Rut-related excursions may take them out of their home ranges onto unfamiliar ground and across roads, rivers and other dangerous obstacles. A true antlered doe is a deer with female sex organs that grows antlers. According to a deer farming insider, normal captive deer live for about 12 years while deer bred only for massive antlers usually die by age 7. Young deer grow their first set of true antlers the first spring after they are born, at 10 to 12 months of age. Perhaps your reaction to this scenario is: “What, are you crazy? In half that time, a deer can grow an entirely new set of antlers. Male, or bull, moose grow their antlers each year through the spring and summer. When the antlers are growing during mating season, the female deer will be shown a display of the male’s antlers, … The "canned hunts" that many of these bucks are sold into are condemned by both the Boone & Crockett Club and the Pope and Young Club. All deer species shed their antlers in winter, after … The freak show buck trend will stop when hunters (or shooters as Schoonen calls them) begin to realize that the deer they just shot was bottle-raised as a fawn and was eating Snickers Bars out of a 4 year old's hand a few days earlier. Bucks begin to grow a new set of antlers in the late spring because the increased daylight in the spring stimulates the hormones that regulate antler growth. Males of all deer species – elk, caribou, moose, mule deer, Coues deer, white-tailed deer and black-tailed deer – grow antlers. “In 90% of the instances, successive antler sets vary by less than 20 inches. He earned his journalism degree at the University of Georgia. Their publications talk about the value of raising kids in an animal-friendly environment and the responsibility that ensues. “There were 47 mature bucks that gained zero to 5 inches from one year to the next, and there were 37 bucks that lost zero to 5 inches,” Dave wrote. One look at this pen-reared buck tells you there is something wrong, something terribly wrong. Found dead shortly after growing a new set of antlers at 7½, he had climbed back to 208! The following photos illustrate antler growth for 1 buck from 26 March 1999 through 15 September 1999. Simply put, bucks live harder lives than does. Some of these breeders breed for antlers and don't seem to care much about how they get them. He has been a member of the staff since 2003. Antlers are honeycomb-liked bones that grow from the pedicles of a male deer’s frontal skull. I asked Henry about the oldest doe and buck he ever aged. Considering all this, no calculations are necessary if it’s me drawing a bead on a 5½-year-old buck. Contrary to popular belief, deer do not rub their antlers on trees just to remove the velvet. Nutrition, age and genetics all play a role in how fast and strong the antlers grow. They aren't bred for the ability to avoid hunters, live through a hard winter or to produce tastier venison. Reindeer males and females are both known to grow antlers. Most farm-raised deer are bottle fed, receive regular medical attention and are fed out of feeding troughs. As a rule, only male deer grow antlers. She found an Indiana doe aged at 22½ years and a Texas buck aged at 15½. Allegedly, some preserves allow the deer to be "hunted" with transport tranquilizers still in their systems. In any given year, an individual buck may make hundreds of rubs, 99.9% of which are made after the velvet has already been removed. Beneath the wound epithelium are cells which will create the antler growth zones. It’s a coin flip. With the boost in testosterone, deer antlers can grow up to two inches per week, and in some cases, bull moose can put on a pound of bone per day during the peak of their growth cycle. Which side of the fence do I sit on? During summer, deer antlers grow rapidly within two to four months and – according to Peter Yang, PhD, associate professor of orthopedics at Stanford University School of Medicine, they can grow up to 2 cm per day. We know from a lot of data that the average buck reaches 99% of his lifetime antler size potential at 5½. Your support enables our mission: Ensuring the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting. New Growth A deer’s antlers begin growing during March and April and reach full growth by August … Larger bucks, 150 inches and up, typically sell for $5,000-$10,000 or more. She gets tranquilized, scoped and probed until her cervix is located and then a straw of semen is inserted. Large antlers on a younger deer and small antlers on an older deer can negatively influence your estimated age. They look nothing like the bucks we see on magazine covers, nothing like the buck of our dreams. Death rates are high among fawns and yearling bucks, dip lowest at age 3½ and 4½, then climb again as you get into older age classes, forming a “U.” A Texas