Antler color question

[Guest buckmtn]

On our property we kill deer that have both white horns and those that have darker color horns. My fellow hunters say that the dark color hornd bucks are more of the mtn deer and the lighter color racks are deer that stay in the lowlands of the farm. But we kill both in the opposite places and everywhere in between. What determines the color of the horns. Genetics?Minereals in the soil?etc.

[Guest samueljm]

Re: Antler color question

This is an intersting post as I just learned about this today. I was talking to an older hunter this afternoon after a hunt and he was telling us abou two deer he had killed this year. One had very dark antlers and the other stark white. His reasoning for this was the bedding area. The bucks with whiter antlers are those that bed where the sun can bleach the antlers adn the darker ones stay in the thickets according to him. I dont know if there is any truth to this but i thought it was atleast a stable theory.

-John

[Guest hoythunterbn]

Re: Antler color question

I would guess minerals.

[woodshed]

Re: Antler color question

I read once that it had to do with what kind of trees the deer is rubbing on. Pines (cedars) with lots of pitch darken the antlers.

Just one theory though.

[drkillemquick]

Re: Antler color question

[ QUOTE ]

I read once that it had to do with what kind of trees the deer is rubbing on. Pines (cedars) with lots of pitch darken the antlers.

Just one theory though.

[/ QUOTE ] This is what I thought, but heck what do I know!!!!

[gitcha_some]

Re: Antler color question

the sun bleaching theory sounds most logical to me....i mean it cant be the kind of trees hes rubbing because hes not rubbing every spot on his entire rack on the tree

[arrow32]

Re: Antler color question

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

I read once that it had to do with what kind of trees the deer is rubbing on. Pines (cedars) with lots of pitch darken the antlers.

Just one theory though.

[/ QUOTE ] This is what I thought, but heck what do I know!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought the same thing. But sun bleaching does sound like it would be more logical.

[elkoholic]

Re: Antler color question

This is what I believe. Most of the color is related to the trees they are rubbing on, which can give you an idea of the areas they bed and feed in. In my area, you can tell if the deer are bedding in a creek bottom full of alders, cotton wood and yew brush and traveling relatively short distances to farm fields to feed because they have light colored antlers and opposed to the "mountain" deer who live most of their life(s) in pine and fir forests and have dark colored antlers. This does not mean that a deer living in the evergreen forest will not have light antlers from doing most of his rubbing in the brush in a creek bottom or a farm deer isn't holed up in an evergreen thicket and darkening his antlers. Also, old bucks often have white antlers because they seldom rub any more. Me, I prefer dark antlered bucks with a lot of mass.

[M00N]

Re: Antler color question

Here's a quote on an article about whitetail deer made by the Maryland DNR.

[ QUOTE ]

Rack color varies from white to brownish. A white rack can result from the blood enriched velvet drying rapidly and not causing a stain from frequent rubbing. A brown stain may result when the velvet dries slowly and the rubbing causes a stain. Many claim the brown stain occurs when deer rub certain types of trees and shrubs. Possibly, the coloration is affected by heredity.

[/ QUOTE ]

My opinion. The whole rubbing a particular type of tree effecting rack color doesn't sound like a good theory considering a deer never rubs every inch of its rack on the same tree and deer don't pick and choose only certain types of trees to rub. A full velvet shed is rarely done in one rubbing unless it's a spike perhaps.

Now the rate the velvet dries before the deer rubs his antlers sounds like a good theory to color of the rack. It'd make more sense if the deer's bloodflow to his velvet isn't fully dried up and he starts rubbing that the blood will stain the rack.

The light theory also makes sense because the light does bleach the antlers whiter the more they are exposed. So, a deep woods pine buck could possibly have a darker rack from less light exposure while a open woods or farm field buck would get more light exposure to bleach his rack more.

The genetic theory also makes sense, too, expecially if the velvet dry rate theory is true because if the deer has a genetic tendency in his family for the bloodflow to the velvet to dry up at a slower rate and that effecting rack color, then they would have more tendency to have dark racks in certain areas due to genetics in that area.

