Ask The Biologist

Long Live the King

Long Live the King

By Bob Humphrey

Why do some bucks keep their racks so far into winter?

QUESTION: I run trail cameras on my feeders, and in the last week of February I’m still getting pictures of a mature buck with antlers. My question is, when do bucks shed their antlers? — Bruce W.

ANSWER: Antlers serve several purposes. Bucks use them as offensive and defensive weapons during the rut, and they might also act as some sort of visual symbol of a buck’s health and vigor to potential mates. Once the rut is over, their purpose is served and they become unnecessary. In fact, they might even act as radiators and draw heat from the body — so a buck is better off without them.

Antler shedding, like antler growth and the rut, is triggered by changes in daylight. After the rut, testosterone levels decline and an abscission layer begins forming at the base of the antler. Eventually the connective tissue dies and the antler drops off.

When this occurs can vary considerably. I’ve heard of hunters shooting antlered bucks during the late muzzleloader season only to have them drop off as the buck ran off or when they tried to drag it out. And as your situation points out, some bucks retain their antlers well into winter. There’s really no precise answer, but unless a buck incurs an injury or suffers from some other malady, its antlers will drop off and begin growing anew sometime before winter’s end.

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