Location: Melvern Wildlife Area
Type: Becoming an Outdoors-Woman mini-event
Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026
Contact: Mackenzie Reh, mackenzie.reh@ks.gov
Other Information:
Come to this free, beginner-level event for women age 18+. No hunting experience necessary.
Registration is required and spots are limited. REGISTER HERE.
A KDWP ID number is required for registration. You can create an account or look up your KDWP number at GoOutdoorsKansas.gov or through the GoOutdoorsKS mobile app.
We may not have gotten a White Christmas in Kansas, but the White-tailed Deer still left us gifts in the woods! Join Susan Steffen-Smith and her assistant instructors, Erin Wapelhorst and Lindsey Buehler, at the Melvern Wildlife Area to spend the afternoon searching for shed antlers. This is a fur-real fun way to get outside during winter and have something to show for your effort - even if you're not an avid hunter.Antlers are made of true bone - they emerge from specialized growth plates on the skull of a deer each Spring. The new antlers are covered in velvet and have a blood supply to help them grow and branch into tines (the points on an antler). By early September, the velvet covering falls away leaving behind the boney antler that Bucks use to assert dominance during rut, the deer's mating season.Expect this event to last for three hours. Participants are allowed to bring their lunch along, but eating beforehand is encouraged. Participants will also be responsible for providing their own water and any bags they might want to use to collect found antlers. Hand-warmers will be provided for participants at the event, but please be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and walking through the woods, off-trail.This event is subject to change due to inclement weather. KDWP staff will reach out and notify participants of cancellation and rescheduling opportunities up to the morning of the event if this is the case. Please check the provided e-mail address for any updates or changes in event scheduling.Contact Mackenzie Reh at Mackenzie.Reh@ks.gov or 785.506.7292 for questions or more information.