[wtnhunt]

Re: Antler color question

From what I have heard and read, it has a lot to do with what types of trees the deer are rubbing on. Have seen dark antlered and almost white antlered deer both on our small property though and wonder what other factors might play in to effect.

[Doc]

Re: Antler color question

That is where the issue gets real confusing. When you see both extremes of antler color in the same area, it makes you wonder if environmental and habitat factors really make any matter at all. The "velvet theory" makes the most sense to me. That is something that could be unique to specific deer.

This topic is especially interesting to me, because for the first time in 40 years, I have a buck running around on the hill whose rack is exceptionally white. I mean right down to the burrs. In fact his rack was the very first thing that I saw of his body. It almost glowed. Needless to say, I am very curious about that.

Doc

Doc

[Turkeygirl]

Re: Antler color question

I heard it had to do with the velvet, like Moon quoted. I'm not sure though as we were wondering this the other day. Out neighbor got a buck on his land and it had dark antlers, yet one time bowhunting there, I had a buck below my with almost pure white antlers. Couldn't shoot though, already filled my archery buck tag, as you know,lol.

[Guest Dust]

Re: Antler color question

In early fall, the bucks become more visible. Rack color varies from white to brownish. A white rack can result from the blood enriched velvet drying rapidly and not causing a stain from frequent rubbing. A brown stain may result when the velvet dries slowly and the rubbing causes a stain. Many claim the brown stain occurs when deer rub certain types of trees and shrubs. Possibly, the coloration is affected by heredity.

This was taken from here....

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/antlers.asp

[M00N]

Re: Antler color question

That's the same article I quoted above. I forgot to add the link to it in there though. So, you can just click Dust's link to get to the article I quoted from.

[Guest hoythunterbn]

Re: Antler color question

That sounds like a logical and very possible reason.

[rhine16]

Re: Antler color question

I'm thinking it has a lot to do with genetics instead of any other factor

[VTbowman]

Re: Antler color question

I always thought it was how badly it was stained by its velvets blood.

I have seen deer with 1/2 white 1/2 dark too thinking the areas that were darker were not rubber as much.

JMO

[Guest hunter333]

Re: Antler color question

i think the velvet theory and the sun bleaching theory seem the most logical

[Doc]

Re: Antler color question

Ok, just to add a little more confusion into the issue, how about the racks that seem to be whiter, or noticeably lighter in color at the tips or half way down each tine? That is a pretty common scenario. Which theory would best explain that?

Doc

[M00N]

Re: Antler color question

[ QUOTE ]

Ok, just to add a little more confusion into the issue, how about the racks that seem to be whiter, or noticeably lighter in color at the tips or half way down each tine? That is a pretty common scenario. Which theory would best explain that?

Doc

[/ QUOTE ]

The velvet drying rate theory. Deer with lighter colored tips has a tendency to dry quicker at the tips of his antlers then work its way down to the bases. Sounds very logical considering the bases are where the bloodflow for the velvet come from and would be the last place to cut-off bloodflow during the velvet shedding process.

[PAstringking]

Re: Antler color question

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

Ok, just to add a little more confusion into the issue, how about the racks that seem to be whiter, or noticeably lighter in color at the tips or half way down each tine? That is a pretty common scenario. Which theory would best explain that?

Doc

[/ QUOTE ]

The velvet drying rate theory. Deer with lighter colored tips has a tendency to dry quicker at the tips of his antlers then work its way down to the bases. Sounds very logical considering the bases are where the bloodflow for the velvet come from and would be the last place to cut-off bloodflow during the velvet shedding process.

[/ QUOTE ]

i completly agree

[Doc]

Re: Antler color question

Sounds reasonable. Now does anybody have anything beyond theories? Is there anybody who has actually read some info from biologists on this subject?

Doc

[dogdoc]

Re: Antler color question

i would tend to lean toward genetics.

[hunting_boy]

Re: Antler color question

could this be like the color of a deer like the lighter deer eats in the feilds and the darker eats acorns and stays in the woods could it bee something like this

[Guest baconcobucks]

Re: Antler color question

i think genetics, location, and tree rub has a lot to do with it. The 10 pt i shot this year was rubbing on pine trees and had a medium-dark rack.