Mike, just why do bucks shed their antlers every year?—Joan, Missouri Scientists have 2 theories. Bucks shed racks annually so they’ll have the ability to replace damaged antlers the next year. If a buck had to live his entire life with snapped tines or a broken main beam he couldn’t posture for does or dominance, or spar with rival bucks. A second theory suggests that bucks shed and grow new racks 10 to 20 inches larger in following years to keep pace with their increasing body size and weight as they mature from 2 ½ years of age to 3½ to 4 ½, and so on. Some more interesting shed facts: --Some weeks after the post-rut (December or January) bucks’ [...]

Brian Wallace shot this unique buck in central Alabama last January. The uni was trailing a doe. Just what causes a unicorn tine? How rare is a unicorn buck? Check out one of our newest YouTube video to understand more about these rare bucks!

We recently got a couple more submissions of deer afflicted with the big nose phenomenon, which was first documented on BIG DEER back in 2008. Jeanie sent this picture of a buck that her husband killed near Pauline, SC last November. And this trail camera shot comes from central Texas. As this recent article from QDMA explains, “The swollen snouts of afflicted deer result from chronic (long-term) inflammation of the tissues of the nose, mouth and upper lip… How and where deer acquire the Bullwinkle bacteria is still unknown.” The most common question I get is: “Are these deer safe to eat?” I have always advised NOT to eat the meat of a big-nose deer, and the QDMA article concurs: [...]

From longtime blogger Dutch: Mike: I think some time ago there was a thread on the blog about hair loss in deer. This past Friday, I was hunting on my family’s farm in Virginia and had this little lady stop by. She was definitely the boss doe in charge of her group, and seemed perfectly healthy other than not having any hair on her back. I've never seen this before and my first thought was mange but whenever I've seen animals with mange in the past, it's been in random splotches on their bodies, usually with little sores. This just seemed so uniform. Just wanted to share and see if you or anyone else had any thoughts.—Dutch I reached out [...]