RE: Chalk one up for the Rut Junkie Crew!!!
That is a dadgum good'un! Did you get a weight on him? In the newest QDMA magazine they had a nice article that included why some bucks had darker antlers than others. One of the reasons given was that the amount of oxidized blood that dried on the antler and another was the chemical reaction between blood and plant juices after the velvet is shed. Age and other factors are given also.