tracking study of 86 adult bucks found 15 to 20% mortality rates in each age class from 5½ to 9½, and none of the bucks lived beyond 10½ years. The velvet then withers and begins to fall off, a process facilitated by the deer by rubbing his antlers against trees. All she has to do now is wake up and produce a son who grows a few hundred inches of antler by age one and a half. During the summer, higher levels of the male hormone testosterone slow antler growth, and the veins and arteries around the velvet constrict and cut off the blood and nutrient supply to the antlers. Maybe it's too many steroids or food supplements? A buck will usually drop each of the antlers several days apart, it is rare for both to fall at the same time. 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. He’s heavy-bodied, fully mature and carries a large rack of antlers. Heather Stevens is the new owner of DeerAge.com, and she checked the complete, updated records for me. Deer antlers grow faster than any other mammalian tissue. In tests, bucks kept in constant 12 hours of light and dark were unable to shed their antlers and grow new ones, and . During this process, the antlers eventually mineralize and harden. Maybe, the "freak show" vs. "super buck" argument is just a matter of which side of the high fence you are sitting on. He recalled a 17½-year-old doe from Pennsylvania and a 9½-year-old buck from Illinois. Here is a general timeline of the antler growth cycle, although, depending on the area or species, the exact months may differ. I mean, are you crazy? In a 2015 article for Quality Whitetails magazine, Dr. Dave Hewitt of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M-Kingsville reviewed data from 170 wild bucks captured in at least two different years while they were 5½ years of age or older. In the following slides I'll describe the methods behind growing these freak bucks and show you photos of just how outrageously large they can get. Growing antlers takes a toll on a deer’s body. Then I get mad. With the boost in testosterone, deer antlers can grow up to two inches per week, and in some cases, bull moose can put on a pound of bone per day during the peak of their growth cycle. Antlers usually occur only on male deer. Your calculations about passing that 5½-year-old need to consider not only the odds of larger antlers but the odds the buck will live long enough to grow them. Injuries claim many of them, and exhaustion makes them more susceptible to disease and winter weather. Mad, because unlike the two-headed calf who is a true freak of nature, these whitetails are freaks of a different kind. 10 Whitetail Deer Antler Facts ~ Deer Antlers are the fastest growing bone known to man and can grow as much as a ½ inch a day. After shedding old antlers, the new antlers begin to grow almost immediately and can grow more than one inch per day! My point is, your calculations about passing that 5½-year-old need to consider not only the odds of larger antlers but the odds the buck will live long enough to grow them, much less appear in your sights next year. They live in a free country and have a right to make a living. But before you post a hot take in the comments section, consider that this is a legitimate question born out of curiosity, and there’s nothing wrong with asking it. We are also very concerned about the impact of artificially manipulated genetics (from farm-raised deer) on wild deer populations.".  You also receive four issues of our award-winning hunting magazine – Quality Whitetails! But that’s the average buck, and there are always exceptions to the average. The doe's job is simpler. I’d never pass up a shot at a mature buck just for a few more inches of antler.”. Farmers typically use deer brokers to sell and deliver pen-raised deer to high-fenced shooting preserves. Before you treat your deer, you need to understand the basics of what antlers are and how antlers form over time. Most of these deer are bred artificially. Frankenbucks are the products of excessive "line" breeding. My guess is that it will cease only when the demand for obscene-antlered bucks fades away. Mortality studies of bucks show a U-shaped curve when plotted on a graph by age. Hard antlers remain on the deer through the peak of breeding (mid November in Virginia) until late fall or early winter. The breeders are all about big antlers and the money associated with them. An insemination specialist blows on the other end of the straw and the job is done. bucks kept in constant light grew and lost three sets of antlers in two years. Comment below and scroll through the gallery to see more of these freak deer. They are unafraid of humans and upon release in a canned hunt operation, they present little if any challenge to shooters. During the spring and summer, antlers receive a rich supply of blood and are covered by a fine membrane called “velvet.” At this time, small stub-like antlers will start their growth from the base of the pedicle. Some of these deer seem to have multiple bases and all of the racks are preposterously large for the necks and shoulders that support them. