Antler shedding

[Rutnut]

Jumping in late here, but what about simple genetics?? There are genes that control all of the processes that go on in an animal's body. For an antler to change from being solid bone locked into the skull plate to being a separate deal there have to be numerous chemical reactions that happen. It's our genetic code that decides just how efficiently these processes all work. Stressors and nutrition and such surely play a large role, but genetics has to be a part of it as well. Some deer are probably programmed to drop earlier than others...

Rutnut's experience strengthens this argument as well... 2 different bucks from the same area with dropped antlers early on... chances are good they share genetics.

You know, I never thought of it like that before. Makes sense to me. I did, after all, shoot those deer in the same patch of woods. They can be related for sure..
Sad side note, that patch of woods is now about ten houses... one of them is 7500 SQ FT. My childhood woods are gone!!

[Deebz]

that's brutal... My hometown is still surrounded by woods, it's just impossible to get permission to hunt them anymore...

[Buck Commander]

Jumping in late here, but what about simple genetics?? There are genes that control all of the processes that go on in an animal's body. For an antler to change from being solid bone locked into the skull plate to being a separate deal there have to be numerous chemical reactions that happen. It's our genetic code that decides just how efficiently these processes all work. Stressors and nutrition and such surely play a large role, but genetics has to be a part of it as well. Some deer are probably programmed to drop earlier than others...

Rutnut's experience strengthens this argument as well... 2 different bucks from the same area with dropped antlers early on... chances are good they share genetics.

Deebz said it pretty well. Some just drop before others, it's all in their genes.

[Cut N Run]

I feed the deer at my house every day year-round, so I get to see a lot of what happens & when. North Carolina is a different world far as shedding goes compared to Michigan.

Last week just before a warm rain, a herd of 20 adult does & yearlings showed up to feed. Across the creek were 5 bucks, two of which were 3 years old or better. Only one buck was missing a single antler. All the rest of them had the same headgear they were sporting in Fall. I have seen a fully racked buck in early March before, but that is rare. Any day now I expect to find shed antlers around the property.

Jim

[charlie 01]

Yes, genetics play a part in it, but it's only part of the ingredients in the "kettle". Take this season in my area, the mildest winter we have had in some time. I expected the bucks to hang on to their antlers later than usual. but things happened quite differently. Three of the largest bucks in one particular area, that normally drop their head gear in past years in Feb. & Mar. dropped them before the end of Dec. I have trail cam pics of each of them, and I see no change of them from last year. I have to look at it lodgeicly, no wounds, no extreme lenghly cold weather, and no lack of food. It's a wonderment.

[motorbreaker]

Most of the bucks here in southern Ohio lost there antlers much later then last year. I was starting to believe
that each buck drops its antlers around the same time every year thing until this year, Bucks in this area all
dropped late this year.
Heck, Shed hunting in early march, I seen 8 bucks in the field and only 2 had dropped.

I only found 2 sheds before march, Normaly, I would have found a dozen by then.

Crazy year with crazy weather.

[dominantbuckhunter32]

finding many sheds here in PA , not sure why they are dropping so early usually it is later in March , makes me wonder.