Blackfoot
New Member
Antlered Does?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but its been my understanding that antlered does and "cactus" bucks coincide, meaning they both commonly wear velvet on their antlers year-round,(instead of hardening normally) display antlers that appear to be severely disfigured and both have an abstentation to shedding annually. Most often for "cactus" bucks, this abnormality is attributed to a dysfunction of the testes (either physical injury to them or perhaps the effects of some disease). Without functioning testes, the buck's flow of testosterone is shut off or severely restricted, giving him no way to control the antler cycle. His system literally doesn't know when to stop or start growing a rack.
My question is:
What causes a doe to begin antler formation? Genetics? Hormonal imbalance? Injury? Disease?
I'm positive that I'm not the only one here pondering for some answers, so any helpful input to help us achieve a better understanding on such a rare phenomenon would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
-Renegade Archer
Correct me if I'm wrong, but its been my understanding that antlered does and "cactus" bucks coincide, meaning they both commonly wear velvet on their antlers year-round,(instead of hardening normally) display antlers that appear to be severely disfigured and both have an abstentation to shedding annually. Most often for "cactus" bucks, this abnormality is attributed to a dysfunction of the testes (either physical injury to them or perhaps the effects of some disease). Without functioning testes, the buck's flow of testosterone is shut off or severely restricted, giving him no way to control the antler cycle. His system literally doesn't know when to stop or start growing a rack.
My question is:
What causes a doe to begin antler formation? Genetics? Hormonal imbalance? Injury? Disease?
I'm positive that I'm not the only one here pondering for some answers, so any helpful input to help us achieve a better understanding on such a rare phenomenon would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
-Renegade Archer