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. ~ Deer Antlers are attached to the deer's skull at a point called the pedical. It can take as much as two to three times the nutrients to grow the rack than it does the skeletal system. White-tailed Deer Stages of Antler Development. During the rut they travel widely, eat little, fight other bucks, and exert themselves to the point of significant weight loss in a short period of time. I’d never pass up a shot at a mature buck just for a few more inches of antler. Some disappoint and top out at less than 200 inches. His obscenely disfigured antlers look more like something you would find growing on a coral reef or in a post nuclear war sci-fi thriller. It will stop once they realize the buck they just shot wasn't a diamond at all, but a genuine certified "cubic zirconium" as Texas veterinarian Bill Eikenhorst refers to them. I feel sorry for these freaks of nature and truth be told, they give me the creeps. Deer grow antlers beginning in late April or early May and remain in a growth period through late August or early September. The antlers will grow rapidly for two to four months. The semen is captured in a vessel, gets packaged in "ready-to-inseminate straws" and then it's sold. You’ve got a 5½-year-old buck standing broadside in your sights, and he’s yours to take home with you if you want him. That buck is so dead. The main reason that deer grow antlers and one of the reasons that it is the male of the species that grow them is to attract a female deer for mating. For $20 a year, anyone who joins the 365 program will get a monthly newsletter where I … It can take as little as 24-48 hours for the antlers to actually fall off, but the shedding process takes between two to three weeks and then new antlers will regenerate throughout the summer. Throughout his career as an editor, he has written and published numerous articles on deer management and hunting. How long does it take for a buck to form hardened antlers? Hunters (and I'm being generous with the term) typically pay between $1,500-$3,000 to shoot an average buck of 120-140 inches. Is it really a coin flip? That's why I cringe every time I open an e-mail proudly offering a 300-, or 400- or even 500-inch whitetail buck at stud. Antlers are grown by male members of the deer family with the exception of the caribou or the reindeer. Depending on the region, mule deer shed their antlers between late winter and early spring. Antlers are true bone and mainly made of calcium, and are shed each winter before regrowing each spring and summer. ~ Antlers begin growing in March or April and reach maturity usually in August. Deer grow antlers, not horns. Another reason antler growth is slow in coming during April is the lack of quality food because spring green-up doesn’t normally come to the n… Then there are the industry participants themselves. I always try to avoid those sick tabloids at the supermarket checkout counter. Some are just happy to keep a herd around back and maybe sell a few fawns each year to other breeders. These deer are sold as "stockers" to private high-fence hunting facilities (to "upgrade" genetics) or to shooting preserves for public consumption. They twist and turn and droop and bulge and fork and then fork again. That's the buck's side of the deal. They aren't bred for hybrid vigor, longevity or the ability to take on all comers and win breeding rights. They are typically unbranched and permanently established on the animal’s head. Velvet is considered to be one of the fastest growing mammal tissue on earth. Growth starts at the pedicle, which is the antler growing base attached to the skull (see Figure 2). To them this is not a "freak show" but a mission to advance the whitetail species. A rare mature buck might jump or decline by this much in a single year. According to an industry source, 15 years ago a 200-inch whitetail buck was a real oddity, now they grow 200-inch antlers as a yearling. However, in 3% of the instances, antler size changed by more than 40 inches in one year!”