Biologists have discovered many fascinating aspects of the annual shedding ritual, including timing, spacing and what a cast antler can tell you about a buck’s health
You can learn a lot from a shed antler, including information about the health of the buck that dropped it. Photo by Michael Tatman.
Why do bucks spend so much time and energy growing a rack of antlers during summer only to shed them five or six months later?
“Scientists have wondered for years, and we still don’t exactly know why,” said whitetail biologist Dr. Mickey Hellickson, who points to a couple of theories.
Some experts believe bucks shed annually so they’ll have the potential to grow and replace damaged antlers. If a buck had to live its entire life with the same snapped tines or a broken beam, it couldn’t posture for does or spar with rivals during the rut.
Another line of thinking is that by casting antlers a month or so after a rigorous rut, mature deer, free of heavy headgear, spend less energy and thus have an easier chance of survival as they grind out winter, when quality food is limited.
“But nobody really knows for sure,” Hellickson said.
Here are nine more interesting facts about the bones that are falling off the heads of bucks right now.
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ANTLER DROP TIMING CAN VARY BY MONTHS
Increasing daylight and the reduction of bucks’ testosterone levels cause antlers to loosen and drop. The timing of shedding across the United States is more of a mystery. It’s not uncommon for some bucks to drop antlers in January during cold weather or when food is limited. In warmer regions, and where there is a decent supply of quality food, bucks might hold antlers until March. Shed timing is often related to the health of individual bucks A stressed deer might shed its rack in December, but a strong, healthy animal might hold antlers into mid-April.
INDIVIDUAL BUCKS OFTEN SHED AT THE SAME TIME EACH YEAR
Some biologists believe the specific date when a buck sheds its rack is determined more by its individual antler cycle than any other factor. A years-long study of captive deer in Mississippi found that each buck in the facility typically cast its antlers around the same time each year and almost always during the same week.
SOUTHERN BUCKS OFTEN SHED LATER
Some scientists say the farther whitetails live from the equator, the more defined their antler cycle. The theory is that bucks living in the northern United States and Canada have a shorter window of when antler shedding — and subsequent new antler growth — can occur, compared to deer herds in Southern states.
MATCHED SETS FROM OLDER BUCKS ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO FIND
Nebraska researchers collected and analyzed shed antlers from the Platte River Valley for 11 years. That data revealed the distance between matched sets of antlers from bucks 2.5 years old and older were dropped twice as far apart as antler sets of yearling bucks. Matched sets of 1.5-year-old buck sheds were typically found 5 yards apart. Cast matched antlers from bucks 2.5 and older were found, on average, 517 yards apart.
SHED ANTLERS CAN BE HEAVY
Depending on a buck’s age, body size and overall health, the antlers it sheds can weigh 3 to 9 pounds.
DECLINING TESTOSTERONE CAUSES ANTLERS TO FALL
Contrary to popular belief, a buck usually does not rub or knock off its old antlers. When a deer’s testosterone drops below what biologists call the antler threshold, left and right beams often simply fall off within hours of each other.
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THERE ARE WAYS TO SPOT A HEALTHY BUCK’S SHEDS
According to experts with the National Deer Association, when you pick up a shed antler with a base that is flat or level with the antler burr, or hollowed out deeper inside the shed, you can determine that the buck was under stress two months or so back during the peak of breeding. Conversely, a shed with a protrusion of white bone that sticks out below the antler burr indicates the buck was in good health, with normal testosterone levels during the rut.
PLENTY OF CRITTERS EAT SHED ANTLERS
Mice, squirrels, and porcupines gnaw on shed antlers to get calcium and other nutrients for their bodies, and to wear down their ever-growing teeth. Bears, foxes, opossums and otters have been known to eat antlers.
ANTLER VALUES MAY VARY
Antler buyers value sheds by grade:
Grade A Brown: Antler in perfect condition with no fading and only very minor chips. No broken tines or chew marks. Picked up within a few weeks of the buck dropping it.
Grade B Brown: Antler might have a broken tine, chips and chew marks, but still natural brown color with no fading.
Grade A White: Antler faded and weathered, but still in good condition, with only minor chips and chew marks and no broken tines. Antler might have been on the ground for three or four months or a year.
Grade B White: Antler faded and weathered to white. Might have broken tines, chips and chew marks, but still smooth to the touch.
Grade C White/Chalk: Antler has cracks, shows heavy weathering and is rough to the touch. A chalk antler has typically been on the ground for three years or more and has little or no value.
The market for antlers varies, but in a good year, sheds can fetch $5 to $18 a pound, depending on grade and size.