August 2022 - 30

to his skull damage.
Science has demonstrated that injury to an
ungulate's skeleton can spur nontypical antler
development. Most commonly it shows up
where one antler is normal, the other being
deformed in some way - often smaller and
nontypical. Injury to a hind leg shows the
effect on the opposite antler. With a front
leg or shoulder injury, the same-side antler
is deformed. The belief is the injury impacts
blood flow or nerve stimulation in the injured
area, prompting the body to focus on healing
the injury, not antler growth. The Shiras
moose's right antler could be a result of such
an injury.
VELVET
Antlers damaged in the velvet can produce
nontypical growth that season. The velvet
protects the blood vessels in the soft material
developing underneath, which eventually
hardens into antler. Any cut by brush, insects
or other injury to the velvet will likely produce
a nontypical antler that season. Unharmed
antlers developing in velvet in following
years will usually grow normally, although
not always.
" There have been cases where the
nontypical point was grown again the next
year after an injury, and no one can explain
that, " Heffelfinger said.
Hormones dramatically influence antler
growth. Increasing daylight in spring triggers
growth and diminishing light in late summer
prompts antlers to harden and males to shed
the velvet. Sometimes things go amiss. A male
with abnormally low levels of testosterone will
not shed the velvet. While the stories of a buck
being castrated when jumping over a barbed
wire fence likely have proven true, it's rare.
More likely it's a case of the testicles not fully
developing or never dropping, either being a
reason for abnormal testosterone production.
The photo of the tall, wide 6x5 mule deer,
taken in the second week of October, is likely
one of those bucks. I saw him a month later,
still retaining his velvet. While his antlers are
typical in configuration, failing to shed velvet
is an aberration.
While that buck's antler development has
gone awry, there are situations where things
go wrong. Cactus bucks are the case in point.
Cactus buck antlers appear in clusters off the
pedicles and remain in velvet. The photo of
the cactus mule deer buck is an example. The
30 | August 2022
The abnormal right antler on this Shiras moose is likely due to an injury to his left hindquarter or his right shoulder
the year before. (Photo by Tim Christie)
Because of abnormal testosterone production, this buck's antlers remained in velvet and he probably didn't drop his
antlers. (Photo by Tim Christie)

August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2022

August 2022 - 1
August 2022 - 2
August 2022 - 3
August 2022 - 4
August 2022 - 5
August 2022 - 6
August 2022 - 7
August 2022 - 8
August 2022 - 9
August 2022 - 10
August 2022 - 11
August 2022 - 12
August 2022 - 13
August 2022 - 14
August 2022 - 15
August 2022 - 16
August 2022 - 17
August 2022 - 18
August 2022 - 19
August 2022 - 20
August 2022 - 21
August 2022 - 22
August 2022 - 23
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August 2022 - 25
August 2022 - 26
August 2022 - 27
August 2022 - 28
August 2022 - 29
August 2022 - 30
August 2022 - 31
August 2022 - 32
August 2022 - 33
August 2022 - 34
August 2022 - 35
August 2022 - 36
August 2022 - 37
August 2022 - 38
August 2022 - 39
August 2022 - 40
August 2022 - 41
August 2022 - 42
August 2022 - 43
August 2022 - 44
August 2022 - 45
August 2022 - 46
August 2022 - 47
August 2022 - 48
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/September2020
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