HuntingNet.com Forums - View Single Post - Buck at the butcher. (PIC)
View Single Post
Old 11-06-2006 | 07:26 PM
  #18  
Bulzeye's Avatar
Bulzeye
Nontypical Buck
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,337
Likes: 0
From: Too close to Chicago
Default RE: Buck at the butcher. (PIC)

Yup.

Tyler,
Whenyoung bucksare in their first year (at about 6 months old), they often (maybe always)only have bumps called pedicles where the antlers will grow from when they get older. These bumps looks like little buttons on their heads, and can make the deer look like a doe. In IL, a deer is considered 'antlerless' if its antlers are less than 3 inches long, regardless of actual gender.

Here is a nice close-up of the pedicles.



From the front, the top of a button buck's head will appear more or less flat, where a doe's will appear more rounded, but it is hard to see the difference unless you are very close or have good binoculars. After the bucks drop their antlers in late winter, they all look like this.
Bulzeye is offline  
Reply