Can someone explain antler growth?

[CSG]

I never paid much attention to antler growth outside of hunting season but now I am getting curious. I am interested to learn about how antler growth works throughout the year. I know roughly when to expect to see antler growth begin, what I am wondering about is how does the growth work with splitting into tines. If I saw a very large 2 point now, would he continue to grow as a 2 point or would his antlers split into more tines over the next couple months?

[Jelvis]

Curious is good on year round analysis of deer antler growth.
All depends CSG if it's a whitetail or a mule deer.
They start growing out in April and grow til late August when the velvet strips off and the antler appears exposed.
The color of the antler is determined by the kind of tree it rubs on and the sap and dirt.
Mule deer antlers split from a fork developing and the off shoots can split again into four points or more each side or on one side and the other less.
Whitetails don't branch out, the tines sticking out come off one main beam.
Jel .. Good luck understanding antler formation and drops. The old antler drops off when the new one comes in from behind and cuts it off from lifes blood and it drops off in late December to March.

[The Dude]

http://www.whitetailstewards.com/articlesonsite/deerbiology/antlergrowthandphysiology.htm


http://www.whitetaildomains.com/Guests/featuredVideos.aspx/38/Antler+Growth

[Bigbullsh$tter]

With elk, from what I've seen, it looks like the brows grow first with little main beam development. Once the brows have established most of their growth, the main beam and all other tines begin. If you see a bull early in the year with short beams but good brows, there a good chance that this bull will grow a decent rack.

[CSG]

Thanks for the info guys, I guess the one question I am still looking for an answer for is; If, as of July 1st, a buck has reasonable brow tines and he also has the beginning of two tines on each beam, will he only ever be a 2 point buck or could those 2 tines turn into 3 or 4 over the next couple months? Will he develop more tines, or is what I see what I get from now on out?

[The Dude]

You knows those bulbs on the ends of the velvet stubs? They split.

[Jelvis]

An antler grows an one eights of an inch a day for buck deer and for moose or elk way more more like a half inch a day.
Start last week in March growing from head April 1st and on til third week in August. About 150 days worth of growing.
April, may, june, july august. -- 5 months times 30 days = 150 days of growing one eights to a quarter inch a day
Depends on genetics, food quality, mineral licks and water plus the age of the buck.
Moose have the fastest growing tissue and can build massive racks in 22 weeks from flat bases.

[untilthelastbeat]

if hes a forker now and his antlears are tapering down then hel stay that way. if he has bulges on the tines or they get thicker then he will probly split into more tines

[Jelvis]

In Kamloops the mature buck deer have about ten inch length velvet antler on the main beam by June 1st.
Jelly (True) Kanloops Mule deer buck facts .. By June 1st, ten inches of Main Beam Velvet stickin out ..

[ianwuzhere]

i seen a spike fork moose today, well maybe itll turn into a 3 pointer lil later..

[coach]

So will this one stay a two point?

http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy154/coach108/IMG_2458.jpg

And will this one go 4x5?

http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy154/coach108/IMG_2453.jpg

[upcomer]

What will this one be? Staying a 2 pointer...? photo taken june 30
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/8636637/img/8636637.jpg (http://picturepush.com/public/8636637)

[CSG]

if hes a forker now and his antlears are tapering down then hel stay that way. if he has bulges on the tines or they get thicker then he will probly split into more tines

untilthelastbeat, that was what I was wondering, thanks for the clarification

[The Dude]

So will this one stay a two point?

http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy154/coach108/IMG_2458.jpg

And will this one go 4x5?

http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy154/coach108/IMG_2453.jpg

I'd say so, depending on what time of year they were taken. By July I think you have the base frame kinda roughed out, and it's all up and out from there.
The deuce's horns seem to go straight up the back of his skull, while the bigger bucks sweep forward, and thicken at the top. I'd say you have a fairly accurate WAG there.
........Is this where you tell us it's the same buck one month later? :D

[The Dude]

What will this one be? Staying a 2 pointer...? photo taken june 30


Nice picture! And I'd have to say Yup, that's a forkie this year.

[hunter1947]

Has lots to do with the jean pool and how healthy the animal is nature has its way on how there antlers will develop real cool thing it is..

[coach]

I'd say so, depending on what time of year they were taken. By July I think you have the base frame kinda roughed out, and it's all up and out from there.
The deuce's horns seem to go straight up the back of his skull, while the bigger bucks sweep forward, and thicken at the top. I'd say you have a fairly accurate WAG there.
........Is this where you tell us it's the same buck one month later? :D

Both pics were taken on June 29th. I posted them in my own thread - but figured they related to this discussion so put them here too. It would be a lot of fun to watch the 4x3 continue to develop. Unfortunately, he's not in a location where I can keep and eye on him. Although, thousands of vehicles drive right past him and his bigger brother, every day.