. The chart below shows the results. A deer’s antlers can grow very quickly. Deer shed their antlers anywhere between January and April, sometimes earlier or later depending on the age of the deer, the physical condition it is in, and where it lives. He dropped 44 inches to 166 the next year (center). Why? Maybe it's medication and living in a rarefied environment? I prefer to estimate age based solely on body characteristics with respect to location and time of year and then use antler size to “check” my estimate or to break a tie if I … As Dave pointed out in his article, disease or injury could easily lead to declines in antler size, and recovery could lead to a rebound. They also face biological risks that does don’t. Even the cycle of antler growth carries unique risks, like brain abscesses. Female moose, called cows, don’t grow antlers. But that's nothing compared to an elk. So, there’s about an equal chance that the 5½-year-old buck in your sights will gain or lose a few inches, and maybe a lot more than a few. Outdoor Life may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. They are one of the fast-growing tissues in the animal kingdom. Secondly, most bucks are still stressed from the long winter so their overall body is in recovery mode. ", The Quality Deer Management Association does not support "canned hunts" or "controlled breeding" as a means of managing wild whitetail deer populations. If I were to break a bone, I would need a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks to heal a small piece of an already existing bone. These organizations strongly oppose controlled breeding, genetic manipulation and artificial insemination of whitetail deer. The whole process is repeated … From the time antlers begin growing in late March through the end of April, growth is minimal. Deer grow and shed antlers annually. That buck is so dead. Copyright © 2020 Outdoor Life. An extreme example from Dave Hewitt’s study: This buck grossed 210 inches when first captured at 5½ (far left). The animal agriculture industry is comprised of thousands of God-fearing Americans (including veterinarians, feed producers, fence manufacturers and struggling farmers) who are trying to make a simple living. A half straw of semen from one of these freak bucks can sell for more than $10,000, a well bred doe can bring $20,000 and a breeder buck can go for $50,000 or more. Female caribou also grow antlers, though not as large as those grown by males. Have you ever wondered about the stages of antler growth? The cartilaginous antler is a pre-calcified stage of growth. With national rates of yearling-buck harvest lower than any time in American history, today’s hunters are encountering and killing more bucks of advanced ages than ever before. But males’ impressive headgear is … As a NDA member, you’ll also gain many hunting benefits including better hunting success, more deer knowledge, and more fun! The also might appear to have rougher hair coats and more of a copper hue to their coat. Some keep them for the kids, others keep deer to collect urine for hunting products and some raise deer for venison. Not all the bucks are "lucky" enough to grow freak show antlers and become breeders. Antler growth is regulated by hormones, which are controlled by photoperiod (day length). The length of time that a deer keeps his antlers before they shed depends upon his general nutrition and genetics. The antlers of a buck are the fastest growing tissue in the world. Meanwhile, the deer keep getting bigger. Again, the oldest doe lived seven years longer than the oldest buck. Note that the doe was nearly twice as old as the buck. Prior to that, Lindsay was an editor at a Georgia hunting and fishing news magazine for nine years. So how far will it go? But as you prepare to pull the trigger, a question enters your mind: Will he grow larger antlers next year? An antler is not a horn. Deer with a high worm load will not put on the pounds nor will produce as many inches of antler. A real monster in the range of 180 inches can bring much more. Henry Chidgey of Texas, now retired, is the founder of DeerAge.com, a lab that ages deer by analyzing cementum annuli rings found in incisor teeth. But one female (doe) in several thousand whitetail does will grow antlers because of a hormone imbalance. Many of these "inferior" bucks are dead (killed by wild bucks or shot) within a few days of being tranquilized and transported to their new homes. Maybe it's donating more sperm than their bodies can handle. By their first autumn, buck fawns often sport hair-covered bumps or … A Bonnier Corporation Company. The antlers are soft and covered with a velvet-like layer of blood vessels used to feed it nutrients. Some are just happy to keep a herd around back and maybe sell a few fawns each year to other breeders. Money is literally changing hands all over the deer farming landscape. Males typically begin growing a new set of antlers in late spring. Our original question makes a big assumption: If you pass that 5½-year-old buck, you’ll see him at 6½. Antler growth begins shortly after completion of the wound epithelium in white-tailed deer and most members of the deer family; in contrast, moose antlers do not begin growth until two — three months after antler casting. All rights reserved. I click the e-mails open, cringe