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bucks are known to carry their antlers later into the winter . Or as we have seen recently , bucks impacted by EHD may hold their antlers all season because of incomplete testosterone changes .
After these antlers have dropped to the forest or prairie floor , the remaining pedicles become ‘ scabbed over ’ rather than ‘ heal over ’ and the process of growing antlers is finished , and … it all starts again .
Deer ( elk & caribou ) are the only known animals to continuously regrow bone tissue in the mammal kingdom and the tissue between the pedicle ( living ) and antler ( dead )– is the only known connection between living and dead tissue in mammals .
So , what about the non-typical or deformed antlers ? Where do they
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As we speak of deformed or true non-typical antlers , I feel there is a difference even though on measuring / scoring basis , they are the same . Deformed antlers are from an injury or disease whereas non-typical points can be from age or genetics and often have matches on both antlers .
Deformed / non-typical antlers can be caused by genetics , age of the buck , injuries and remnants of diseases such as EHD ( Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease ).
Genetics from both the buck and the doe will contribute to the non-typical antlers . Studies showed that does will carry their father ’ s traits . A doe that is an offspring from a non-typical buck will birth a larger
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This 5 ½ year old buck taken in December is a classic example of a mature buck with non-typical points that may reflect his age and genetics .
portion of non-typical bucks even though she is bred by a typical buck , thus passing on her father ’ s antler genetics . Researchers have also shown that deer with a greater diverse gene pool , meaning more breeding bucks in an area , contribute to more points of yearling bucks as well .
As a buck ages , he may tend to develop non-typical antler characteristics more prominently than in his younger years . This may reflect his genetic traits as he grows older .
We have recognized that if a buck injures an antler during the growing season , the nerve endings may become damaged and a non-typical point may grow at that location . In many known cases , because of the damaged nerves , a non-typical point will grow in the same location the following year , which is attributed to ‘ genetic memory ’. This may answer the question of why a young buck has a non-typical point or a deformed point .
If during this growing period , a buck injures a rear leg , it can have a direct correlation of a deformed antler usually on the opposite side of the injured leg . A front leg injury will have a correlation of a deformed antler usually on the same side as the injured leg .
It ’ s not known why this happens or the actual cause . Some speculation suggests it may be a balance stabilization correction , or maybe a right brain - left brain correlation . Either way , pay attention to the deer
Page 62 , Dakota Country , September 2024 www . dakotacountrymagazine . com