This young white-tailed buck is giving a nod to an upcoming change of seasons with the shedding of velvet from his first year antlers. A lot of firsts have already taken place in his life. This one however marks a coming of age with new hormones kicking in as a prelude to his first breeding season as well as a signal that fall is right around the corner.

When this young buck was about a 2 to 3 month old fawn he developed small cartilage nubs under the fur where his antlers will soon grow. Blood flows beneath the fur to feed those nubs or ‘buttons’ (hence the name button buck). Growing fairly rapidly the fur/velvet remains as a cover for oxygen rich blood to continue feeding the growth of this cartilage that will calcify into bone/ antlers. Adult male antlers in velvet can grow up to 1/4 ” a day.

When the days shorten it sparks the hormonal shift that starts this shedding of velvet. The shift in hormones causes the blood flow to dry up causing the outer velvet to pull away. This process seems to be quite itchy, like a scab. They will scratch on what ever thorny brush or small trees they can find until all the velvet is gone and the boney antlers are revealed clean and new. This transformation usually happens noticeably in the course of a day. The bare bone antlers will then fall off or completely ‘shed’ in late winter after the breeding season comes to an end. Each year the buck’s antlers will look a bit different for a variety of reasons. Injuries to the velvet covering, overall health of the buck, his genetics and the health of his habitat can play a role in what his antlers will look like. Range and healthy strong native habitat are major key factors for a healthy strong native inhabitant. They mirror the health of one another.

A few days before this buck shed his velvet I happened to notice his twin brother who has a slightly larger set of six points seeming to console him. The buck who was about to shed seemed uncomfortable. Looking a little downtrodden shaking his head and snorting as they came in for a drink. Stopping for a moment the larger 6 point of the two began licking and nuzzling his brother’s face and velvety antlers.

These two are always together and appear to have a strong bond. There is a young doe who grew up as a fawn with them, an older doe, and her fawn in their little group that broke off from the main herd. I’ve witnessed them all looking out for each other and the little fawn of the group. I hope these bucks survive hunting season and winter to enjoy the spring, arrival of new fawns and many more seasons to come!