Got a little nine point !

Started by Antler3, December 26, 2007, 12:42:47 PM

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Antler3

Today was the opening morning of our three day Christmas rifle hunt. I eased off down to my little wooded holler that splits the cattle fields. As I was sitting there just getting settled in I looked up to my left and on top of the holler I saw three or four deer just running back and forth. All I could see was movement and a whitetail once in awhile. About 15 minutes after that I hear them walking behind me on up the holler further. I stood up to see better and caught movement. I put the scope on one and saw horns for a second and then it was behind the trees and brush. I could tell they were moving toward what we call the hidden field. I started back up as quiet as i could to the corner of the field and watched and out came 4 doe single file, then a four point, six point and an eight point and then this one I took. There is a big twelve runningthe area and too much distance after this one stepped out to wait any longer so I went ahead and fired. It was about 100 yards off hand shot. He dropped about 40 yards in the field. Good heart shot and the best blood trail I ever saw, now that I didn't need one ha ha ha !  Now I am tagged out for this year, has been a good year for me and I am thankful. I am trying to resize so can post a picture......
ANTLER 3

Antler3

Maybe this will work.....
ANTLER 3

Antler3

We found the little spike in the field on our way out ....he's to the right. His neck bone was still attatched, he hadn't been down long. The skull with neckbone is all that was there....I'd suspect coyotes.
ANTLER 3

Vermonster

Great looking deer there Antler!!!  Congrats!!!!!   :biggthumpup:

RatherBHuntin

Woohooo Antler3, nice lookin buck.  I love those "knuckles" on the tines.  Mine from last year has one.  I wonder what causes those?  Were you shooting the 30-30?
Glenn

"Politics is supposed to be the world\'s second oldest profession.  I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
Ronald Reagan

Antler3

Naw, I wouldn't know what would cause those knots. Might be interesting to do a little research to see if can find out. I was using my 270 this year. Always used just open sights , my 30-30 is a winchester and couldn't mount a top scope so really gotta get used to using my scope. Eyes are not as good as they used to be and I think I'm gonna like my scope. First year to take a deer with it. And am thankful to have gotten two. Got the doe with my muzzleloader. Been a good year for sure.
ANTLER 3

