Antlers
Posted by Bryan Smith on October 16, 2006
Q: I'm a hunter of whitetail deer in SE minnesota. Every year I scout my hunting area with trail cameras. Last year I caught on film a nice 11 point with some very distinct characteristics. I did not see the deer during that hunting season. This year I caught a very similar deer on camera, only he was 7 points. The deer looks like the same deer only fewer points and not broken. My question is; 1).Can a deer grow fewer points from year to year? Or 2). Is he just of the same bloodline?
State: Minnesota
A: Good question. Since deer antlers are more a reflection of nutrition, after their first year, than age, an animal can have different sized antlers - even downsized ones - from one year to the next. I'm not quite sure how you can identify a particular deer from year to year but it is reasonable that your "11 point buck" from last year is the same as your "7 point buck" this year. It's possible that food was more scarce in your area or that the deer population was higher (so less food) or even that as this buck has reached his peak and is on his way "down" in terms of vigor and health. Hope this helps and thanks for writing.
John Wiessinger ( October 17, 2006)