I love this month. All deer species shed their antlers in winter, after a sustained drop in testosterone ends their life cycle. It did seem that the bucks shed velvet a bit sooner this year than most. Because of their exceptionally fast growth, some scientists and health experts believe deer antlers may contain secrets to treating a wide variety of chronic illnesses. This is usually caused by a damaged or missing testicle — which prohibits testosterone from properly completing the antler-growing phases. Part of this incredible growth is “velvet,” the soft, furry skin under which this phenomenal growth occurs. They are shed from mid-December to late-January. Get new Buck Manager articles by email (it's free! New antlers, coated with a furry, velvet-like cover, start to form in the spring. Fish and Wildlife Service, the velvet dries up just before the breeding season and the deer rub it off on surrounding vegetation. However, it can range over a week period or more, easily. By August or September, they shed their summer pelage, or coat, and replace it with a thick, brownish-grey winter coat that is sometimes more than 1 inch thick (Figure 4b). The winter pelage is made up of short underfur and outside guard hairs. Fawns are reddish, brown, or reddish-yellow spotted with white; they lose their spots and acquire uniform coloration at 3–5 months of age. The harvest of whitetail bucks that do not lose their velvet-covered antlers is recommended. Deer Molting Debate. It seems around here that they shed velvet around September 3 or 4 (with some starting a week earlier). These animals, like any whitetail deer, do use the available habitat and will readily consume feed. Antler … It was modest as antlers go — a 14-inch main beam, half of a six-point, that would have crested about 8 inches above the buck’s ears. Antlers are shed due to the decline of testosterone production following the rut. A true antlered doe is a deer with female sex organs that grows antlers. Visit to learn more. Deer antlers are one of the true wonders of nature. During the growth period, the soft skin and short hair covering the antlers have a plushlike quality, giving this stage the name of "velvet." The firearms deer season is over now and the archery season will end on the 15th, but you still may be able to bring home part of a deer for the next few months. Whitetail bucks shed, drop or lose (depending who you ask) their antlers every year. Nutritionally-stressed bucks may also grow their antlers and shed their velvet later." Several months later, the animals regrow their antlers from spring through late summer. When growth is complete the velvet is rubbed off and the antler is described as clean. This deer gets its common name from its large and uniquely shaped ears. More bucks, actually all bucks, will shed their velvet. October ⇓ Wrap Up. The only other hunters who can harvest a deer in velvet must do so during special bow-hunting seasons, Cordray noted. In other words, northern deer have a shorter "window" of when antler shedding can occur, compared to deer herds in southern states. But, researchers debunk that idea saying that bucks are probably oblivious of when and where they will lose their antlers, although some may follow a regular pattern depending on the conditions. Their ribs become porous and weak because of decreased estrogen production. By. Life is good in the deer woods in August. This buck had a gross B&C score of 154 inches. To answer this question, it is important first to consider what deer antlers are used for. The five British deer species which carry antlers replace them every year. ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – Deer hunting season is coming to an end, but a set of trophy deer antlers may be waiting in the woods for you. They are soft and covered with a sensitive tissue known as velvet. Because their testosterone levels remain low in early fall, their antler development is not completed, and their velvet is not shed. The remainder is comprised of carbon and trace amounts of other minerals. Velvet antlers are hot to the touch and have hair and a waxy coating. I am excited that I finally got my cameras out so it is going to be interesting. This happens when a bucks testosterone levels begin to drop back to normal or low levels. From late December through mid-February is prime time for Missouri bucks to shed their antlers. The fuzzy antlers can continue to grow as the animal matures. Like in many other animals, deer use their antlers as weapons during the mating season. So the first day to see bucks that have shed their velvet is here. Antlers are true bone and mainly made of calcium, and are shed each winter before regrowing each spring and summer. Within the past decade, many Missouri landowners have refocused their white-tailed deer management objectives to allow more male deer in the population the opportunity to reach older age classes and, thus, the potential to produce larger antlers. According to the U.S. A “cactus buck” is an older deer with low testosterone levels that doesn’t shed his antlers at all. During summer when the male hormone is at its production peak, the high level of testosterone constricts the veins and arteries surrounding the deer’s velvet. Harvesting a deer in velvet is a special treat for South Carolinians. One of the other types of deers found in Missouri are Mule Deer, and are a close relative to the white-tailed deer. ): Leave this field empty if you're human: Posted by Buck Manager September 6, 2011 July 31, 2020 Posted in Non-typical Stuff Post … Every spring, deer trade in their old antlers for new ones. Sometime in late August through mid-September most bucks will peel the velvet from their antlers. Deer grow antlers, not horns. It was a very rare case that a buck would deviate more than a 3 days from its genetically programmed date. A true hermaphrodite is a buck that has both male and female sex organs with antlers, but these deer typically stay in velvet and shed their antlers early. One time on a cold, steely day in January, I sat in a tree hoping for last-ditch crack at a buck, or at least a shot at one more doe for the freezer. A stag doesn’t shed his antlers; they remain in velvet year-round. Alsheimer documented peel and shed dates for all of these bucks, and discovered that each individual deer would peel velvet and shed their antlers on a remarkably consistent schedule. Of course, this is all speculation, but new studies are being performed each year to try and unlock the potential health and medicine benefits of antlers. To answer the question when do deer lose their antlers, we must first answer the question how do deer shed antlers. Deer go through a situation similar to osteoporosis when growing antlers. Their necks don’t swell and they don’t breed. Antlers shed annually, but horns stay attached and keep growing. A little blood, still red, was visible where the antler had become detached from its pedicle — further validating its freshness. Lastly, Doppelkopf antlers are where a buck sheds one antler and only regrows one each year, as shown above. Why do deer rub their velvet off their antlers onto trees? For example, a mature bull Yellowstone elk will grow more bone on its head in one season than the average American has in its entire body. A new set will often attempt to grow on top of the old, resembling a cactus. They lack the chemical stimulation to express their dominance and individualism. Antler size is determined by age, genetics, and nutritional value of the deer's diet. By fall, the antlers are fully grown, but the velvet coat starts to itch. CONTINUED… GO TO: LINKS TO MORE PICTURES AND SCOUTING FOR DEER 2017… ALSO, Enjoy TEN New Bowhunting Videos Every Day At Bowhunting-Videos.com. This time of year, bucks begin to lose their antlers. At times, bucks shed their antlers earlier depending on three factors: age, health, and location of the deer. A whitetail bucks testosterone levels will rise throughout the early fall and remain high through the rut until all the does have been breed. As testosterone surges in male moose, around September, the velvet will shed (see video) and the antler bone hardens. They just keep growing. There has been debate in the scientific community for years over the whitetail’s shedding process (known as “deer molting”). In August/September the deer rub off the velvet to reveal the hard bone antlers. By fall, the antlers harden; the deer scrape them against saplings to remove the velvet in preparation for the rut. Antlers are dropped, or cast, and grow back over a period of months while covered in a furry skin called velvet. What deer antlers are found only on the male Mule, just like the deer! 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