[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/whitetail-deer-antler-growth-cycle\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/whitetail-deer-antler-growth-cycle\/","headline":"Whitetail Deer Antler Growth Process","name":"Whitetail Deer Antler Growth Process","description":"Witness the transformative growth of whitetail deer antlers from fuzzy stubs to velvety knobs to magnificent racks worthy of display in your living room.","datePublished":"2015-07-09","dateModified":"2019-12-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/AntlerGrowth_header.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/AntlerGrowth_header.jpg","height":675,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/whitetail-deer-antler-growth-cycle\/","about":["News"],"wordCount":1443,"keywords":["News"],"articleBody":"Since the dawn of creation, man has been fascinated by deer antlers. They are the fastest growing bone material known to man, and over a course of 120 days from late March through early August, a mature buck can grow in\u00a0excess\u00a0of 200 inches of bone on his head.Many believe that having great summer growing conditions is the key to optimum antler growth.\u00a0 Though extremely important, there is far more to the antler growing equation than having a great growing season.\u00a0 For a buck to truly reach his potential he must be healthy and have great food sources year round.\u00a0 If either of these factors is lacking he will not reach his potential.Antler growth is nothing more than an extension of the animal\u2019s body condition.\u00a0 If a buck\u2019s body is not healthy and well maintained with the proper nutrition, maximum antler growth is not possible.\u00a0 As a result, it is important that good nutrition be available to bucks every month of the year.The following pictorial is from Charles Alsheimer’s book, Whitetails: A Photographic Journey Through the Seasons. \u00a0This is a documentation of one mature buck’s antler growth process from start to finish, one of the many whitetail topics covered within the\u00a0book.amzn_assoc_placement = \"adunit0\";amzn_assoc_search_bar = \"true\";amzn_assoc_tracking_id = \"livinglegen05-20\";amzn_assoc_ad_mode = \"manual\";amzn_assoc_ad_type = \"smart\";amzn_assoc_marketplace = \"amazon\";amzn_assoc_region = \"US\";amzn_assoc_title = \"Deer Hunting Essentials\";amzn_assoc_linkid = \"ae7c57fdf6064a88ed3611cb5c96359a\";amzn_assoc_asins = \"1571884076,B07LFZYYRP,B006U0Z3BA,B07F5GM58V\";White Tailed Deer Antlers: Witness The Amazing Growth\u00a0AprilFrom the time antlers begin growing in late March through the end of April, growth is minimal.\u00a0 The primary reason for this is that the amount of daylight is much less than what it will be in June.\u00a0 Secondly, most bucks are still stressed from the long winter so their overall body is in recovery mode.\u00a0 Another reason antler growth is slow in coming during April is the lack of quality food because spring green-up doesn\u2019t normally come to the northern states until mid to late April.\u00a0 By the end of April brow tines on a fully mature buck should be easy to spot as well as 1-2 inches of additional antler beam.April 1\u00a0\u21d3April 15\u00a0\u21d3MayIn most whitetail locales May bursts onto the scene with an abundance of high octane food, both natural and man-created.\u00a0 All natural food and forage preferred by whitetails are high in protein and other essential nutrients throughout May. This allows a whitetail\u2019s overall body condition to improve from the stress of winter, setting the stage for rapid antler growth.\u00a0 By the time May draws to a close the G-2 points (2nd point on a typical rack) should be noticeable.\u00a0 In addition the antler beams should now be about \u00bd of what their length will be when the rack\u2019s growth is complete.May 1\u00a0\u21d3May 15\u00a0\u21d3June\u00a0\u201cSummer time and the living is easy,\u201d is about the best way to describe what June is all about for whitetails.\u00a0 If rainfall is normal, nutritious food will be lush and readily available.\u00a0 This coupled with the longest amount of daylight of the year, provides the hormonal support that allows antler growth to accelerate.\u00a0 By the time June draws to a close, nearly all the primary points on a rack will have started to grow.June 1\u00a0\u21d3June 15\u00a0\u21d3JulyThe month begins with a buck\u2019s antlers being very bulbous.\u00a0 As the month progresses, the antler\u2019s beams and points will finish growing.\u00a0 By July 20th a mature buck\u2019s antlers should look massive.\u00a0 Having adequate rainfall is key to insuring that optimum antler growth continues during the month because if drought conditions take place the nutrition level of the food decreases, which has a tendency to cause a drop in antler growth.\u00a0\u00a0 By the time July ends most bucks\u2019 antlers are fully formed, ushering in the antler hardening process to begin.July 1\u00a0\u21d3July 15\u00a0\u21d3August\u00a0Most northern bucks will have completed their antler growth by the 10th of August, at which time the blood flow to the antlers diminishes.\u00a0 For the next 20-25 days the antlers will harden.\u00a0 During this time the overall size of the antlers actually appears to decrease because the velvet covering the antlers shrinks as the blood flow slows.\u00a0 Sometime in late August through mid-September most bucks will peel the velvet from their antlers.August 1\u00a0\u21d3August 15\u00a0\u21d3After Velvet was ShedThis buck had a gross B&C score of 154 inches. \u00a0Velvet makes a buck’s antlers appear much larger than they actually are.October\u00a0\u21d3Wrap UpIt should be noted that there are no cookie cutter bucks, each is distinctly different. \u00a0\u00a0Some grow antlers that are narrow and tall, while others have drop tines and wide inside spreads.\u00a0 No two have ever been identical, which adds to the whitetail\u2019s uniqueness.\u00a0 Also, the rate at which a buck\u2019s antlers grow is dependent on a number of factors such as genetics, health, age, stress, soil quality and the overall quality of habitat, both natural and agricultural.Compared to the photos, where are your bucks at?"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/whitetail-deer-antler-growth-cycle\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Whitetail Deer Antler Growth Process"}}]}]