Antlers vs. Horns
Posted by Ken on October 26, 2003
Q: What time of year do Caribou start to drop their antlers? (specificaly barren ground) Is it always the same every year, and do the older bigger bulls start to drop before the younger ones and the cows?
A: It's interesting to note that antler growth and drop in male and female caribou are about 3 to 6 months out of phase with each other. Male caribou antlers are fully grown by early September and then the older males drop their antlers by mid November while younger males may keep their antlers until April with older male regrowth beginning in March. Female caribou keep their antlers all winter with pregnant females dropping theirs just before giving birth while nonpregnant females drop theirs earlier, just before spring. So, you can see there is room for a fair amount of variation here depending on age and sex being looked at.
John Wiessinger ( October 27, 2003)