Follow the rules on shed antlers or else

As the shed antler season opening is coming soon, the Forest Service is reminding that rules need to be followed and they provided an example of what happens when you ignore them.

The Bridger Teton National Forest is reporting that a former Jackson resident has been sentenced for illegally collecting shed elk antlers outside legal dates.

In April 2021, Joshua Anders Rae of Bozeman, Montana, was collecting shed elk antlers before the season opened. Rangers patrolling a winter range closure outside of Jackson, found Rae stashing antlers in the dark on the day before the legal opening date.

Rae was the owner of an online elk antler dog chew retailer and was already on probation for a 2019 conviction for the same offense. He had been sentenced to pay $15,000 in restitution to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, a 5-year ban from entering the National Elk Refuge, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Parks, 5 years’ probation and a 5 year worldwide ban on hunting. 

Rae plead guilty to the charges last summer and the Forest Service reports he was sentenced to 90 days of home confinement, 5 years of supervised felony probation, a 5-year ban from entering federal public lands, as well as a 5-year ban on hunting.