Antler3

Quote from: RatherBHuntin;71270Woohooo Antler3, nice lookin buck. I love those "knuckles" on the tines. Mine from last year has one. I wonder what causes those? Were you shooting the 30-30?
[SIZE=+1]KICKERS, STICKERS, AND DROPTINES[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]This article was originally printed in the August / September 2002 issue of Deer Tracking.
This article is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form without permission.[/SIZE]
At an Israeli cave site dating back nearly 100,000 years, remains of a man were found clutching an antler in his hands. Man has been interested in antlers since the beginning of time and probably will be until the end of time. It is interesting to ponder whether humans became so attached to antlers because of their usefulness as tools or whether they became widely used as tools because we were so fascinated by them. One cold February morning in Webb County, I found myself laying under my truck, pounding the starter with the only tool available -- a big shed antler. Some things never change. One of the things that makes antlers so interesting is the infinite variety of antler shapes, colours, textures, and unique characteristics. Discussion and admiration of kickers, stickers, drop tines, cheaters, forks, double brows, and triple beams consume many hours in deer camps and at gas stations. It is the oddities and abnormalities that capture our interest the most. If all bucks looked the same, they would be about as interesting as does. Because of our interest in non-typical antlers, much research has been directed at the causes of antler abnormalities. There are many factors which can cause or affect the expression of antler abnormalities: Genetics, Age, Nutrition, Injury, Disease, Hormones, and magnetic/electronic forces.
Genetics
Many odd points and abnormalities are the result of the animal's genotype, or genetic blueprint. Antler characteristics are inherited from the buck's parents. A non-typical buck will frequently produce a disproportionate number of offspring with non-typical points. Also, does contribute half the genetic blueprint for antler qualities to their offspring. As a result, does that had non-typical fathers may consistently produce buck fawns which grow up to be non-typicals even though they had different fathers. Genetically programmed antler abnormalities can be seen year after year in an individual. A buck may have a small bump on the outside of his back tine (G2) at 2.5 years old, then a 2-inch kicker in the same spot the next year and a 4-inch kicker on each G2 at 4.5 years old. Palmated antlers, which are webbed like a moose, are a good example of a characteristic which is genetically inherited in whitetails. Biologists in Utah reported observing 14 mule deer bucks in the 1950s which had no antlers at all. They felt that this was a genetic abnormality because all bucks came from one localized drainage.
Age
We all know how age affects antler size; young bucks are still allocating nutrient resources to body growth and not antler development. Once the body becomes fully mature at about 2 years, a buck is able to pass on nutrients to luxury items such as antlers. It follows then that young bucks are not going to show many non-typical characteristics which require robust antler growth. Bucks rarely start expressing kicker points and drop tines before they are 3 years old.
Nutrition
In any given year, a buck only has enough energy for growing large antlers if he satisfies his own body maintenance requirements first. In poor years or on over-population ranges, deer do not have the luxury of growing large cranial appendages because they barely have enough nutrients to maintain their body condition. Good nutrition means the buck has more energy to pass on to antler growth. More total antler growth allows the buck to physically express his genetic traits. Regardless of the cause of the abnormality, good nutrition is necessary to provide the building materials. In Scotland, some red deer stags fail to develop antlers until the age of 2 or 3 years. This lack of antlers is thought to be caused by the poor level of nutrition. These antlerless stags, called Hummels, are not physically able to cope with the rigors of antler development until their body is fully grown. It has also been reported that poor nutrition (specifically mineral deficiencies) can result in whitetail antler tines which are "wavy".
Injury
Physical injury or trauma to either the velvet antlers or a major skeletal structure can result in antler abnormalities. Injury probably accounts for most of the very freakish heads. Any injury to the velvet antler may damage the mineralized cartilage structure of the growing antler and affect the blood flow and hence the deposition of calcium and phosphates. Nicks and cuts in the velvet antlers can produce points and oddities. This has led some to suggest that the awe-inspiring double drop tine might be caused by bucks trying to slip through a fence and getting the underside of their main-beams caught (and nicked) on a fence strand. This is an interesting observation, however, most people agree that drop tines are mostly of a genetic origin. Bucks in velvet do a pretty good job of protecting their antlers because they are sensitive during that phase of the antler cycle. Game keepers in early Europe reportedly would jump-shoot red deer with bird shot when they were in velvet. The intent was not to kill the deer but to pepper the growing antlers with lead pellets to cause non-typical points to proliferate. Besides direct trauma to the growing antler, injuries to the buck's body can also cause antler abnormalities. Injury to a large skeletal structure such as a broken leg bone often causes a misshapen rack the next antler cycle. If it is a front leg that is injured, either side of the rack may be affected, however, if the rear leg is injured the opposite side of the rack is frequently malformed. Some have written this off to coincidence, however, there is a significant amount of