Antler growth question

cabinfever

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Over the 4th of July weekend I found a good buck. How many more inches in tine length could I expect him to grow over the next month.I'm guess'n he's got the mass he's going to have. Any experience documenting a bucks growth over the summer.

Mike
 
Great question !! I've been wondering the same, this pic was taken in the last week. I know he won't get any wider but what about tine length ??

Mike if you feel I'm hijacking your post let me know and I'll start another. Brian.



yotre054.jpg
 
Nope, don't feel like you are hijacking my post, but dont ever post a pic of a whitetail on this form again.LOL. My guess is that he'll add a inch or 2 to each tine, but again I really don't know. Hence the post. That buck has a good start. Was that pic really taken in March. Whitetails may have a different growth pattern.

Mike
 
No, the pic was taken within the last week. APPARENTLY I don't know how to set the time/date !! Hopefully I have it fixed now.
 
I just did a quick google search and found some articles on antler growth. Some antlers gan grow up to 1 inch per day. However I dont think you would ever be able to put a number on how much antlers can grow in a day, unless the deer/elk was in a controled enviroment with plenty of water, food and minerals that the animal needs to grow a nice "rack". anywho if your area has a good wet season just plan on seeing some nice bucks.
 
I would take an uneducated guess that whitetail antlers mature differently than muledeer and both deer species differently than elk, moose, etc.

If you look at the whitetail photo in this post you may notice that the brows are fairly pointed and the main beam and the outward-most pts closest to the end of the main beam (as well as the tip of the main beam) is fairly blunt. I would venture a guess that the whitetail's brows are almost fully developed and the outer-most pts as well as the main beam are the last to develop. I would also guess the bases are also fully developed.

The muledeer I've seen the past few days have fully developed brows as well. They appear to have main beams and g4's close to fully developed. I may be wrong but it appears that the back forks g2's and g3's are about the last tines to fully develop.

I spent quite a few days a couple seasons ago watching the growth of moose velvet and the brows on moose are the first to develop. The lowest tine closest to the base is the next to develop as well as the elongation of the paddle. The back 1/2 of the palm is next to develop and the last things that form on moose headgear are all the small pts and the end of the paddle. You have to wait until late in the summer to be able to count the number of pts on moose antlers but you can tell whether bulls have forked brows quite early in the summer.

Hopefully this makes sense? If anyone has seen antlers develop differently I'd really like to know?
 
here is a pic of the buck I was refering to. Do you guys think he'll gain some more inches. I definately think he will on the g2g3.
44b79d561d8f4a75.jpg



Mike
 
That sounds about right for anyone who wants to learn more about the development, evolution etc. of antlers and/or horns they should check out the following books. I have almost finished the second one and while it is a little dated and dives into some technical mumbojumbo it is easier to understand than the first one on this list.

Horns, pronghorns, and antlers : evolution, morphology, physiology, and social significance /
Primary Material: Book
Publisher: New York : Springer-Verlag, c1990.


Goss, Richard J.,
Title: Deer antlers : regeneration, function, and evolution /
Primary Material: Book
Publisher: New York : Academic Press, 1983.
 

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