In November, the white tail deer rut is underway, which means the testosterone crazed young bucks are competing to be the dominant breeder in their territory. It kind of reminds me of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, when the young prince and noblemen conspire to overthrow the reigning king.
The mature buck with the most impressive or largest crown, or should I say rack of antlers, is not necessary the reigning buck, but by his size, strength and temperament he generally signals to bucks lower in the hierarchy that he is dominant…for the time being at least.
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” During rut, a reigning buck can lose as much as 25% of his body weight displaying his antlers, exhibiting his prowess and defending his dominance.
Once the rut is over, bucks do not need to show off for each other. In winter bucks do not compete, so they no longer need their crown of antlers.
They are heavy and awkward and apt to get caught if the buck tried to crawl under low hanging branches or through small openings.
A buck has a better chance of surviving if he sheds his antlers and uses his energy to find food and stay alive. Obviously, this is not a conscious decision. A buck doesn’t say to himself, “Golly…carrying these antlers is nuisance. I bet I’d have a better chance of surviving the winter if I just dump the silly things.”
No. It just happens. And it will….but not quite yet. And while deer have antlers, understand that their behavior is erratic.
During rut, uneasy is the driver who’s out at dusk.
