A Canadian wildlife enthusiast captured a “once-in-a-lifetime moment” from his drone.
Derek Keith Burgoyne was in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick on Jan. 12 when he witnessed the shocking moment a moose shed its antlers.
He spotted three bull moose — two of which had already shed their antlers — and started to film using a drone.
As he was filming, the third moose paused, started shaking its body and dropped both antlers into the snow.
The video is shot from above, and the moose is seen running away from the scene after dropping its antlers.
Burgoyne shared in his video that this was the second time he’s caught a moose shedding its antlers on video, but the first time he’s ever seen both antlers being shed at once.
“I consider this winning the lottery when it comes to filming wildlife,” Burgoyne told Storyful. “A bull can shed one antler and carry the other side for days or even weeks. So to capture both antlers shedding at the exact time is extremely rare! Once-in-a-lifetime moment!”
After he got the drone footage of the moose, he shot himself following the moose’s tracks and picking up the set of antlers.
“You’re not gonna get any fresher than that,” Burgoyne said.
He called it “the best experience” he’s had in the woods.
Moose shed their antlers, which are not attached to their skull, after mating season, according to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.
Only male moose have antlers, and antler growth is regulated by testosterone, Kris Hundertmark, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, told National Geographic.
Antler bones begin to grow inside a nourishing skin on the moose’s skin called velvet every Spring, usually around April.
Around September, the testosterone in male moose surges, and the velvet sheds as the antler bones harden.
Back in December, a couple in Alaska also got to witness the rare occurrence.
The couple’s Ring doorbell camera captured a moose walking up and stopping in perfect view of the camera just before pausing for a moment and shaking its body like a dog trying to shake off water — popping off both its antlers.