With the exception of several spike bulls I have seen over the years, I cannot think of a single branch-antlered bull I have seen in full velvet by the season opener. 5 6 7. You could also witness reindeer shedding their velvet up close and personal. Deer can shed its velvet within a single day or less if it is determined. I’ve been lucky enough to take pictures of whitetail deer nearly every day the last 20 years, beginning in 1996 when I moved from the city to deer counntry and subsiquently put Bowhunting.net online. I have seen them in winter with velvet many times. We say that the antlers have completed their growth at this stage as they are no longer receiving nutrients. Posted by Robert Hoague | Sep 5, 2016. Why do reindeer shed their velvet? 6pointbull 05-Aug-10. Q: Why do tule elk drop their antlers every year?-Teresa, El Cerrito. They shed velvet where convenient at the time. It’s that time of the year again when bull elk shed the velvet that has been nourishing their antler growth for the last six months. Maybe the first buck to shed in 2012 was an anomaly, but the second buck (a 3.5+ year-old) shed on August 25, which was four days sooner than the next earliest date (in 2008). In most parts of the country, the antler growth for whitetail deer is done for the year. When that velvet dies, it starts to decompose. Due to Covid-19 the farm has safety protocols in place during your visit. These bulls have made it through a fall rut, the breeding season, and most of the winter. All good questions my friends, I’ve got answers straight from the farmers! Last year, the several bulls I saw at the beginning of the CO season were bare whereas the several mule deer I saw were all in velvet. Deer, elk, and moose, actually all drop their antlers at different times starting in those shortest days. I have not seen one shed yet this year, be it branched bull or spikes. Yes, the velvet is soft and visually appealing, but at some point, the deer needs to shed the material to reveal its new antlers. Click here to learn more. rambows 06-Aug-10. Many domestic animals like goats, sheep, and cattle have horns. Click here to Due to Covid-19 the farm has safety protocols in place during your visit. The farm provides cut trees and, oddly enough, street sweeper brushes at this time of year to aid the reindeer in this process. Like deer and elk, moose shed their antlers every year in the late winter or early spring. to get rid of it. Saw a fair number that were rubbed off and some that were not or were just starting. As the antler hardens, the male moose scratches … The bull’s new growing bone is covered by skin with numerous blood vessels which we refer to as “velvet”. Deer antler velvet is the The Archery season opened a week earlier than usual. Reproductively, they are in neutral. (Unlike deer and elk, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats do not shed their horns each year, so don’t expect to find them as “sheds.”) While the antlers are developing and growing they are covered with a soft substance called velvet. First of all both male and female reindeer grow antlers. Elk Rut in September and Deer Rut in Nov or later... Not too surprising..... Terry. Interestingly the males lose their velvet in August, starting earlier than the females. While moose start dropping their antlers the earliest (in December). Contrastingly, deer in areas with poor nutrition tend to shed their antlers earlier in mid-December. These two bulls were hanging together when I photographed them on Aug. 12. two weeks ago almost all the bulls (out of 30+ elk, 10 were bulls),all had velvet from what I could tell. Elk shed last, between January and April, though the great majority lose their racks in March. Then over the course of the summer, their antlers grow back. Still totally in velvet second week of the season - don't think he COULD rub it off. In late summer and early autumn, the antlers shed off the velvet skin, leaving the bull with a set of 40-pound antlers. Every other bull we saw that week was fully shed and dark with rubs in the middle of the rut, except this guy. Just a few weeks after a whitetail deer or elk sheds its antlers, a new set begins to grow. I usually find velvet the first weekend of season here in Colorado. It’s definitely an interesting time to visit the farm. They shed these antlers every year in late winter or early spring and begin to grow a new set of antlers in spring. In some instances, deer can eat the shed velvet for nutrition, while others will walk away without feeding on it. So if you’re planning a visit to Alaska in August or September be sure to plan a visit to the Reindeer Farm. Elk