What Determines a Buck’s Antler Color?
Question from a reader: Mike, I hunt deer on a ranch in eastern Wyoming. Some of the bucks have blonde antlers; others have chocolate-brown racks. Why is this? Seems like the dark antlers are slightly more common on bigger bucks. I've also seen this difference in the whitetails I've hunted back home in Minn.--Tim Tim, biologists say antler coloration is determined by several things, including: (1) buck age. younger bucks tend to have lighter-colored antlers. Older, more dominant bucks often have darker antlers. But this is not set in stone. (2) bark coloration of the predominant rubbing trees in a region. Bucks that rub light-colored trees, like aspen, have light antlers, while bucks that blaze pines and cedars with sap [...]
