Bucks shedding already

Here in 1a Pennsylvania the bucks have been dropping antlers for a couple weeks. Does anyone know why this happens earlier some years. Thanks.


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I would say one factor is nutrition. Some years they might have no abundance of nutrition than others. Also another factor would be possible injury

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It's still early yet for antler drop here in WMU 5D. Usually it's around the end of Jan.

 

My dad killed a buck just yesterday thinking it was a doe, already shed it’s antlers. We are in central Oklahoma.

 

Just saw two young deer that looks like bucks, short nose thick neck, no antlers. I thought it was early as well.


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I believe that daylight and hormones (rut times) are factors. I've read articles stating each. But I have a Deer farmer that swears his bucks dropping the same day every year to the day. He also believes that the process is super charged and goes from start to finish in hours.
Can't say I know what's truth but that's just what I have heard

 

I have found that on years we have a warm up during the peak rut, a good portion of the bucks in my area will drop earlier. I have no idea if there is an actual correlation there but that is a trend I have observed.

 

I typically see my first shed bucks around mid Dec here in Northern IL. Seems to be the same just about every year. Some shed early, others will hold into late March or even April. I've been getting pics of a couple shed bucks for a week or so now.

 

I have heard it has to do with buck to doe ratio. In areas where there are an overabundance of does to bucks, the bucks will hold their antlers longer. The biggest buck I ever saw, I still get excited even thinking about him, was probably 20 years ago in an area that was infested with does. It was mid March and he still had both sides. He was with a couple other bucks who were still carrying too. We used to see spotted fawns in Nov. there, so clearly breeding was going on very late
Now that NY seems to have this areas buck doe ratio at 2/1 or so, as opposed to the 10/1 it used to be, I never see racked bucks much past mid Jan.

 

I think wild deer shed when they shed

 

100% this. ^
It's not daylight. It's not buck to do ratio. It's hormones. Once they've depleted their testosterone it's sayonara.

 

As of Dec 26, bucks i have on camera still were holding here in central PA.

 

This was February 24th I believe last year. He held onto this rack until mid March...

 

Several here in Illinois have


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Yes...
A significant drop in testosterone=the drop of antlers...stress in various forms can accelerate the process. But in the grand scheme of things, each and every buck is individually wired a little different, in regards to drive and aggression.

Every year, I see bucks drop in mid December and I see bucks still hanging on to headgear in April...but the majority always drop sometime in February in my area.