have a summer and a winter coat. As males age, their antlers grow in bigger each year. I am excited that I finally got my cameras out so it is going to be interesting. Thick as my wrist, about 2 feet long, then 4 points sticking out at all angles from a knob at the top. This time of year is also when reindeer shed their velvet. The elk are losing their velvet, which is the fuzzy growing layer that covers their antlers from spring until…about this time of the year. Virtually all mule deer will be in full velvet until the latter weeks of September, possibly later. Most bucks in the North are finished growing their antlers by August 10 when blood flow to the antlers ceases and the velvet begins dying and degrading. This one is looking like he has an itch to scratch...From 8/14. "I was kind of surprised that elk shed that much earlier than deer.". One was at about 6500 ft and one was at timberline. Late summer in Alaska. 2010-05-16 17:54:37 2010-05-16 17:54:37. I saw two branch antlered bulls last week here in Colorado and both were rubbed clean, very white. Not only is the beauty of Alaska so full and rich at this time of year the pace of the farm is a little slower and definitely more relaxed. Deer typically shed their antlers in starting in January, but mostly in February and early March. They literally rot, and the odor will hit a 10 out of 10 on the gag meter. Very round at the tips. Growth is triggered by increasing daylight and subsequent testosterone production. I wish I had pics of the bull one of our clients got when I was guiding on the west slope 2 years ago. Females, or cows, weigh 500 to 600 pounds. The summer pelage is short, thin and colored reddish brown. Once the males are just about finished the females start losing their velvet. Stik'n String 05-Aug-10. cnelk 06-Aug-10. In fact, antlers are the fastest bone growth in the world. Answer. And males dress to impress the females with their impressive antler display that say’s “I’m a stud”. Whitetail deer antler sheds have a wide variety of uses and are becoming more popular as a crafting material and for home decor. All the smaller bulls are still in full velvet. Horns are permanent, they grow from their base up, and both males and females may have them. Adult whitetail deer antlers can grow ¼ inch per day, whereas elk antlers grow about an inch per day. Why do bucks shed their velvet? If you’ve ever been around dried velvet antlers, they can get pretty funky pretty fast. They rub on just about anything to get that velvet off and uncover the antler that most of us would recognize. I was kind of surprised that elk shed that much earlier than deer. Click here to learn more. The tarsal glands of cryptorchid bucks are rarely stained because the bucks do not rub-urinate. Females can use their antlers in the winter to clear away snow from their food sources. That is why if you are shed hunting in March you may be finding larger fresh sheds (“browns”) while at the same time observing smaller bulls with antlers still attached. AZStickman 05-Aug-10. The bulls I saw yesterday were still in velvet, and appeared to still be growing. It seems around here that they shed velvet around September 3 or 4 (with some starting a week earlier). I hope to get some nice photos like CK has. It grows, as the antlers grow, to protect them as they get bigger. Reindeer Farm 5561 S Bodenburg Loop Rd, Palmer, AK 99645. Elk shedding velvet Elk. Around the 14th of August. Last year I found the velvet in the pic above. By the time a deer (or moose, elk, caribou…) has shed its antlers in fall, all of the living tissue in the antlers will have dried up. Cowboy in Colorado 05-Aug-10. Elk here in west central Colorado have no velvet by opening day, except for some young bulls. Elk 'velvet' is the outermost layer of skin covering a growing antler. Velvet is hair-like in appearance and tex When Do Bucks Shed Their Velvet. On the same glassing run I saw a big bull that had not rubbed at all. The spikes may have velvet well into September. You don’t even have to do anything – just leave them somewhere to dry and you are finished. Is it September yet??? Antlers are not shed, and they remain in velvet year round. What is velvet? I’m SO happy you’re here and reading this. It is almost exactly like what it sounds like, a soft velvety fur cover on their fresh antlers. Male (bull) elk grow a new set of antlers every year, beginning when they are 1 year old. At this time, an elk's body is tawny brown or brownish gray, with the nec… Elk are much larger and heavier than white-tailed deer. Underneath the velvet is the bony antler that is so important to the reindeer. Also, the