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Ticked Off

Ticked Off

By Bob Humphrey

With all the blood available in velvet antlers, why aren’t they covered in ticks?

QUESTION: How come you see deer with ticks on the back of there ears and face but never on velvet antlers?  With all the blood, I would think they should be covered. — Duane F.

ANSWER: I really don’t know and have been unable to find a clear and concise answer to your question. However, I can speculate. If you look closely at the velvet you’ll see it consists of very fine, very dense hair. It’s possible the hair is too dense for the ticks to get through. It’s also possible the skin underneath is too thick for them to bite through. Whatever the defense mechanism, it seems to work quite well.

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