MINOT (AP) - Most people wouldn't consider something discarded by animals a treasure. But for North Dakota's shed hunters, antlers left behind by deer are the ultimate prizes.

"A shed is like a trophy to me," said Boyd Rakness of Minot. "Looking for them is a chance to get outdoors, walking and looking and stumbling around."

Shed hunters scour fields and coulees for discarded antlers in the spring. They search likely deer hangouts, such as winter feeding areas or well-worn trails in hope that a buck deer left pointy proof of his presence.

Hunting seasons are long over by the time shed hunters do their treasure hunting

Earl Anderson of Voltaire quickly became hooked on shed hunting when he picked up the activity a few years ago.

"Mainly, I just enjoy being out and looking around when there's not a whole lot else to do," Anderson said. "Of course, I like anything about deer hunting and horns."

Anderson, an avid deer hunter, said shed hunting helps him understand deer movement and antler growth. Deer that evaded him during the hunting season sometimes leave their calling cards as a dropped set of antlers.

"I found 65 one spring, last year about 20," Anderson said. "It's a little easier when there's more snow. Then the deer stay near a food source and shed their antlers."

John Plesuk, of Minot, said deer remained scattered because of little snow cover in the past winter, making shed hunting a bit tougher and less predictable.

Each antler is memorable to shed hunters.

"I just keep them or put them on the wall," Anderson said. "I did take a couple of them and have them mounted."

"They are fun to have," said Plesuk, who has added several sheds to a pair of metal chandeliers hanging in his taxidermy shop. "It makes it look a little more rustic."

Shed hunters use the antlers for lamps, backyard bird perches, coat racks, knife handles, buttons and nearly anything else they can imagine.

"To me, it's no monetary value," Plesuk said. "It's another part of being in the outdoors, and it helps fill the gap between the seasons a little bit."