Antlers falling off deer
 

Has anyone here ever seen, or heard of anyone actually observing a deer shedding its antlers? Ive been wondering if they simply just pop off when its time or if its something like a loose tooth when you are little and they have to knock it off.

A couple of years ago I shot an 8-point buck during the late bow season, It was around Christmas time. I shot it as a buck, when I found it, it was antlerless. It had knocked both antlers off in the brush during it's 75 yard death run. We backtracked in the snow and found both of them. I showed the antlers to the lady at the registration station, and the fresh antler sockets on it's head. She registered it as a buck.

They normally just fall off with no help from the animal. Sometimes they fall off very close together and sometimes it will be several days between when one falls off and then the other. I have a big 6x6 elk rack and they were within 25 yards of each other. I mounted them with a special kit you can buy and they are up on a wall in my northern Michigan cabin. Obviously the buck that lost his on his run through the brush when he was shot was within a day or two of dropping them like I mentioned. I have a 3 part DVD video series made by David Long of monster mule deer and he actually filmed one big buck on the winter range shedding each antler a couple days apart as it was jumping through the sagebrush and he picked up the sheds.

Man i wish i could see that. I just still think its amazing that an animal can grow something back that big in just a few months time.

I killed a nice buck with my bow in February of 2007, spined him down between the shoulders and when he fell on his right side, his right antler popped off at the base and he kicked a few times with his left front leg and knocked off the left side at the base. This happened right in front of me at about 13 yards.