Thread: anyone got an answer for this antler oddity ?

apparently is soft soft under neath- no bone

would any of the deer farmer / knowledgable blokes , know or have an opinion on whats goin on here?

Young animal, late growing his head and hasnt hardened and stripped velvet at the normal time. I have a runty spiker exactly the same that missed going to the freezing works. Once they get passed the normal photo period stimulation without hardening and stripping it is too late. Would have come right this year.

Tropical deer living in a temperate climate? Photoperiod(daylength)if quite different in the tropics.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Young animal, late growing his head and hasnt hardened and stripped velvet at the normal time. I have a runty spiker exactly the same that missed going to the freezing works. Once they get passed the normal photo period stimulation without hardening and stripping it is too late. Would have come right this year.

alot of these vic sambar all drop an grow out at different times, many are in sync but alot are out, possibly due to continual out of sync breeding / hinds coming on...

anyway, wouldnt that negate your theory , unless they were a known cast period like Fallow/ Red perhaps?

Originally Posted by Rees

alot of these vic sambar all drop an grow out at different times, many are in sync but alot are out, possibly due to continual out of sync breeding / hinds coming on...

anyway, wouldnt that negate your theory , unless they were a known cast period like Fallow/ Red perhaps?

Invite me over to shoot one and I will give you a definitive answer!
If the animal was late to initiate growth relative to when he rutted he could have just run out of time as it were.
Another thing but unlikely, is that he has damaged his nuts. He will then grow a head but it will not harden like a normal intact stag.
Being Ausi, is it possible that he was eating someones dope patch ? Weed lowers Testosterone in deer markedly - in Gorni Altai Russia Elk eat wild hemp / dope and that allows velvet antlers to be grown well out without calcification.
Lastly perhaps someone injected him with a testosterone lowering drug because he identified as a hind ?

Frostbite?

still in velvet,stripping is weird...I BELIEVE the ones in NC can be in all stages of antler all year.

yeah not uncommon to see out of sync stags holding antlers whilst majority are in velvet here, an calf drops at random times throughout year-

need an offer.... invites there...... simple.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Invite me over to shoot one and I will give you a definitive answer!
If the animal was late to initiate growth relative to when he rutted he could have just run out of time as it were.
Another thing but unlikely, is that he has damaged his nuts. He will then grow a head but it will not harden like a normal intact stag.
Being Ausi, is it possible that he was eating someones dope patch ? Weed lowers Testosterone in deer markedly - in Gorni Altai Russia Elk eat wild hemp / dope and that allows velvet antlers to be grown well out without calcification.
Lastly perhaps someone injected him with a testosterone lowering drug because he identified as a hind ?

haha- not likely the pot patch but its reasonably high altitude , eucylypt mke the koalas a bit stoned, does this maybe have anything to do perhaps? native gums etc.. altho uncommon, maybe eating alot of this during the bush fire regrowth where the gums sprouted all up their trunks an limbs in a state of survival??

re invite. its there- pm me to talk turkeys

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

still in velvet,stripping is weird...I BELIEVE the ones in NC can be in all stages of antler all year.

id agree tho in regard to something slightly off timed but not 100% rubbed out an when does, wont have points sharp but rounded, which isnt uncommon an not sure of why- but seen it with reds i rekon where the velvet didnt dry up properly then rubbing an just rounded it moreso-

that deer owuldnt of wanted to rub the tops much as it would be a bit sensitive until the whole thing cut off circulation? idk

Cryptorchidism will do it.

Originally Posted by JaSa

Cryptorchidism will do it.

Really??!! hence the young ness?

pretty sure back in early days of deer farming they tried gelding stags and ended up with funky antlers that wouldnt set......JaSa might be onto something....did your animal have normal "boy bits"????
we get humels and other odities over here so not out of relms of possibility its what you have shot.