evidence from several species of deer showing this contralateral (opposite-side) effect is real. Studies by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department in the late 1960s showed that amputation of a rear leg stunted the opposite side of the rack in all 6 experimental animals. Other researchers have also reported this phenomenon in mule deer, whitetail, sambar deer, elk, and muntjacs (barking deer). The cause of this contralateral effect is not known but many theories have been set forth. Some have stated that it is related to the fact that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and vice versa. Others have postulated that while still in velvet, the buck frequently turns to lick the injured leg thereby repeatedly injuring the opposite side of the rack on nearby brush. This seems unlikely because of the care bucks take to protect their growing antlers and the fact that the opposite antler is usually under-developed not just deformed from repeated trauma. The most widely accepted explanation is that the uneven rack counter-balances the injured leg and allows the animal to move around more comfortably. This would be difficult to prove in any conclusive manner but it makes more sense than most other explanations. It is interesting that after amputation of a rear leg, this contralateral effect occurs annually with each set of antlers for the rest of the deer's life. Injury to the pedicle (base) itself nearly always causes abnormalities. Extensive trauma to the pedicle before growth begins or soon after is the source for many large freakish racks. Bucks with 2 main-beams on one side are usually the result of this type of injury. If one pedicle is injured severely, that side or both sides will be malformed during the next antler cycle. In addition, the nerves may remember the injury and reproduce non-typical antlers for several years. This atrophical memory only occurs when the injury is substantial and occurs in the early stages of antler growth when there is a high density of nerve connections in the growing antler tissue. We can add this incredible phenomenon to our list of antler mysteries we don't fully understand. Acorn points are a common oddity we frequently see each fall. This is a swelling in the hardened antler tine that looks like a ball of water running through a cartoon hose. Acorn points are caused when the buck bumps the growing tip of the tine on something hard. The velvet on the tip is injured and in the process of repairing itself, deposits more calcium and phosphates at that location. If an antler tine breaks completely while still in the velvet phase it may stay attached to the rack and re-fuse with it leaving a pendulous, or hanging, tine that frequently has a large rounded tip. Researchers working with sika, roe, fallow, and red deer, have also succeeded in making antlers grow out of abnormal places on the buck's skull. By grafting cells from a buck's pedicle (base) to another place on the frontal bone (forehead), researchers have been able to produce deer with a third antler growing out of their head between their eyes. All 3 antlers undergo the normal sequence of growth, velvet shedding, and casting (drop off). One experiment involved grafting pedicle cells on to the leg of a European roe buck. Incredibly, a small antler grew on the leg, lost its velvet and was later cast normally! Few people would argue that this buck would belong in the non-typical category of Boone & Crockett (Do I get the greatest inside spread?). Trauma to the frontal bone of the skull can even induce antler growth in does. In 1894, W. Blasius reported that a female European roe deer grew a 4-inch antler after a piece of window glass was accidentally driven into her scalp. Researchers have also reproduced this response under controlled circumstances.
Hormones
The proper production of a variety of hormones is necessary to produce antlers. Seasonal fluctuations of male hormones (androgens) occur because the pituitary gland at the base of the brain records changes in day length via information from the optic nerve running from the eyes to the brain. As the days get longer in the spring or shorter in the fall, the pituitary gland responds by regulating different levels of some hormones differently. Not long after birth, a buck fawn experiences a rise in the level of testosterone which induces the development of the pedicles. Not much else occurs in the area of antler development for these little guys until the next spring when another small but important rise in testosterone initiates antler growth. After a full summer of growth, a substantial increase on this male hormone associated with the onset of rut causes the velvet's blood vessels to dry up and the velvet is stripped off in a short period of time. The hardened antlers then remain firmly attached to the pedicles throughout rut until falling testosterone levels weakens their attachment and they drop free. The antler cycle is incredibly complicated and involves an intricate coordination between several androgens (not just testosterone) and compounds which act as an antler-growth stimulus regulated by the pituitary gland (via day length). Researchers have successfully produced 2 complete sets of antlers in one year by duplicating the day length sequence of two annual cycles in a 12-month period. They have also conditioned deer to grow antlers throughout the winter and shed them in the spring when most deer are just starting their annual development. Young fawns that are castrated shortly after birth, do not develop pedicles because they never produce necessary testosterone required for this first step in antler development. A buck that is castrated while in velvet will never polish or shed his antlers because he lacks the necessary rise in testosterone to trigger the drying of the velvet. The buck then continues to grow more antler material in the next antler cycle but never sheds its antlers until he finally carries a grotesque mass of velvet antlers. These bucks are often referred to as cactus bucks. Antler