Red Deer Antlers (Whole) (2024)

FAQs

Why do red deer lose their antlers? ›

Their antlers shed, or fall off naturally, after the breeding season. Once shed the Stag instantly starts to regrow a new set of antlers, first in soft tissue (called Velvet) then gradually calcifying into fully hardened antler at around January each year, ready for the next breeding season.

The bigger they are, the easier it gets. For example, according to GoHunt, a 180-inch set is worth $150-200. Furthermore, it reports that a 200-inch set is worth about $400.

Under normal circumstances, antlers are shed and re-grown annually to coincide with the deer's breeding season. Red, Fallow and Sika shed their antlers during April and May and the new growth is complete and cleaned by August/September.

Red deer antlers may reach 90 cm (3 ft.) in length and weigh 3 kg (6.6 lbs) each, although 70 cm (2 ft. 4 in.) and 1 kg (2.2 lbs) is more common.

When the antlers are shed, a slight amount of blood oozes from the spots where they were attached. Scabs quickly form over the raw pedicels, and before long only scars remain to mark where the antlers were. Once the pedicels are healed, new antler buds form, and the buck begins growing next year's rack.

The dropped antlers are called “sheds” and the process does not hurt the buck. From spring through summer, the antlers grow back and are usually bigger than the previous year. From August through September, the antlers lose the velvet encasement in preparation for the whitetail breeding season.

Finding shed antlers is an exciting part of hiking and wildlife watching. Remember it's illegal to take natural items from many public lands.

If you look at a graph of average antler size of white-‐tailed deer at different ages, it is clear antler size increases until 5 years of age. Average antler size then remains relatively constant, suggesting antler size does not change much after a buck reaches 5 years old.

The antlers are prized by collectors and others to use for things like decorations, door handles, chandeliers, chairs, wall art, dog chews and as traditional medicine in China and Asia.

Squirrels and other rodents including mice, rats, voles and porcupines often snack on shed deer antlers. This behavior is called osteophagy – consuming bone – and is witnessed in many animal populations around the world.

Do deer antlers grow back if cut off? ›

Whitetail deer antlers contain bone with the fastest growing tissues in the animal kingdom. Deer antlers can grow as fast as half an inch per day. Unlike animals with horns, deer lose their antlers and grow them back throughout the year.

A red stag starts growing antlers around 10 months old, and for each year the antlers elongate and thicken. There are names for stags that reflect the number of tines present on his antlers: A Royal Stag has 12, an Imperial Stag with 14, and a Monarch has 16 tines.

As daylight lengthens, testosterone also begins to drop, which is the ultimate trigger for antler shedding. It's the exact opposite process of how deer antlers harden in late summer. Region and timing of the rut are also factors. In the North, a defined rut means a shorter breeding window.

The average lifespan of a wild whitetail is 4½ years, according to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. If we break it down by sex, we find that the average life expectancy of a buck is 2.9 years, while the average lifespan of a doe is 6½ years.

The spread of the antlers can offer a clue to a buck's age. Yearling bucks rarely have antlers that grow wider than their ears. A buck with an antler spread well outside the end of the ears is normally a mature or older buck.

Antlers grow from a pedicle, which is the attachment point to the animal's skull. When a buck's testosterone levels drop after the rut or mating season, a new bone cell called an osteoclast removes the existing bone tissue between the pedicle and antlers, causing them to fall off.

The removal of antlers, or de-antlering, of deer is performed to help protect other animals and handlers from injury. However, antlers are also removed in the production of antler velvet which is used for medicinal purposes.

Each year male white – tailed deer, elk and other members of the deer family shed their antlers after rut or breeding season. Each spring as days lengthen male deer, bucks, begin to grow a new set of antlers.

Deer, elk and moose may enjoy the increased mobility for foraging after they shed antlers. Other animals are excited to find shed antlers during their foraging. Many nutrients are needed to make bone, such as calcium, phosphorus and protein.