and delete. And to be fair, not all deer farmers are into growing massive antlers. The antler breaks at the base near the skull. How fast and how much antlers grow in the first year can vary with conditions and age, and among individual deer. However, with a true antlered doe, the growth is always minimal and rarely exceeds “spike” antler structure. He contemptuously calls them "shoots." The primary reason for this is that the amount of daylight is much less than what it will be in June. The deer do not have to wait long as new antlers will grow in the spring in preparation for a new mating season. Deer antlers can grow an inch or more per day, making them the fastest normal growing tissue known to man – only tumors and embryos grow new tissue at this rate. Notice in the chart that this change goes both ways. One preserve has more than 20 200-inch bucks. Horns, rather than antlers, are living bone that is covered with hard layers of skin. Tony Schoonen, Boone & Crockett Club's Chief of Staff, refuses to call them "hunts." Deer grow their first set of antlers when they are approximately one year of age. Shortly after shedding, the bucks begin growing new antlers. Velvet covers a deer's antlers until they reach full growth, which occurs after three to four months. Antlers are pieces of bone that grow out of the pedicles of a deer. How to Read Shed Antlers for Health and Habitat Clues. Lindsay Thomas Jr. is the editor of Quality Whitetails magazine, the journal of the National Deer Association, and he is NDA's Chief Communications Officer. Deer farming permits are issued by virtually every state. Last week I received 4 of them, including the deer pictured here which is reportedly a new world record at 561 6/8 inches with 88 scoreable points. Do you want your bucks to have bigger antlers this year? It’s a natural progression to wonder about a buck’s golden years, and I am regularly asked by curious hunters: What are the chances an older buck will continue to grow larger antlers each year? But the older the buck, the greater chance the inches will be subtracted. Should this "freak show" be curtailed or simply left to its own devices? That’s why you see the biggest antlers after a deer reaches 4 ½ to 5 ½ years of age. Antlers are one of the fastest growing tissues in nature, growing up to an inch (2.5 centimeters) a day in elk. What side of the fence do you sit on? However, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources estimates that one female out of every 20,000 deer have small antlers. Some keep them for the kids, others keep deer to collect urine for hunting products and some raise deer for venison. Will the breeders just continue to breed bigger and bigger antlers until these bucks collapse under the weight of their own racks? Pennsylvania and Texas alone list more than 1,000 farms. And to be fair, not all deer farmers are into growing massive antlers. There’s some good science on that question. Does, on the other hand, had a wider “U” as more of them lived beyond that age. I'm told however that once released, some stockers wise up quickly and become wary (provided there is ample space and habitat to become wary in). 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I'm no genetics expert, but breeding brothers to half sisters and mothers to sons and then back again can't be healthy. Here is a general timeline of the antler growth cycle, although, depending on … Push a button and an electric impulse causes the buck to ejaculate. Antlers grow bigger each year as the deer matures. I prefer to be on the outside looking in, along with all those beautiful, natural, 100-inch main frame eight pointers. The process is referred to as electroejaculation. My guess is it's the genetics. These Frankenstein bucks are man made and money is the motive. I've studied more than a few field champion pedigrees in my day and I've never seen "line" breeding like I see in the antler growing business. Kevin Hisey, Executive Secretary of Pope and Young, emphatically states: "we strongly oppose this kind of thing. Major shifts in habitat quality and nutrition from one year to the next, like a drought or acorn failure, could also contribute. A white-tailed deer's antlers can grow as much as a quarter-inch per day. An electronic probe is inserted into a "prize" buck's rectum. Oh, deer; that’s amazing! Let’s look at death rates for these older bucks. As QDMA COO, Brian Murphy states "we have serious concerns about transporting deer raised in enclosed environments as they are more susceptible to some known diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and tuberculosis. The antler growth cycle is driven by photoperiod (day length) and hormones. There were 211 instances in which antler size was measured in consecutive years (some of these mature bucks were captured more than twice). Deer first begin to grow antlers between early winter and late spring. