Antler Color

[BSK]

Read this today


The buck�s antlers can also vary in color. This variation is usually the result of the amount of oxidized blood left over from velvet shedding and the type of plant the deer uses to help shed the velvet. The chemical reaction between the blood and sap present in the tree or bush used to rub the antlers can sometimes lead to interesting color variations.

The problem with that theory is, why can bucks in pens--with literally not a thing to rub on--produce very dark racks?

 

[BSK]

I guess every deer in Canada has just no common sense, and split their velvet too early! Cause everyone of them suckers have dark racks. I still think more than blood plays a huge role in this process. Just my .02

Mot at all true. I've seen many a bone white rack from Canada.

 

[BAMA BOW MERKER]

Again I agree with you BSK. I have a question, how does a buck with nothing to rub on shed his velvet earlier to cause the greater amount of blood? Does it shed naturally early without him rubbing? Thus causing the darker horns. Are their hormones, other chemical factors, photoperiodism, or other things that could contribute to this?

 

[BSK]

Again I agree with you BSK. I have a question, how does a buck with nothing to rub on shed his velvet earlier to cause the greater amount of blood? Does it shed naturally early without him rubbing? Thus causing the darker horns. Are their hormones, other chemical factors, photoperiodism, or other things that could contribute to this?

Contrary to popular belief, bucks do very little "rubbing off" of velvet. Velvet splits and falls off the antlers very quickly (usually within 24 hours) all by itself. Now bucks will sometimes thrash bushes and branches to help get the velvet off, but true rubs--as we hunters know them--are not created to get velvet off. They are a hormone-driven instictive behavior, and serve the purpose of being a form of chemical communication between deer--basically "communal pheramone wicks."

 

[SelphLogging]

Go to google images, type in canada whitetail. I went through the first 100 pictures of killed deer with hunter in picture. An overwhelming 89-11. Dark racks take it. But I know this little picture survey I did isnt gonna compete with the gospil spoken here with bsk, but it is interesting. Heck theres multiple subspecies of whitetail deer, rack bone color could just as easy be a different trait in deer.
I just find it odd that midwest tend to have lighter, northern,canada have darker and we have mixed. We have a mixture of subspecies here as well. Canada doesnt so much

 

[BSK]

Heck theres multiple subspecies of whitetail deer, rack bone color could just as easy be a different trait in deer.

I've seen no evidience any sub-species has higher percentage of one or the other, but anything is possible. When velvet splits appears to be somewhat genetic, which would suggest it could be linked in. I've sure seen planty of both in any geographic region, but that doesn't mean genetically it does swing one way or the other percentage-wise in certain locations.