I have a few hunter friends... very few because of our gun laws, however on their travels they used to bring me dropped antler... some of the smaller ones as the large ones sell for a small fortune.  They tell me the problem is that dropped antler only lasts a short time... decay on the ground is apparently quick... or they're just using that as an excuse not to supply me.

If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD