quote:
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 any other 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.
RockinChair.. that's where I stated (as long as he has health.) I thought that was self-explanatory.
I misunderstood you as well dukemichaels, as even though dominance or stress may change, a buck can still be in good health. Perhaps in a changeless environment in which there are no stresses or unforseen disturbances in the basic biological cycle of the buck, then the antlers will be dropped annually around the same time. However, as Lee Rue says, "The one thing we have learned is that many different factors determine the timing of the casting of a buck's antlers."