Shed search and the rites of Spring

I've never understood why the Gregorian calendar puts the New Year on January 1st. It doesn't make a lick of sense. As we become more familiar with the natural rhythms of the year, it becomes increasingly clear that February 1st ought to start our calendar. On that day or thereabouts, robins begin to return to the state. In the swamps, the skunk cabbage begins to poke up through the muck and in the lengthening days daffodils extend their fingers haltingly toward the sun. In Ireland and other Celtic cultures, Imbolc - that is to say February 1st - is a festival of new light, new beginnings, and ushers in the first day of Spring. And of course, we Americans have our own silly little vernal rites which often involve large rodents from Pennsylvania. I think there's wisdom in starting the year as things are just beginning to grow.

But no beginning can come before an ending has taken place and the very last thing that happens in any year is when deer shed their antlers. This happens in late January. On this walk, we'll be trying to find some of those antlers. Mind you, this is never an easy task. Bucks are a squirrelly, reclusive bunch and deer antlers look an awful lot like sticks. Moreover, NJ rarely has the snow pack that northern states do - a condition that makes finding sheds up there much easier than it is here. But if you know where to look, sometimes you get lucky.

So come out with us. We'll show you where those hot spots are, talk about wintertime whitetail antics, and maybe, just maybe find a few sheds of our own.