growth is still possible because low levels of male hormones are produced by other structures besides the testicles (the adrenal cortex). These low levels are enough to grow antler material but not enough to complete velvet drying and antler shedding, which require a substantial increase in the testosterone level. Bucks which are castrated while in the hardened antler stage will drop their antlers within a few weeks because of the sharply falling (no pun intended) testosterone level. Bucks castrated after they drop their hardened antlers, will grow new antlers the next year but they will never be polished or shed because of the lack of sufficient hormone levels. In the 1840s, early naturalist John J. Audubon described 2 castrated whitetail bucks he observed: "Their horns continued to grow for several years; the antlers were of enormous length and very irregularly branched, but the velvet was retained on them....they had become very large and when first seen at a distance we supposed them to be elk" (if we could all be as lucky this fall). Caribou have evolved alternative (other than the testicles) sources of male hormones to regulate antler growth since it is the only member of the deer family in which the females also grow antlers. Interestingly, when a male caribou is castrated, the antlers remain in velvet but mineralize completely and are dropped normally. They still continue to carry out a normal antler cycle except the velvet is retained on the surface of the hardened antlers. Tumors have been known to affect the hormonal environment and thereby produce antler abnormalities such as antlered does or cactus bucks. Viruses such as Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) can also cause hemorrhaging in the testicles or other effects which disrupt the proper production and circulation of male hormones which regulate antler growth.
Disease
Besides disease-caused hormonal imbalances, various parasites and viruses can play a minor role in the occurrence of antler abnormalities by directly affecting the growing antlers. Some viruses such as EHD can result in incomplete hardening of the antler tips because of damage to the velvet's blood vessels before antler growth is complete. The disease commonly strikes deer in late July-August which corresponds to the last stages of antler growth. In elk, the brainworm (Elaeophora schneideri) clogs the carotid artery which supplies blood to the head and results in gnarly and malformed antlers. Ticks are common on velvet antlers, although in some cases, even blood sucking parasites can cause malformed antlers if they disturb the velvet and disrupt the flow of minerals to the growing antler.
Magnetic fields, Electric currents, Geo-Physical effects, and other hocus pocus.
It has been observed that bizarre antler shapes can be produced by applying a strong magnetic field to developing antlers. This is more of an interesting side-light than anything of practical value to the deer manager (unless criss-crossing the ranch with high voltage lines is an option). The application of a constant, low-level DC current to the growing antler tips can drastically alter the shape and direction the antlers grow. Electric current generally reduces the length of the tines but increases the number of odd points and other abnormalities. Caribou racks are characterized by 2 similar antlers with usually only one bearing a large shovel-shaped brow-tine. Caribou in the northern hemisphere usually develop this shovel on the left, but caribou that have been introduced on to a few islands in the southern hemisphere carry the shovel primarily on the right side. This mirror-image occurrence has lead one researcher to conclude that this was the result of differing Geo-Physical forces between the 2 hemispheres. There are many possible causes of antler abnormalities, but injuries and genetics account for a vast majority of those observed in the field. Oddities and freaks are normally not tolerated by nature; natural selection quickly removes them from the gene pool. However, an enormous non-typical freak is certainly not at a disadvantage when it comes to battling for dominance. Early in the spring antler growing season when dominance hierarchies are worked out, other members of the bachelor group would give a large, freaky buck wide berth. The process of natural selection has worked remarkably well throughout evolution but I'm sure glad for this exception. Antlers, especially non-typical ones, will always capture our attention. After 100,000 years, many of us would still consider ourselves lucky to be clutching an antler when our time is up.
-Jim Heffelfinger
Editors note:
Jim Heffelfinger completed his Masters Degree in wildlife at Texas A&M-Kingsville researching the effects of coyote predation on post-rut trophy whitetails. He has also conducted a state-wide buck mortality study for Mississippi State University and worked as the Manager of Wildlife Operations for the Rio Paisano Ranch in South Texas. He now works for the Arizona Game & Fish Department as the Regional Game Specialist for southeastern Arizona.
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ANTLER 3

Antler3

Quote from: RatherBHuntin;71270Woohooo Antler3, nice lookin buck. I love those "knuckles" on the tines. Mine from last year has one. I wonder what causes those? Were you shooting the 30-30?
After reading the article above, my guess would have to be acorn points. Antlers are interesting indeed.........
ANTLER 3

Antler3

Oh my I have just read the beginning of this article being copyrited and may not be reproduced without permission.....have I just reproduced it ????  LOL !  If I have done something I shouldn't have would someone please delete this .....oh my !  :undecided:
ANTLER 3

buckshot roberts

:biggthumpup: Congrats to ya A3.... man thats a nice looking one......thanks for the article.... Ron
We got too complicated......It\'s all way over rated....I like the old and out dated way of life........I miss back when..

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