Here we are at the 24th of March and some are still wearing the head gear! Two bucks crossed Chestnut St. In Rockaway Boro right in front of me! One had dropped it's headgear but had a square boxy head! I'm pretty sure it was a buck. Big body too. The other had a 6 or 7 point rack. Maybe a 15 inch spread but still had both sides on! The new ones should start growing next month! Unreal[confused]
Saw a antlered buck tonight!
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Well, they do seem to be holding on longer this year, but much of it has to do with photoperiodism. Which a deers whole life basically revolves around.
A drop in testosterone caused by the amount of day light that reaches their pituitary gland, triggers the cells around the pedicles to loosen and the antler falls or is bumped off the head.
Their new antlers will sometimes push the old antlers off the head, if daylight changes are minimal, or their nutrition is great.
This also effects antler growth to an extent. The later a deer drops its antlers and begins to grow new ones, causes a minimal reduction in antler growth for that year.
Larger more dominant bucks will often drop first.
They expend more energy during breeding, and experience a larger drop in Testosterone.
Nutrition also has a factor in how long bucks will retain their antlers. A healthy buck will hold his headgear longer.
So, now you know that the bucks your seeing are either very healthy, nutrition-wise. Or they live in caves with the NJ sasquatch and havent seen daylight yet!
Have a good one---Matt
A drop in testosterone caused by the amount of day light that reaches their pituitary gland, triggers the cells around the pedicles to loosen and the antler falls or is bumped off the head.
Their new antlers will sometimes push the old antlers off the head, if daylight changes are minimal, or their nutrition is great.
This also effects antler growth to an extent. The later a deer drops its antlers and begins to grow new ones, causes a minimal reduction in antler growth for that year.
Larger more dominant bucks will often drop first.
They expend more energy during breeding, and experience a larger drop in Testosterone.
Nutrition also has a factor in how long bucks will retain their antlers. A healthy buck will hold his headgear longer.
So, now you know that the bucks your seeing are either very healthy, nutrition-wise. Or they live in caves with the NJ sasquatch and havent seen daylight yet!
Have a good one---Matt
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