whitetail still has full head gear?

[Grandee]

Just curious, the last couple of days we've been seeing this 8 or 6 pointer coming out to feed. Is this odd? Just seems so late. Will he be in velvet later during bow season?

[eyehead]

I was wondering the same thing..... I've been seeing this 6 pointer latelty and it still had its headgear.

[pascooter94]

two bucks on the farm still have them??

[DonBo]

It is a little late, but from my understanding cold has a lot to do with when they loose their antlers. For as long as this winter seems to have been, there has not been a lot of really COLD weather. Anyone else hear this?

Two of the biggest bucks I ever saw were running together on April 20, several years ago after a warmer than normal winter.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

There are a lot of factors that contribute to when a buck loses his antlers. It really has a lot to do w/ its overall health.

In the summer when they are growing they can contribute a lot of energy into growth due to the abundance of food, easy livin, ect. But after the rut they really no longer need them, and they gradually decrease the amount of energy into maintaining them.

If a buck is really having a hard time finding food and is putting all of its energy into basic survival, he'll drop his antlers to conserve his overall energy store. If a buck has found easy street during the winter, he'll be less likely to drop them because he can still afford to put the energy into maintaining them, and may not lose them until the new growth knocks them off in the spring.

That's pretty much how I understand it anyway!

[B. Amish]

the energy stops going to the antlers when the blood flow stops and the velvet dries up.

i think there is a lot of heresay as to when a buck loses his antlers. a lot of theories are out there, but i've never seen any evidence that supports any of the theories.

the only thing that i've seen actually researched is that individual bucks tend to lose their antlers at the same time each year.

[shedfreak]

amen to B. amish. Ive heard all the theories as well. I believe them to a point, but spending so much time in the woods has made me believe each buck drops them pretty close in general as he did the previous year. First shed I found this year was December 14th. Was it a stressed deer with no feed. HIGHLY unlikely with a city limits deer. I also have seen some still carrying within the past week. We can try to understand it, but I gave up long ago on believing the whole stress issue. I wish it were true, itd be a lot easier to find sheds that way. Its been a slow paced 16 so far this year for me, definitely down from last year. but that was by far my best, this is actually my 2nd best, but its been slow going, especially when u pick a couple up in december.

[ac777]

Saw a 6 pointer while out turkey hunting this last week with both antlers still on.