I used to smoke a pipe daily, have now toned down to occasionally during small game season. Just feels "right" to sit on a stump and smoke a pipe while watching the woods.
Anyway, having drilled out a bunch of antler for projects I can imagine a hot pipe smoker, or someone using older, dried out tobacco would get a dose of "burnt hair" taste from an antler pipe. Those who are slower, cool pipe smokers with fresh, moist tobacco and who keep the burn in the center and don't honk away at it like a smelting furnace might get away with an antler pipe. Pack it tight and use a vent pick to make a draft channel, like with the corn-cobb pipes (which, by the way, are sweet smoking pipes).
A good old, cheap clay bowl with reed stem gives a darned good smoke and is as authentic as needs be. I find the all-clay pipes to be too rough on my teeth, so that I have to hold the thing continually. Still OK when you're just watching the world go by. (Lit with a doubled over piece of char-cloth and a flint & steel set, of course).