necks of cryptorchid bucks do not swell as the breeding season approaches. the velvet starts to shed in sep-oct and it itches, so they help rub it off using saplings, etc. they start growing antlers back in may-june and are in velvet then. BigAl 05-Aug-10. This means that these shed antlers are very easy to preserve. The procedure is generally done around June in the Northern Hemisphere and December in the Southern Hemisphere. Who sheds it? Asked by Wiki User. A: First, what is the difference between horns and antlers? If you were to come by the reindeer farm at this time of year you would probably get to see some of the reindeer rubbing and scraping off this velvet. As testosterone surges in male moose, around September, the velvet will shed (see video) and the antler bone hardens. On the 13th here in CO I saw a small 4 point that had just rubbed out and still had a small amount of velvet on a couple points. Cant wait for Sept! The antlers can be used as protection from predators, … LOL. Top Answer. Last year, there were bulls killed in velvet in Utah. Click here to Learn more about activities, Click here to Learn more about winter reindeer tour, Click here to Learn more about santa experience tour, Click here to Learn more about gift certificates, Click here to Learn more about summer 2021 reindeer tour, Click here to Learn more about all activities, Click here to Learn more about reindeer sale & rental, Click here to Learn more about covid-19 mitigation plan, Click here to return to REINDEER FARM BLOG, Click here to email reindeertours@gmail.com, Click here to view location Reindeer Farm 5561 S Bodenburg Loop Rd, Palmer, AK 99645. I didn't have the heart to tell him he was going to get the crap kicked out of him in a couple of weeks. Image 5 of 15 6 | Tempers Flare Hi, it’s Laura here from Little House Big Alaska, I’ll be taking over the blog here at The Reindeer Farm for a little while. We All Know Buck’s Shed Their Velvet. A buddy of mine shot an Idaho bull one Sept (seems to me it was middle of the month even) that had barely started to rub. It was a weird bull, though... apparently perfectly healthy but a really tall & narrow rack. In winter, long, coarse guard hairs overlay wooly underfur. That’s an easy one: Because the cessation in blood flow leads to the “death” of the velvet covering. Measured out close to 300" but with only about a 26" spread. Usually around mid aug. around here. Those antlers are so needed! It did seem that the bucks shed velvet a bit sooner this year than most. Elk, on the other hand, start losing their antlers in March and into April. In … Nice shots CK! But When? I will be out again this coming weekend to stash some supplies and I bet the big 6x6s will be without velvet. I have found shed velvet in bushy type trees; serviceberry, willow, gamble oak etc..They mostly strip off in one day. Elk Velvet When the antlers are growing, they are soft to the touch or spongy, unlike horns. Sometime between September 1 and 15 bucks will shed their velvet. Speaking of nutrition, deer that roam the Midwestern farm counties, where nutrition is good to tend to shed antlers later on in mid-January. The busy summer season is winding down, and the days are a little less busy, and the farm begins to prepare for fall. Deer antlers are the only mammalian bone structures to regenerate completely every year. Contributors to this thread: FlatLndr 05-Aug-10. Killed 15 Aug last year. He and one other really big bull were rubbed already. August is one of my favorite months in Alaska, the days are a little more balanced light wise, the mountains are occasionally tipped with fresh snow and the air is crisp and fresh. The antlers no longer fill with blood or nutrients, and the velvet will eventually dry off. +1 6pointbull 2nd or third week of August. Antlers have blood vessels, nerves, skin, cartilage and bone. This shedding process is amongst the goriest sights in nature as the dense blood vessels burst and the velvet falls in red rags from the deer’s rack of antlers. What is velvet? The good nutrition helps maintain a deer’s testosterone levels for longer. Bull moose shed their antlers in late autumn or early winter, after the end of the breeding season. Bullhound 05-Aug-10. It was a 4 point, so it was legal, but its antlers looked like 2 old indian war clubs. The antlers can be used as protection from predators, one toss of their head can inflict some serious damage! When they grow in, a moose’s antlers are covered in velvet. Underneath the velvet is the bony antler that is so important to the reindeer. As of Thursday of last week Idaho bulls had their velvet on. The cue for antler