Deer Hunting | September Whitetail Deer Shedding Velvet

September Whitetail Bucks “Shedding the Velvet”

In an earlier post I spoke about the development stages of the whitetails antlers and the time frame of when they grow, early spring (March) to late summer (August/September). In our region, Missouri, the whitetail velvet shedding time is around the first week in September give or take a week or two. Over the years my sons and I have been monitoring this ritual with use of 4 or 5 trail cameras. It is exciting to see what the quality of the deer herd in an area can produce.

Whitetail deer antlers seem to grow the fastest between early June and the end of July. The tips of the antlers have a blackish color and somewhat of a round ball at the tip of each point. Using this observation informs you the antlers are still gowing rapidly. This time period is when the velvet antlers are growing the fastest and the velvet looks fresh and lush. While the whitetails antlers are developing it is a critical time for them not to do any sparring with other whitetail bucks because the antlers are soft and can be damaged very eaily.

Peak Development is Reached

As we monitor the deer through the use of cameras we can also tell when the growth starts to subside. As day length decreases in September, the pituitary gland indirectly increases the secretion of testosterone and testicular volume increases. As this happens the velvet on the antlers starts to dry and shrivel up. The whitetail buck that one week earlier looked huge on camera now is starting to dry down. when the velvet starts to let loose around the antlers the whitetail buck will start rubbing trees to remove the shedding velvet. We also start to notice fresh tree rubs. The bucks will become less visible druring the daytime hours. This doesn’t mean they leave the area from my experience it happens the same way every year.

Clean Polished Antlers

When the velvet gets rubbed off the whitetail antlers they are covered red with blood. As they rub their antlers on trees they begin to polish then slick and clean. Older more mature bucks can have rough areas around the base of the velvet antlers that may remain dark in color because the blood cannot be completely removed by rubbing trees.

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Deer Hunting – Whitetail Buck Antler Growth

How do Antlers Grow?

Whitetail Deer Antler growth usually begins during the month of March or April, by August or early September, antlers are fully-grown. Antlers begin as bony growths covered with skin and hair (velvet). They grow at incredible rates, it is amazing what whitetail deer can grow during the summer months. This makes them one of the fastest growing living tissues known to man.

Antlers are very similar to bone. They are supplied with blood through blood vessels in the velvet and through the core of the antler. Antler growth is triggered by the increase in the amount of sunlight during the spring season. The necessary nutrients for antler growth may be taken from other bones in the body, thus depleting the nutrients in these bones and making them brittle.

In order to grow these huge racks, whitetail deer, elk and moose must eat around 50 kg of calcium each season. This is quite a feat when their diet is composed of plant material.

“Shedding the Velvet”

After the antlers have reached their maximum size, blood vessels at the base close down causing the skin to dry up and peel off. The owner assists this process by rubbing against trees. In many areas, you can see these rubbings as the thin bark of the aspen, pine and cedar trees is rubbed off along with the velvet. As the velvet peels away by rubbing their antlers on trees they will rub the dried blood from them as well. Once the velvet is gone, only the hard bony core remains as a formidable weapon in the annual rut.

The whitetail’s antlers grow from March until September. It is exciting to watch the antler growing season hoping to see monster bucks develop for the fall rut in your hunting area.

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