16 Pointer?

It is common practice at this time of year to go looking for bucks in velvet. I don't see them very often, especially the big ones, but every once in a while, you get very lucky and find a beefcake. This one here is the biggest I've seen this year!



He grazed for quite some time...



...before getting too irritated with my presence.



I tried to count the tines while shooting, but you can never quite get them all. I felt that he was definately a 12, but possibly a 14 pointer.



Upon further inspection, I see that he has a few more bumps, and since he is still in velvet, he is still growing at a pace of about an inch a day, so I can say with confidence that he is definately a 16 pointer when all is said and done, and it wouldn't surprise me if he grew a few more stickers at his brow. The bumps are there...Who knows?






(Here's an extreme close up for your inspection...What do you think?)



I hope I see him when the velvet has shed in a month or so...18 would be incredible!

Some more Velvet Bucks

This big guy stays a pretty good distance away from any source of danger while his antlers are so fragile. Most bucks take shelter in high grassy fields instead of timber so as to not damage them while they are still soft. In about August or early September, the testosterone filled blood pumping through the tissue will cease, and the antlers will harden.

Buck Portrait

Exploring a new back road produced this buck who was kind enough to stay put as I backed up with my car to get the shots. He's a cute fella, but not yet wise enough to know that I am a potential threat. He stood there eating the whole time with out much care other than chewing on some tasty weeds. I hope he finds a mentor soon!

(Click on photo for a close up look at the velvet rack.)

Whitetail Buck in Velvet

These are my first shots ever of a whitetail buck in the velvet stage. He was a mature 8 pointer, well on his way to growing a really nice rack for the ladies to admire.

Rack Facts: During mid-spring, increased daylight triggers a gland at the base of a deer's skull to produce a fleshy, bulb type growth. Antlers start as living tissue. They are soft, consisting of veins and arteries that carry blood to the tissue for continued growth. During the summer, the buck is rarely seen. He restricts his movements, so that he minimizes risk of damage to his rack development. In late August/Sept., the arteries and veins constrict (from rising testosterone levels) allowing the velvet to dry. They begin to rub off the dried velvet, revealing the final bony structure and enter into their rut in Oct./Nov.