Do Deer Lose Their Antlers?

"WILDLIFE WEDNESDAY"

Do Deer Lose Their Antlers?

YES.  Of course as long winded as I am, there is no way I can leave the answer that short.  So here is a brief story and a little science behind deer antlers.

Last summer I was spraying the fence line on our farm to kill some invasive privet that was encroaching. As I drove along I looked down and spotted a deer antler laying on the ground.

 I was excited because this is a rare find to stumble upon so I hopped out and picked it up.  I took a couple photos of my trophy and then got back to work.  I drove about 10 feet and bam, there was the other side.  Now this is exceptionally rare to find both sides from the same deer.   I have found shed antlers before.  I have even gone hunting for the shed antlers in the spring a few times, but never have I found both sides.  I have a friend who raises deer in a high fence. Every year he tries to find the shed antlers of all his bucks.  He said that he never finds them both together. Likely the reason for me finding both was that this young deer had tried to go under the fence instead of jumping over it and pulled his antlers off together.  Lucky for the deer this annual process is not painful.  

 You see deer antlers fall off naturally each spring due to decreased testosterone levels after the rut (breeding season).  Here in Alabama if typically takes place in late March early April.  Of course these dates vary depending on the deers age, climate, and a host of other factors.  The bucks begin to regrow their antlers immediately.  They actually grow at a very rapid rate for the next 2 to 4 months.  When the antlers are in the growth phase, they are covered by a fuzzy protective membrane, commonly referred  to as  "velvet".

This time of year whitetail deer, which are the only wild deer that we have here in the south, begin to build up testosterone levels and and antler growth slows down considerably and finally stops. The velvet then withers and begins to fall off.

The velvet removal process is facilitated by the deer by rubbing his antlers against trees.

 There are multiple trees that deer are rubbing right now on our farm. 
 The whole process is repeated every year for the rest of his life.