What Month Do Deer Shed Antlers?

With the exception of deer housed in zoos or wildlife preserves, deer are most commonly found in the wild. They typically live in forested areas. The most common deer in North America is the white-tailed deer. Deer spotting is a fun way to observe nature. Deer hunting, however, also plays a role in the economy. They are so vast in numbers, deer are the most legally hunted animal in the U.S. Deer are also widely considered beautiful animals. Adding to their beauty are majestic-looking antlers, which are body parts that extend from their skulls and need to be shed once a year.

What are Antlers?

Antlers are composed of dead bone. They are an extension of a deer's body but they are not horns. Horns are permanent, antlers are not. Antlers are growth that protrude from a deer's skull. Their point of origin is the bony plates on a deer's skull known as pedicels. All deer antlers need to fall off once a year as antler re-growth is a natural part of the deer anatomy.

Which Deer Grow Antlers?

Very rarely do females grow antlers. Males have an abundant amount of testosterone, the hormone vital to antler growth. Antlers are grown to help determine which male will successfully breed and how often. The stronger the antler, the more dominant the male. He will claim victory over another male and breed more often than males with weaker antlers.

What Month do Deer Shed Antlers?

Typically, male deer shed their antlers during the winter months of November, December and January. During the approximate five months of antler growth, the new antlers are covered with a protective coating called velvet. By later summer, the velvet dries. The deer, in response, begin to rub their antlers against trees and shrubs to help the now-dried velvet fall off. During this time, the antlers no longer carry the blood supply provided by the velvet; they are hard and extremely dangerous.

Other Shedding Times

Typically, the shedding of antlers occurs earlier in northern states, usually November or December. In warmer southern states, the shedding tends to occur a little later, usually December, January or February.

Does Age Matter?

Older bucks typically begin to shed their antlers before younger bucks, but all antler growth depends on the amount of food consumed. If the deer is having trouble finding food, the antlers will grow slowly. The quicker a male can shed the dry velvet on his antlers, the quicker he can begin to challenge other males for breeding rights. Their testosterone level is at its peak. Breeding season ends for any male when the antlers begin to fall out.

Antler Growth

By the beginning of spring, the previous antlers have been completely shed and new antlers begin to grow. During this time, new antlers are extremely sensitive to injury because not only does it take a tremendous amount of energy to grow the antlers, but the protective velvet coating carries a blood supply full of minerals. It takes approximately five months for the antlers to grow back.

Hunting Deer

Deer are the number one animal legally hunted in the U.S. Without hunting, their numbers would become unbearable for many towns and cities. Hunting is used as population control as well as harvesting deer meet. Hunting also adds to the economy. For every deer killed, an estimated $1,500 is added to the economy because of travel, lodging, food, licenses and equipment. It is false to assume the number of points on a deer antler equates to the animal's age. Older deer often grow fewer points than they did during their prime.

References

• University of Florida
• pabucks.com
• huntingnet.com