120 Magic Days
By: Charles J. Alsheimer
Deer antlers have always fascinated man. Antlers are the fastest-growing bone material, and during about 120 days from late March through early August, a mature buck can grow over 200 inches of bone on his head. What follows is a series of photos that document the antler-growth process of a mature whitetail buck. I photographed this buck in western New York. In the year before this pictorial’s time line, moisture and growing conditions were slightly better than average. The buck was eight years old, healthy and in the prime of his life. Typical of a buck of this stature, his antlers scored 154 Boone and Crockett inches after velvet peel in September.
How It Happens
Cookie-cutter bucks don’t exist. Each is distinctly different. Some grow antlers that are narrow and tall, but others have drop tines and wide inside spreads. None are identical, which adds to the whitetail’s uniqueness. Also, the rate at which a buck’s antlers grow depends on several factors, such as genetics, health, age, stress, soil quality and overall quality of natural and agricultural habitat.
Of all the bucks I’ve raised, most cast their antlers from January 20 to March 10. The earliest I had a buck cast his antlers was January 1 (he was injured), and the latest was April 3. When antlers are cast, the pedicle bleeds, causing a scab to form. The scab then heals from the outside to the center. When fully healed, the top of the pedicle is covered with a brownish-gray skin, with a small light-gray dot in the center of the pedicle. Daylight increases as winter wears on, setting the stage for antler growth. When day length reaches a certain point, blood begins flowing to the pedicle, and antlers begin growing. The skin covering the pedicles pushes upward through a series of arteries that carry blood to the antlers as they grow during the next four-plus months. During the growing process, blood flows through a series of veins and arteries and forms a protein base upon which minerals are deposited. The skin covering the growing antlers is called velvet because it feels like velvet. The velvety texture is actually a result of hundreds of tiny hairs that grow out of the skin. These hairs serve a purpose: to alert the buck of danger when the antlers touch brush or other obstacles. Because the velvet consists of blood vessels, the antlers are warm to the touch and only slightly cooler than a whitetail’s 101-degree body temperature. The velvet also makes a buck’s antlers appear much larger than they actually are. Most bucks are finished growing their antlers by August 10. Then the hardening process begins, and it usually takes 20 to 25 days. Though the antlers will be solid bone when the velvet is peeled, they are far from hard during the early stages of growth. From the time they begin growing in late March until about July 15, a buck’s antlers are bulbous and pliable. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for a buck to cut or even sever a beam or tine during the growth process. If the antler is badly cut or severed, the buck can bleed to death. If a buck is mature and has everything going for him, his antlers might grow 1/2 to one inch per day, especially from June 15 to July 15, when daylight is greatest. During this 30-day period, antler growth explodes.
Time Line
April: From when antlers begin growing in late March through the end of April, growth is minimal. That’s mostly because the amount of daylight is much less than what it will be in June. Second, most bucks are still stressed from the long winter, so their body is in recovery mode. Another reason antler growth is slow during April is the lack of quality food. Spring green-up doesn’t normally occur in states north of the 40th latitude (northern Maryland to northern Missouri) until mid to late April. By the end of April, brow tines and one or two inches of additional antler beam should be easy to spot on a fully mature buck.
May: In most whitetail locales, May bursts onto the scene with abundant high-octane food, natural and man-created. Natural foods and forages preferred by whitetails are high in protein and other essential nutrients throughout May. This lets a whitetail’s body condition improve from the stress of winter, setting the stage for rapid antler growth. By the end of May, the G-2 points (second point on a typical rack) should be noticeable. In addition, the antler beams should now be about half of their ultimate length.
June: The lyric, “Summer time, and the living is easy,” might be the best way to describe what June is about for whitetails. If rainfall is normal, nutritious food is lush and readily available. Further, the amount of daylight is at its annual peak, providing the hormonal support that lets antler growth accelerate. By late June, almost all the primary points on a rack will have started growing.
July: The month begins with a buck’s antlers being very bulbous. As the month progresses, the antler’s beams and points will finish growing. By July 20, a mature buck’s antlers should look massive. Having adequate rainfall is critical to ensure that optimum antler growth continues during July. If a drought occurs, the nutritional level of food decreases, which can cause a decrease in antler growth. For this reason, it’s critical that food plotters offer drought-resistant plant varieties during June and July. Insects inflict tremendous stress on northern whitetails during July, when temperatures heat up. Those of us who have raised deer believe a whitetail’s stress level at this time can rival what deer experience during winter. In years when insect and parasite loads are extremely high, antler growth can be affected in a negative way. When July ends, the antlers on most bucks are fully formed, ushering in the antlerhardening process.
August: Most Northern bucks will have completed their antler growth by early to mid-August, at which time blood flow to antlers diminishes. For the next 20 to 25 days, the antlers will begin to calcify and harden. During this time, the overall size of antlers actually appears to decrease because the velvet covering shrinks as the blood flow slows and ends. Sometime in late August through mid-September, most bucks will peel the velvet from their antlers.
What Does It Take?
Many believe that great summer growing conditions are critical for optimum antler growth. Though extremely important, there is far more to the antler-growing equation than a great summer growing season. Antler growth is an extension of the animal’s body condition. If a buck’s body is not healthy and well maintained with proper nutrition, a buck’s antler growth might decrease 25 percent or more. So, optimum antler growth requires great nutrition year-round, not just during the antler-growing season. Science has shown that if a buck enters the winter rut-stressed, with minimal fat, the chances of him growing great antlers the next summer are greatly diminished. Therefore, food plotters should consider a winter forage offering to ensure deer emerge from winter as healthy as possible. Two late-fall and winter forages I use with great success are Tall Tine Tubers and Whitetail Oats Plus. After bucks exit winter, they are famished and in need of high-octane forages, which means those with protein levels exceeding 25 percent. This is especially important from late May through mid-July in northern regions. During the past 20 years, I’ve planted several warm season forages on our farm, with Imperial Whitetail Clover being our No. 1 offering. Imperial Whitetail Clover boasts over 33% protein which by far exceeds the proteins levels of any of the clover varieties available from the COOP clover seeds or from companies who buy the clover mixes that they sell to you which come from the COOP. In addition, there must be adequate rainfall to ensure the forage protein levels remain high. If a drought occurs, forage protein levels decrease, and fiber content rises, making food sources less nutritious. Consequently, when droughts occur, nutrient levels required for optimal antler growth may not be available in deer foods, causing antlers to be smaller. Two Whitetail Institute offerings, Extreme and Fusion, have worked well for me in New York and perform extremely well in dry and drought-prone regions. It’s vital to have great nutrition during the antler-growing season, but it’s also extremely important to have excellent food available during September through March.