Anyone know what causes this?

[DDot]

View attachment IMG_0303.jpeg

 

[Hunting Wife]

Probably a “cactus buck”.

Decent little fact sheet. It was put out by Oregon DFW but info is relevant anywhere:

https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/health_program/docs/Cactus_buck_Q_and_A.pdf

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Probably a “cactus buck”.

Decent little fact sheet. It was put out by Oregon DFW but info is relevant anywhere:

https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/health_program/docs/Cactus_buck_Q_and_A.pdf

I was actually about to say likely a result of testes damage resulting in abnormal testosterone production affecting antler growth.


Used to see it a ton in Alaska. The biologists said often times the buck falls asleep and his nuts freeze to the ground and stay behind. Results in some wild antlers, wish I had a picture of the one prime example our group got back in like 2008

 

[Shed God]

No balls

 

[antlerradar]

Probably a “cactus buck”.

Decent little fact sheet. It was put out by Oregon DFW but info is relevant anywhere:

https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/health_program/docs/Cactus_buck_Q_and_A.pdf

no probably about it.

cool antler.

 

[Bambistew]

A good friend of mine has the largest collection of these kind of antlers of probably anyone on the planet. He's a bit of weirdo. guessing he has over 200 sheds and racks.

It can happen for a couple reasons, almost always it's due to hormones, with or without the bucknuts. It can be from extreme age, again where their hormones get out of whack. Or a doe with antlers, again hormones.

I do not believe the Kodiak reason, at all. That kind of configuration is more common in certain areas of the island. That and it doesn't get as cold in Kodiak as it does in most of the West and Canada. The guys I've talked to about it believe it's genetic due to the incidence of occurrence. And by genetics, it means hormones regulation is whacked and passed on. The deer on Kodiak have an extremely low genetic diversity. The all originated for for a couple small populations transplanted in the 1930s. Small as in less than 20 deer were transplanted, total. IIRC

 

[TheTone]

A good friend of mine has the largest collection of these kind of antlers of probably anyone on the planet. He's a bit of weirdo. guessing he has over 200 sheds and racks.

Does he find lots of them or is he buying/trading for them?

I’ve found a decent amount of weird antlers but never one like that. Hopefully someday

 

[belshawelk]

Queer deer. Thats what I call mine. Shot mine in full velvet in Novemeber.

No nuts.

 

[Ought Six]

There’s a spot I know of where I think I’ve seen one every year, different bucks too. Saw one this year in fact. Almost like it’s a genetic line. Never shot any of them. Maybe there’ll be an absolute freak out there one of these days though

 

[antlerradar]

I have heard that EHD can cause this.

 

[antlerradar]

I have heard that EHD can cause this.

@Hunting Wife, do you know more about this.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I have heard that EHD can cause this.

It can, particularly in mule deer which more often survive infection. EHD, being a hemorrhagic disease, affects the vasculature. It can affect vasculature of the velvet itself, which impacts that year’s antler growth and velvet shedding. This is observed relatively commonly. But it can also affect vasculature to organs, including testes. This can cause permanent tissue damage and disregulation of hormones, which in turn can result in abnormal antler growth long-term. It’s not the only cause, but definitely see some weird antlers in areas with EHD.

I have shot and seen quite a few bucks with weird velvet late in the season in EHD years. But I personally have not observed many “cactus bucks” with the significant overgrowth of bases and unusual antler configurations like the OP posted. That appears less common in my experience, and I suspect those types of antlers wouldn’t crop up until the years following an EHD event. That hormone irregularity would need time to manifest itself.

If I logic my way through it, it seems like that level of abnormality would result from a more chronic condition (abnormal teste function) vs an acute condition (EHD affecting velvet directly). I’m not sure if there may be a gradation of disease severity that could be responsible for this disparity. For example, if they survived a lower-level infection, might it only affect the velvet of that year’s antlers while they were sick vs a worse infection that fewer deer might survive but that might cause more significant organ damage and lead to longer-term effects like those seen in this antler. I could see that being a possibility, but I don’t know for sure.

 

[TheTone]

I have heard that EHD can cause this.

Same, we had a bad outbreak a few years ago. Killed a ton of whitetails. We also had mule deer bucks that were shedding in October and November. The next year we had quite a few mule deer bucks getting shot that were still in full velvet, most were normal antler configurations though

 

[DDot]

Thanks everyone for the info.

 

[Ben Lamb]

abnormal teste function

1997, at the Teste fest. Main stage. Slightly off key but overall interesting. Would see again.

 

[antlerradar]

Some pictures of a shed I found this spring and the buck this fall. I saw a buck with large pedicles that had shed late Nov. not far from where I found the shed and took the pictures. I think the shed buck may have been this one and I haven't seen him in two weeks so maybe he shed early again this year.

 

[antlerradar]

update on the above buck. Here he is shed off this morning.

 

[sclancy27]

I've seen a decent number of cactus bucks over the years. My brother shot one 4 yrs ago.

 

[ismith]

Pre-marital sex, is what I tell my kids............

 

[antlerradar]

Sometimes these bucks can normal antlers. This buck my father and I killed when I was young had testicles about the size of half my little finger. He was with a herd of does, but his neck was not swelled and he was as fat as a finished steer. The button on the sheds are not like the ones posted above, but not normal ether. One of the biggest sets of sheds I have ever found if from a cactus buck. Antlers are normal looking, but much less dense than normal sheds.