Bucks that don't rub

[adrenalin]

I saw something kind of interesting this weekend at the deer expo. We were hanging deer heads for the deer contest when I noticed a buck that caught my eye. The first thing I thought was it was a replica that someone was trying to put in the contest. About 20 people including some taxidermists all agreed something didn't look right about this deer. It was a 165inch ten pointer shot with the gun in November. The part that was odd about this deer was the rack was the same color thoughout, no darker by the bases. The burs on the antler bases were sharp like needles and had no indication of ever touching a tree with it's horns. Looking close their weren't any scratches at all on the tines or beams. We had one of the taxidermists check it out and it was not a replica. So has anyone ever seen a buck like this?

[dan]

Interesting... I would of liked to see that rack. I didn't get out of the booth much. Younger deer rub much more than older deer, but a buck that had no antler wear from rubbing at all that was shot in November sounds pretty extreme... I do have one mount that is exactly as you explained off a 6 year old buck. But that buck was shot on opening day in early September and still had a few little pieces of velvet hanging on.
It could be a deer that is no longer doing any breeding, and lives a solitary life.

[Singing Bridge]

Like Dan said, very interesting post adrenalin. You sure wouldn't expect to see that from a buck taken in November. I would want to rule out disease, or an anatomical anomoly created by disease/genetics/trauma that led to his opting out of the rut or his lack of wanting to rub trees.

[publiclandhunter]

I would have to agree with Scott on that one. My guess would be a lack of testosterone (did he have both testes when shot?), possibly a wound incurred just prior to shedding velvet that kept him from desiring to rub or maybe just plain old aged and on the tail-end of his life. Animals can develop arthritis just like humans and it may be possible that he was just old a decrepid and didn't have the gumption to tear up trees? It would have been interesting to have his teeth sent in to have them aged.

PLH

[publiclandhunter]

I just remembered this.....several years ago, a local guy had a deer farm and the buck's antlers looked different when you held them. One of the distinct characteristics of his bucks was how sharp looking the antlers on the bucks were. Burrs very sharp and the normal knurling around the bases was sharp as tacks. There were no wooden objects for the bucks to rub in the enclosure, so other than the occasional rake along the fence wire, they couldn't rub their antlers.....hmmmmm?

Not suggesting anything here.....

PLH