ORIGINAL: dukemichaels
When a whitetail sheds his antler.. lets say on the 3rd of March... that same buck will generally (as long as he has health) shed his bone every year for the rest of his life within a few days of that March 3rd date... and then begin growing them right after... again about the same date for that individual.
Are you sure about that Duke? There are several conditions that can influence when a buck will shed his antlers. For one, social status can change. Within a healthy herd, dominant bucks will have been replaced every 2-3 years generally. Dominant bucks shed far sooner than subordinate bucks because of the stresses their body endures in becoming that dominant buck. A 1.5 yr. old 6 pt. may not shed his first rack well into February or March. However, once he becomes the main man in his land, he'll shed far sooner..let's say January 10th for example. Also climate conditions play a role as well. A harsh cold snap or extended periods of snow cover or anyother weather related incident that causes stress on the body will force him to drop early.
If you can show me some documentation or research that says bucks will generally drop around the same day within a few days I will stand corrected.