but a good rule of thumb is to check the regulations on public property before heading out.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source
When antlers drop

When deer shed antlers in North Dakota

White tailed bucks start casting antlers in late January, though bucks in good condition after a mild winter have carried antlers into early April.

With decreasing testosterone levels and the declining body condition of bucks, antlers start to shed in late January; however, if the winter is mild, and the buck is in good condition, antlered bucks have been observed into early April.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department, read September 21, 2026. Read it at the source
A large elk antler lying in green grass with snow covered mountains in the distance
An elk shed on the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming, with the Tetons behind. Elk winter range in the West is where most dated shed closures fall, because the closures exist for the animals wintering there. “Shed Antler on the National Elk Refuge (53662858076)”, USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

North Dakota shed antler questions

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Shed antler rules in other states

North Dakota deer seasonArchery and firearms dates for North Dakota, read from North Dakota Game and Fish Department.North Dakota deer rutWhen bucks breed in the fall, months before those antlers drop.Shed antler rules by stateEvery state's shed rule, the dated western closures and when each species drops.
A young bull elk carrying a single antler standing among elk bedded in snow
A young bull that has already dropped one antler, among elk bedded in snow. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says elk may start shedding in February and run through April. “Bull Elk and Herd (6258537907)”, USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

Compiled September 21, 2026. Every rule above is republished from Behind the Badge - Spring Fever, NDGF and the other North Dakota Game and Fish Department pages linked beside each quote, read on September 21, 2026. Rules change between winters, so the agency page is the one to check before a trip. Every state is in the national shed antler guide.