[Jelvis]

If the buck is going to be big and wide the antler must protrude from the head out sideways not coming up, if they come up quick then they will be narrow.
big wide will come out level sideways when they are a foot long then will curl out and up .. <----W-I-D-E----> then up
You need at least 22 inches wide outside on a perfect four on each side with 11 inch tines HIGH
Or a 24 with ten inch tines. Or a twenty seven wide with 9.5 inch tines .. friend a minez
Jelly Baytoevon . 175 PLUS .. TYP Mule .. 180 MINUS .. yer Highness . get your free Schitcky . now we can't do this all day

[boothcreek]

So what are the chances this Bull(actually bullS, #2 had to graze right at under the cam) might turn into a 6 point or better? Time/date stamp is acurate. My first year watching the elk grow and these 2 boys are identical(altho the off cam one is a bit heavier but same growth stage).

The Spike bull that I get coming to the lick still has 5 inch or so stubs.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/Pheasants4ever/midjune2012467.jpg

[Jelvis]

That's a four point and has a month to grow, a quarter to a half inch a day - so any wheres from seven to fifteen inches more than done like dinner. Antler growth depends on nutrition in the plants and mineral water.
A six point would have six points already showing and growing out.

[gamehunter6o]

Can someone explain antler growth?

It is quite simple really; Blood is forced through blood vessels under what is quite soft skin and in the end it gets so hard it can be used at mating time.:lol:

[lovemywinchester]

Antlers are unique to cervids and found mostly on males: only caribou and reindeer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reindeer) have antlers on the females, and these are normally smaller than those of the males. Nevertheless, fertile does (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doe#English) from other species of deer have the capacity to produce antlers on occasion, usually due to increased testosterone levels.[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler#cite_note-4)
Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pedicle_%28cervidae%29&action=edit&redlink=1). While an antler is growing, it is covered with highly vascular (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_vessel) skin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin) called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone.[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler#cite_note-Hall-5) Antlers are considered one of the most exaggerated cases of male secondary sexual traits in the animal kingdom,[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler#cite_note-Malo-6) and grow faster than any other mammal bones.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler#cite_note-W.26H-7) Growth occurs at the tip, and is initially cartilage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartilage), which is mineralized to become bone. Once the antler has achieved its full size, the velvet is lost and the antler's bone dies. This dead bone structure is the mature antler. In most cases, the bone at the base is destroyed by osteoclasts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoclast) and the antlers fall off at some point.[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler#cite_note-Hall-5) As a result of their fast growth rate, antlers are considered a handicap since there is an incredible nutritional demand on deer to re-grow antlers annually, and thus can be honest signals of metabolic efficiency and food gathering capability.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler#cite_note-Ditchkoff-8)
In most arctic and temperate-zone species, antler growth and shedding is annual, and is controlled by the length of daylight. In tropical species, antlers may be shed at any time of year, and in some species such as the sambar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambar_%28deer%29), antlers last several years. Some equatorial deer never shed their antlers.[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler#cite_note-Hall-5)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/KaempfendeHirsche-2-cropped.jpg/220px-KaempfendeHirsche-2-cropped.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KaempfendeHirsche-2-cropped.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/static-1.20wmf6/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KaempfendeHirsche-2-cropped.jpg)
Male fallow deer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallow_deer) fighting


Antlers function as weapons in combats between males, which sometimes cause serious wounds, and as dominance and sexual displays.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler#cite_note-W.26H-7)
The ancestors of deer had tusks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusk) (long upper canine teeth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_tooth)). Antlers appear to replace tusks; two modern species, the musk deer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_deer) and the water deer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_deer), have tusks and no antlers, the muntjac (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muntjac) has small tusks and small antlers, and other deer have full-sized antlers and no tusks.[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antler#cite_note-Hall-5) The diversification of antlers, body size and tusks has been strongly influenced by changes in habitat and behavior (fighting and mating)

[boothcreek]

That's a four point and has a month to grow, a quarter to a half inch a day - so any wheres from seven to fifteen inches more than done like dinner. Antler growth depends on nutrition in the plants and mineral water.
A six point would have six points already showing and growing out.

Well, I was hoping from mid June(when the pic was taken) to end of August there is a chance for them to grow lots more, they got those brow tines in a hurry(seen them on the field mid may and they had just 2 lumps , no brows or anything yet).

Oh well, I guess I wont know until it cools down again and they come back down off the mountain and hopefully right back to the salt lick!

At least I get to watch this guy continue growing. The WHT are unphased by our heat and mosquitos.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/Pheasants4ever/CopyofPICT0269.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/Pheasants4ever/PICT0267.jpg

I call him ghost since he has eluded pictures and people for 2 yrs!!!

[Jelvis]

Yah so 60 days of growth from june 20 to Aug 20th, 60 times one quarter inch, 15 inches added so who knows for sure, might sprout out good, it's got mass appeal for sure. Maybe Mother Nature knows better than us eh?
Nice bull for sure to check out .. it could be now that it was in Mid june when picture taken .. Yah :shock:
Jello