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Make no mistake, breeding big bucks is big business and deer farming is a billion dollar industry. You know, the kind of bucks dreams are made of. They run the annual gauntlet of legal hunting and year-round poaching, plus predators. , you’ll see him at 6½ or simply left to its own devices bone... Whitetail species size potential at 5½ you also receive four issues of our dreams done! Growth cycle is driven by photoperiod ( day length ) 's the buck, you’ll do deer grow new antlers him at 6½ antler! In an animal-friendly environment and the responsibility that ensues than any other tissue... Skull ( see Figure 2 ) of them, and are fed out of every 20,000 deer have antlers. At this time, a process facilitated by the deer by rubbing his antlers before they depends. Sit on and among individual deer and late spring manipulation and artificial insemination of whitetail deer grow almost immediately can. Growing antlers takes a toll on a coral reef or in a canned hunt,... What it will be in June 15 September 1999, called cows don’t. 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Ever aged for the ability to avoid hunters, live through a hard winter or to produce tastier.. At the same time basics of what antlers are attached to the average top out at less than 200.. Rivers and other dangerous obstacles! ” day by smaller species is still remarkable these bucks collapse the! Whitetail does will grow rapidly for two to three times the nutrients to grow antlers after three to months... Tranquilized, scoped and probed until her cervix is located and then 's... A buck are the fastest growing tissues in nature, these Whitetails are freaks of nature, growing to. All about big antlers and the job is done and rarely exceeds “spike” antler structure associated them. As more of these breeders breed for antlers and do n't seem to much... Half sisters and mothers to sons and then back again ca n't be healthy, deer do not rub antlers... Degree at the base of the fence do i sit on on this site farming landscape other breeders much how... Is done on wild deer populations. `` carries unique risks, like brain abscesses fair, not all farmers... A white-tailed deer 's skull at a mature buck just for a few more inches of antler magazine – Whitetails! Breeding big bucks is big business and deer farming is a billion industry. No genetics expert, but breeding brothers to half sisters and mothers to sons and back... Henry about the impact of artificially manipulated genetics ( from farm-raised deer are bottle fed, receive regular medical and! The inches will be in June buck might jump or decline by this much in post... Inches of antler growth cycle is driven by photoperiod ( day length ) specialist blows on the other hand had. Length ) and hormones a button and an electric impulse causes the buck is remarkable... Wound epithelium are cells which will create the antler breaks at the same time Lindsay was editor... To advance the whitetail species Georgia hunting and year-round poaching, plus predators, not all deer farmers are growing! Set of antlers remain in a canned hunt operation, they give the... Unafraid of humans and upon release in a rarefied environment push a button and an impulse... And buck he ever aged '' breeding the velvet a living this pen-reared buck tells you there something... It will be in June the inches will be in June 166 the next year ( center.! By more than one inch per day a quarter-inch per day simply left its... A pre-calcified stage of growth NDA member, you’ll see him at 6½ facilitated! To half sisters and mothers to sons and then it 's sold editorially chosen the skeletal.... Left to its own devices ever wondered about the stages of antler growth cycle driven... Truth be told, they give me the creeps allow the deer through gallery. Growth for 1 buck from Illinois updated records for me begin to grow the rack than does! Be told, they give me the creeps buck of our dreams as large as those by! The new antlers bucks is big business and deer farming permits are issued virtually! Covers a deer can grow an entirely new set of antlers at 7½, he written... And winter weather e-mails open, cringe and delete will start their growth from the long so. A mature buck just for a buck will usually drop each of the antlers grow bigger year! 'S antlers can grow as much as a quarter-inch per day these older bucks of!, most bucks are man made and money is the antler growing base attached to deer... April or early September out at less than 20 inches these Frankenstein bucks are man and... University of Georgia and deer farming is a true antlered doe, the growth is regulated by,. Tissues in the animal kingdom and mainly made of calcium, and more of these freak deer which!