Antler questions

[TrapperJ]

So I got some questions about some antlers of mine the 1st is just a small fork that I found while turkey hunting but it's crystal white almost and the deer might be 2 maybe 3 Years old but I'm just wondering how old the actual anter is. Could it be 5 years old? 10 years? Ect. Now my other antlers my great grandpa got supposedly according to my family but one is a 8 point and it was matching sheds and then they were mounted on a wood plaque here recently. But now there a bunch of little black spot on them (kinda like pepper) and I was wondering what that is and is there a way to date the antlers? On how old they are 10 years? 20? 30? Etc thanks for any help or explanation I can provide pictures later as of now I'm not with them

 

[TrapperJ]

Correction on the deers age actually the small 2 point antler came from a 1 yr I believe

 

[Sask hunter]

If nothing has chewed on them it’s safe to say they are less then a year on the ground

 

[Aerosith]

If nothing has chewed on them it’s safe to say they are less then a year on the ground

Not always true, I found a bull elk shed in September this year. It was from a bull that shed this year and the antler was chewed up pretty good.

 

[cgasner1]

@antlerradar that’s about all I got to say

 

[Aerosith]

So I got some questions about some antlers of mine the 1st is just a small fork that I found while turkey hunting but it's crystal white almost and the deer might be 2 maybe 3 Years old but I'm just wondering how old the actual anter is. Could it be 5 years old? 10 years? Ect. Now my other antlers my great grandpa got supposedly according to my family but one is a 8 point and it was matching sheds and then they were mounted on a wood plaque here recently. But now there a bunch of little black spot on them (kinda like pepper) and I was wondering what that is and is there a way to date the antlers? On how old they are 10 years? 20? 30? Etc thanks for any help or explanation I can provide pictures later as of now I'm not with them

I'm not aware of any reliable way to age antlers, finding fresh sheds in spring is an easy to identify how old they are. Some antlers might be buried in thick cover preserving it better rather than an antler sitting in the open of a desert flat. The more sun an antler gets the chalkier it gets over time.

 

[Bambistew]

It really depends like @Aerosith says.

Antlers in your part of the world are far different than in the west or even up north where its dry or areas where there are far less rodents. Sunlight is the biggest thing that degrades antlers assuming they aren't eaten first. If they're in the shade they can last for a very long time outdoors. My neighbor had a pile of elk antlers under his deck that I'm certain are over 100 years old now. They sat out in flower beds for a long time as well before moving them under his deck. I've re-found antlers that I stashed 25 years prior, that looked almost the same as when I stuck them under/in a tree, while others in the same time frame sitting out in the open where falling apart after that same time. It also depends on the antler itself. Some are far more dense, or have thicker/harder shells and will last much longer in the elements. I've found bases of antlers that I'm certain were well over 100 years old, likely more. I've rediscovered antlers just a few years later that were totally rotten, especially true with caribou. They start to mold and rot once the snow melts. A brown caribou antler is the holy grail of antlers IMO, they're as rare as an antelope shed in good shape.

 

[TrapperJ]

If nothing has chewed on them it’s safe to say they are less then a year on the ground

The tip of one of the forks has some very little teeth marks

 

[TrapperJ]

It really depends like @Aerosith says.

Antlers in your part of the world are far different than in the west or even up north where its dry or areas where there are far less rodents. Sunlight is the biggest thing that degrades antlers assuming they aren't eaten first. If they're in the shade they can last for a very long time outdoors. My neighbor had a pile of elk antlers under his deck that I'm certain are over 100 years old now. They sat out in flower beds for a long time as well before moving them under his deck. I've re-found antlers that I stashed 25 years prior, that looked almost the same as when I stuck them under/in a tree, while others in the same time frame sitting out in the open where falling apart after that same time. It also depends on the antler itself. Some are far more dense, or have thicker/harder shells and will last much longer in the elements. I've found bases of antlers that I'm certain were well over 100 years old, likely more. I've rediscovered antlers just a few years later that were totally rotten, especially true with caribou. They start to mold and rot once the snow melts. A brown caribou antler is the holy grail of antlers IMO, they're as rare as an antelope shed in good shape.

The shed one was under some leaves in a fairly sunny area which is how I seen it cause it was so bright but I suspect it might have been there a year or 2 but it's such a small antler. The big 8 point is like it was shot yesterday but none of my family hunts except my great grandparents which are long gone but I'm guessing it's 90 100 years old the other small basket rack 7 point is just the top of the skull and it still has some hair on it which I don't understand cause wouldn't that have Fallin off?