Shedding Bucks

[Edcyclopedia]

This statement made me a bit curious...

Whats interesting is you see so many shed right now, but come March no doubt we will be seeing a few still carrying.

We have all likely heard that stress plays a role for bucks shedding their headgear;
weather, food and rut activity play a key roles in stress...

What's your thoughts on the probability that the earlier shedding deer are the active rut bucks?
Leaving the young bucks and some mature bucks that don't participate as much (basically less aggressive bucks) during rut with their headgear on longer...?


SMART!

You and me both! Worst yet, all my target bucks have shed. I'm looking for something to hunt...

I'm going to take a ride tomorrow after the game in an effort to find a buck to hunt the last week.

Saw two big bodied bucks with no antlers from the truck last couple days. This cold snap should really get em dropping. Careful shooting does!

I'm done doe hunting for the year for that reason

[dan]

I know stress plays into it... You always see severely injured deer drop early, and early sever storms always have an impact. The biggest drops I seen were when we had ice storms and ice covered most of the food and the bucks were starving.

But, I also know from deer farm studies that in a low stress area deer will drop pretty close to the same date every year individually. I think it was something like within a 48 hour window, it might have even been tighter than that.
So, if a certain buck dropped on January 7th, the next year he would be at about the same date. But another buck in the same heard may drop march 3rd give or take a day every year... I would think the bucks normally dropping early would be more likely to drop in December when stress is in the equation.

[Stanley]

Good topic Ed. I have never been able to really establish a consistent pattern on drops. For one the deer seldom drop in the same place. The food source in the winter is the key to finding drops where I look. Find the food source you find the drops. The deer yard up in different areas because of this and that can put them on property I can not look in. Antler hunting has become a huge interest and lots of guys go it. I have seen some nice bucks drop in April but I can never remember any in May. So I think for the most part drops are mostly consistent from year to year as far as when they drop. 1st of February through the middle of March are when most of the bucks drop in the areas I look.

[Edcyclopedia]

But, I also know from deer farm studies that in a low stress area deer will drop pretty close to the same date every year individually. I think it was something like within a 48 hour window, it might have even been tighter than that.

So, if a certain buck dropped on January 7th, the next year he would be at about the same date. But another buck in the same heard may drop march 3rd give or take a day every year...

Genetic?

[dan]

But, I also know from deer farm studies that in a low stress area deer will drop pretty close to the same date every year individually. I think it was something like within a 48 hour window, it might have even been tighter than that.

So, if a certain buck dropped on January 7th, the next year he would be at about the same date. But another buck in the same heard may drop march 3rd give or take a day every year...

Genetic?

Sure sounds that way.

[Stanley]

But, I also know from deer farm studies that in a low stress area deer will drop pretty close to the same date every year individually. I think it was something like within a 48 hour window, it might have even been tighter than that.

So, if a certain buck dropped on January 7th, the next year he would be at about the same date. But another buck in the same heard may drop march 3rd give or take a day every year...

Genetic?

[James]

Stress causing bucks to drop makes it sound like they aren't supposed to drop to me. I hold with the belief that it purely related to a bucks testosterone levels. I am sure quality and availability of food relates to testosterone. So in a round about way, stress plays a role but it's the bucks testosterone that dictates the drop.

I bet in areas where guys are reporting late 3rd rut activity the bucks will all be holding late.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Spysar]

I'm sure photoperiodism is a main signal for the buck to drop (just like it is for racks to grow, rut to start, etc). The winter solstice is in late Dec. Then the days get longer starting the signal is start drop. Every deer is an individual as to when they drop.

[Spysar]

I think deer "stress" would have to be more than the rut. Every deer goes through the rut. I'd say the rut combined with injury, or rut and lack of food. So I think the rut wears them down, but you need other factors to cause enough stress to lose racks early. But these are just my guess, and I have no real proof of anything....

[Dewey]

Stress causing bucks to drop makes it sound like they aren't supposed to drop to me. I hold with the belief that it purely related to a bucks testosterone levels. I am sure quality and availability of food relates to testosterone. So in a round about way, stress plays a role but it's the bucks testosterone that dictates the drop.

I bet in areas where guys are reporting late 3rd rut activity the bucks will all be holding late.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I agree with this theory.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[vanceg]

I hunt on a huge piece of private land. The bucks that live in the areas with better nutrition seem to hold their antlers much longer.

[tmarbut]

How (if at all) does geography play into this whole equation?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Edcyclopedia]

Interesting theories with a little of everything mentioned here...

http://www.tecomate.com/content/index.p ... _priocess/

[dan]

How (if at all) does geography play into this whole equation?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Rut timing & growth period timing... As mentioned the testosterone level dropping gets the antler to drop, but that occurrence seems to loose its consistency when stressed.

[Stanley]

I'm sure photoperiodism is a main signal for the buck to drop (just like it is for racks to grow, rut to start, etc). The winter solstice is in late Dec. Then the days get longer starting the signal is start drop. Every deer is an individual as to when they drop.

These are pretty much my thoughts. The antlers must drop within a time frame every year so they are in hard horn at a certain time frame ever year.