Antler Growth
 

I would like to know what you think about anlters being busted off. I've heard that a deer in velvet bust an antler it will affect the growth of a new one for the rest of his life. It is true or not.

Reason asking had a nice deer with five points on oneside walk by me. he had 4 up and a really nice drop tine but missing his left side. there was something and I could tell it had been busted off. Either fighting with a bigger deer or durig velvet

RE: Antler Growth
 

I was always under the impression that if it broke off in velvet it will be completely fine next year, barring anything happening again. As long as the area where the antler attaches to the skull, I think its called the pedical(sp)....isnt damaged, it should be fine.
However, we have had deer running our property year after year that never had one side of their antlers, a genetic mutation of sorts. I also heard that if the pedical is damaged it can lead to some really irregular/non-typical racks....so put together with that drop-tine side again, that could be a real awesome rack. Good luck!

RE: Antler Growth
 

About 15 yrs ago I shot a 4 point. # on one side and the other was a spike that came up about 3 inches then curled down like a ram.Anyway I picked it up from the spike side and pulled the antler out of the deers head literally.It looked like a socket. Never had that happen again.It just pulled right out.I shoved it back in and pulled it again.I was amazed how deep the socket was and didnt see no brain tissue in it.The socket was about a inch deep to.

RE: Antler Growth
 

In captivity I have seen some bucks, having damaged an antler in velvet, carry that as "memory" in future antlers, and Ive also seen other examples where it gradually goes away and rights itself after a couple years. Oddly, Ive seen hard antler damage do this too. George and Anthony Bubenik from Geulph University have done alot of studying with unilateral and bilateral atrophy and other neat antler deformities.