antlers

An Unusual Buck Skull Shows Us the Starting Line for Antler Growth

Mar 10, 2021 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

  Even as we are hunting for and collecting them this winter and spring, new ones are already growing for us to hunt next year – although we’re all hoping to collect some of those…

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If You Pass a Mature Buck, Will He Grow Bigger Antlers?

Nov 4, 2020 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

You’ve got a 5½-year-old buck standing broadside in your sights, and he’s yours to take home with you if you want him. He’s heavy-bodied, fully mature and carries a large rack of antlers. But as…

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How to Read Shed Antlers for Health and Habitat Clues

Mar 25, 2020 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

There’s a quick way to look at a shed antler and tell whether the buck that dropped it was in good health back in the fall during the rut. No, it’s not mass. It’s not…

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Oh Snap! Which Parts of Deer Antlers Break Most Often?

Feb 26, 2020 Gabe Karns

There are few, if any, wild game animals we know so much about as the white-tailed deer – that’s what makes it surprising when new information comes to light about this species with which we…

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Weird Ways to Find Shed Antlers

Feb 13, 2019 Mark Turner

With shed antler season already underway, many deer hunters are already working on their goal of finding a large number of sheds or locating the antlers from a particular deer. Since I’ve never been particularly…

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Why We Don’t Recommend Antler Traps

Jan 16, 2019 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

It’s the time of year when bucks are beginning to shed their antlers and hunters are beginning to grow impatient to go hunt those shed antlers. And every year as talk of shed hunting begins, we…

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What Determines a Buck’s Antler Color?

Jan 2, 2019 Kip Adams

As fall winds down, I’m sure you’ve seen many pics of happy hunters with their trophies. I am continually impressed with the size, growth patterns and color of antlers. Age and nutrition are mostly responsible…

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6 Things You Can Learn From Shed Antlers (And 1 You Can’t)

Feb 21, 2018 Kip Adams

Deer season is over. Turkey season is on the horizon. That wonderful season between the two has arrived –– shed season! Social media is exploding with pictures of shed antlers, and Whitetail Properties’ annual Shed…

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Defend, Display or Duel: What Are Antlers Good For?

Jul 28, 2016 Kip Adams

Antlers are like the beards on guys at hunting camp – they are secondary sexual characteristics that separate females and males but don’t directly contribute to reproduction. So, why exactly do bucks grow them?  There…

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6 Shed-Hunting Tips

Mar 9, 2012 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

The National Deer Association interviewed several of our members who are avid shed antler hunters and collectors. The information, part of an article in NDA’s Quality Whitetails magazine, included these useful tips for locating sheds:…

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