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Home » Testosterone » On the Ridge: Hook ’em Horns – The Recorder

Recent sightings of whitetail bucks that are still carrying antlers in mid-February have gotten my attention.

If I had a dollar for every time Ive heard that bucks will shed their antlers early if the winter starts out miserable and cold, then Id be able to start a recovery fund of moneyto put our kids throughcollege. That said, when it comes to bucks shedding antlers, I admit, Im no biologist. Ive always believed nutrition, water and climate affectwhen bucks would start losing their antlers. And when others share theories with me about this, I usually just listen, add their thoughts to my own, and just move on to the next thing.

Butwhen my pal Vicky Griswold from Colrain sent me a picture of a mature buck still carrying a full set of horns on Feb. 5, I began to question these theories of when and why bucks drop their antlers. After confirming some things I already knew, I began uncovering facts that enlightened me about this wonder of when and why whitetail bucks shed their antlers. And as you read on, you may find yourself enlightened as well.

Antler development is dependent on photoperiod (hours of daylight per day) and testosterone levels, not necessarily temperatures. Antler drop is also dependent on these same principles. High levels of testosterone are necessary to keep a bucks antlers firmly attached to his skull. When testosterone levels drop, antlers loosen and begin to shed. Some wildlife biologists take it a step further, sayingthat testosterone levels are affected not only by photoperiod, but also poor nutrition, injuries and dominance.Testosterone levels are also affected by the presence of does that are in estrus. In Massachusetts, most does are bred between mid tolate November, but if unbred does are present, bucks will keep their antlers longer. Another factor is continued fighting between bucks, which could be related to additional does in estrus. If bucks continue to spar late into the winter, testosterone levels stay up, thus their antlers will stay on longer. And thats something that just never occurred to me in over 50 years of studying and chasing whitetail deer.

Trying to really explain this to someone requires a good understanding of the antler cycle itself, as whitetail deer are distributed all over the United States with varying climates playing a role at the beginning of this cycle every year. In temperate zones, antler growth commences with increasing daylight in the spring, and with that comes the corresponding rise of breeding hormones. Antlers are initially covered in velvet and laced with blood vessels. By mid-to-late summer, the antlers have begun to harden, or calcify. Blood flow declines and finally stops, and the velvet peels away quickly often aided by a buck scraping his antlers against fence posts, shrubs or trees as summer progresses into autumn.

By late October, antlers are fully hardened and bare for the rut season, when bucks begin establishing breeding dominance. The timing of antler drop commences with diminishing daylight and falling hormones after the height of the breeding season. Antlers begin to weaken when special cells called osteoclasts that live at the base, or pedicle, of the antler reabsorb its calcium. Eventually the antler drops, leaving a bloody pedicle that quickly heals over. Antlers dont always shed at the same time, and bucks with one antler are not uncommon sights in winter, especially in the Northern tier(s) of the country. But in the Upper Midwest, bucks may begin dropping antlers in early December, while their Florida or Gulf Coast counterparts may retain them and remain in rut into mid-winter or later because of the drastic change in latitude of those regions. However, weakened bucks will shed their antlers much earlier, just like anywhere else.

Regarding Vickys picture, I believe the excellent acorn crop we experienced this past year might have helped with this bucks health and antler development, adding those important, special nutrients to their diet. Thats just another theory, however, a week later, Vicky sent me another picture of a smaller buck looking just as healthy and, you guessed it, still carrying a set of tall spikes in the middle of February. That certainly leaves us with something more to think about.

Lastly, heres a breakdown I thought you might find interesting of the final statewide deer harvest totals (by zone) for 2019. Note: The 13,921 final tally is the second highest on record,629 less than 2018.

Zone 1 310 total (218 adult males, 84 females, 7 button bucks)

Zone 2 513 total (425 adult males, 79 females, 7 button bucks)

Zone 3 544 total (376 adult males, 148 females, 17 button bucks)

Zone 4N 526 total (389 adult males, 125 females, 12 button bucks)

Zone 4S 312 total (228 adult males, 74 females, 10 button bucks)

Zone 5 702 total (512 adult males, 160 females, 25 button bucks)

Zone 6 206 total (148 adult males, 49 females, 3 button bucks)

Zone 7 733 total (422 adult males, 267 females, 37 button bucks)

Zone 8 853 total (554 adult males, 249 females, 42 button bucks)

Zone 9 1,295 total (690 adult males, 491 females, 105 button bucks)

Zone 10 2,508 total (1,205 adult males, 1,101 females, 192 button bucks)

Zone 11 3,420 total (1,810 adult males, 1,312 females, 287 button bucks)

Zone 12 303 total (193 adult males, 88 females, 10 button bucks)

Zone 13 1,132 total (344 adult males, 629 females, 146 button bucks)

Zone 14 665 total (257 adult males, 315 females, 79 button bucks)

TOTAL 13,921 total (7,772 adult males, 5,171 females, 979 button bucks)

Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and sportsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, and a 2019 inductee into the N.E. Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Joe is also on the Quaker Boy Game Calls, Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas Pro-Staff.

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On the Ridge: Hook 'em Horns - The Recorder

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Home » Testosterone » On the Ridge: Hook ’em Horns – The Recorder