hardening and velvet shedding is the change in photo-period caused by decreasing daylight and increasing darkness, which results in a significant increase in the bucks’ testosterone. I am assuming with only a month away from hunting season the big bulls are or have shed their velvet.Do they usually rub it off,the velvet:),in the same area? Furthermore, the antlers continue to grow as the animal matures. Why do reindeer shed their velvet? And why do they shed it? Antlers still attached to skulls must remain in the woods. Join us as we dive deeper into the farm, the history, the seasons and the animals here in Butte, Alaska. In their natural state, they are used to create rustic chandeliers, lamps, and table centerpieces, or simply as wall decor.As a raw material, they can be turned into knife handles, jewelry, decorative carvings, key fobs, and a variety of other items. … 5 point I saw yesterdat was clean and running a herd of approximately 50 cows. A healthy bull elk can produce up to 10 pounds of velvet a year! After it serves its purpose of protecting the young antlers, the soft furry velvet is no longer needed. Some have suggested that early velvet shedding is drought related. The season usually opens around the 21st, and they don't have velvet. After it serves its purpose of protecting the young antlers, the soft furry velvet is no longer needed. So come by for a visit and look for the reindeer scraping and rubbing their antlers in the hopes of finally shedding their velvet. Driven by increasing day-length (photoperiodism), a mature bucks antler growth begins around April 1 in the North and ends when velvet is peeled around September. I seen 6 big bulls 8/15 and they were all clean also so seen a 5+5 rubing.8/15. He still has it (just the rack) mounted with the velvet still on it. On rare occasions, bulls carry full racks up to six months later than average or don’t shed their antlers at all, usually a side effect from injury or irregular hormone levels. Even saw one nice 6x6 with this guy that had rounded tips on his top end and still has some growth to do. Here's a bull that was fully rubbed on Aug 11th this year. Time Lapse Antler Growth The fuzzy skin that covers antlers as they grow is terrifically concentrated with blood vessels and nerves. Then the hardening process begins, which usually takes 20 to 25 days. Shed hunters can only pick up antlers that have been naturally shed by deer and elk in the wild. Robert Hoague. I believe they rub saplings/small trees for marking territory and staging/displying after the velvet is shed and continue through the rut. Why do bull elk shed their antlers each year? Just talking about this stuff gets me all geeked up. Wiki User Answered . Favorite Answer. When the antlers are full grown the velvet dries up, and the reindeer begin to rub it off because it itches. Bull elk can be easily identified by their impressive antlers during the summer and fall, some growing over 300″ of new bone over the course of just a few months. The third buck (1.5 years) shed on August 28. 10 Amazing Photos of a Buck Shedding Velvet These rare photos of a big buck rubbing off his early-season velvet are insane By Craig Dougherty and Donald M. Jones I don't remember ever seeing a branch antlered bull with velvet by the end of August. Spring months in elk country are unpredictable at … Horns are keratinized tissue and antlers are organs. However, it can range over a week period or more, easily. See photos of these two bucks in the Gallery below. The largest bulls polish first and are usually done by the end of August. I would say around the 15th-25th depending on the year. In the spring months of March and April, bull elk drop their antlers due to biological changes in their hormone levels. If you live in Jackson Hole or an area with an elk population, you might have recently heard bull elk bugling during the fall rut, or breeding season. By this time, these antlers have hardened and are solid bone. I’m a lifelong Alaskan and proud to share the love of my state on my own site and nowhere on the blog at The Reindeer farm. Why do elk have velvet on their antlers? Some spike bulls never shed there first year velvet. Within days it would have shed. A mature male elk, called a bull, stands 50 to 60 inches at the shoulder and weighs 600 to 1,000 pounds. Calendar One of the bigger bull killed that year (340ish) looked like he had a glove on the whale's tail on one side - rest of the antler was clean, just a rawhide looking chunk of velvet on the tip of that one side... Never have found velvet on a rubbed sapling or tree. 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