Shedding Antlers in VA

flips2 · 12-21-2008, 08:47 AM

Guys, anyone else seen bucks shedding yet? I shot what I thought was a good size doe in Culpepper last night and when I got to it, it was a buck that had already shed its antlers. Judging from the pedicles it was more than a little forkhorn size buck.

BOWMANN100 · 12-21-2008, 09:15 AM

I have not seen any bucksshed them this early before. Earliest I have noticed it has been mid tolate january.

rafsob · 12-21-2008, 10:09 AM

They will shed their antlers if they were traumitized in some way. The last one I saw this early was one that had been shot during ML season and had a nasty flesh wound. Somehow yours was either bad genes or traumitized in someway.

tourangeaud · 12-22-2008, 08:44 AM

I saw multiple buck in Haymarket Saturday evening. All with head gear.

VA5326 · 12-22-2008, 09:45 AM

My buddy shot a Monster in Fluvanna Saturday with both sides. Trying to get the pics.

flips2 · 12-22-2008, 04:41 PM

I have been doing some research on the net and found that bucks will start losing their antlers when they start losing testosterone. I am wondering that since we have a colder than average winter temp wise if some of the younger deer are preparing for the winter season earlier. Basically the temps we have had this hunting season have been the average temps for Jan-Feb. and wondering if it is having an effect on the deer also. Just a thought but wondering what you guys thought.

srwshooter · 12-23-2008, 07:29 AM

a friend killed one in near charottesville last week that had already shed.......... i've seen them do this years ago ,but in the past 10yrs or so it seems they usually carry them longer . i almost hit 2 bucks last year with my truck in late february that still had antlers. but then again i've found scrapes some years well up in late january.

flips2 · 12-23-2008, 08:49 AM

Thats funny swrs because last year on President's Day Holiday I was hunting in Clifton and saw 5 different bucks all with headgear and two of them actually started fighting with each other pretty seriously. I am just wondering if the weather has played a part this year? Either way he is at the butcher shop and will be in my freezer.

vadeer · 12-23-2008, 07:17 PM

Two years ago, I found someshedsduring Christmas week in NOVA. Thatsame year, I shot a deer in mid-December thatdropped hisantlers due to the stress/injury of acollisionwith an automobile.

coolbrze0 · 12-23-2008, 07:51 PM

Last year we had taken 2 bucks in Middleburg that had shed between Thanksgiving & X-mas. Many more bucks were seen by 2 of my buddies who manage farms there that had already shed by New Years. Not sure why, but that was the earliest I've ever heard of it. Also, it wasn't just a buck here or there, it was a lot of deer that they saw/shot.