Dropping horns
12-30-2008, 06:07 PM
#22
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,879
RE: Dropping horns
ORIGINAL: BTBowhunter
Never seen any studies on this but I've heard and read that It's all about the bucks testosterone levels. Cold weather supposedly has nothing to do with it. Typically if there are does still coming into estrous in the area, teatosterone levels will tend to stay higher and most of the bucks will keep their horns. I know that in areas where the doe fawns are healthy and have enough body weight, they van extend the secondary rut a bit and therefore the bucks keep their antlers a bit longer.
Never seen any studies on this but I've heard and read that It's all about the bucks testosterone levels. Cold weather supposedly has nothing to do with it. Typically if there are does still coming into estrous in the area, teatosterone levels will tend to stay higher and most of the bucks will keep their horns. I know that in areas where the doe fawns are healthy and have enough body weight, they van extend the secondary rut a bit and therefore the bucks keep their antlers a bit longer.
12-30-2008, 06:13 PM
#23
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW PA USA
Posts: 7,220
RE: Dropping horns
ORIGINAL: livbucks
Sounds plausible Bob.
BB2...my belief was that it was a day hither or nither of April fools day. It was 24 years ago now.
Sounds plausible Bob.
BB2...my belief was that it was a day hither or nither of April fools day. It was 24 years ago now.
12-30-2008, 06:41 PM
#24
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,236
RE: Dropping horns
I know a guy in NYS that owns captive deer and he says his individual bucks drop within a day or two on the calendar every year. If a buck is early, he is early every year. Granted, he confines them in separate pens during the rut, so they are not subjected to stresses like wild deer. His breeding is done by A.I.
12-30-2008, 06:46 PM
#25
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,879
RE: Dropping horns
ORIGINAL: BTBowhunter
Most of the "experts" on this one are basically advancing theories. The ones that are truthful will admit that we really don't know for sure. I tend to beleive that testosterone levels are the key but just look at the differences we see in humans in that regard and it begins to look like the genes or characteristics of individual deer may come into play here. Studies have shown that breeding is doen across all age classes and that some mature bucks don't breed at all. I wonder if those bucks that don't breed at all are the early droppers?
ORIGINAL: livbucks
Sounds plausible Bob.
BB2...my belief was that it was a day hither or nither of April fools day. It was 24 years ago now.
Sounds plausible Bob.
BB2...my belief was that it was a day hither or nither of April fools day. It was 24 years ago now.
01-01-2009, 07:36 PM
#27
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: LI, New York
Posts: 517
RE: Dropping horns
ORIGINAL: livbucks
I know a guy in NYS that owns captive deer and he says his individual bucks drop within a day or two on the calendar every year. If a buck is early, he is early every year. Granted, he confines them in separate pens during the rut, so they are not subjected to stresses like wild deer. His breeding is done by A.I.
I know a guy in NYS that owns captive deer and he says his individual bucks drop within a day or two on the calendar every year. If a buck is early, he is early every year. Granted, he confines them in separate pens during the rut, so they are not subjected to stresses like wild deer. His breeding is done by A.I.
01-01-2009, 07:38 PM
#28
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: LI, New York
Posts: 517
RE: Dropping horns
ORIGINAL: WestVirginiaBrent
They're dropping them in central WV as well and already back to bachelor groups.
I found a set of fresh sheds during Muzzleloader, the rodents had already ate them pretty damned bad too, would have been big ones. The pictures don't do them justice, I plan on rebuilding them and putting them on the cabin wall, I ordered the tine repair stuff from Van Dyke's Taxidermy last week. It will be some work but they're fixable.
They're dropping them in central WV as well and already back to bachelor groups.
I found a set of fresh sheds during Muzzleloader, the rodents had already ate them pretty damned bad too, would have been big ones. The pictures don't do them justice, I plan on rebuilding them and putting them on the cabin wall, I ordered the tine repair stuff from Van Dyke's Taxidermy last week. It will be some work but they're fixable.
