Why do reindeer shed their velvet? They literally rot, and the odor will hit a 10 out of 10 on the gag meter. The good nutrition helps maintain a deer’s testosterone levels for longer. On a reindeer farm, there’s a lot going on as well. Why do bull elk shed their antlers each year? rambows 06-Aug-10. Many domestic animals like goats, sheep, and cattle have horns. But When? Maybe the first buck to shed in 2012 was an anomaly, but the second buck (a 3.5+ year-old) shed on August 25, which was four days sooner than the next earliest date (in 2008). I usually find velvet the first weekend of season here in Colorado. So if you’re planning a visit to Alaska in August or September be sure to plan a visit to the Reindeer Farm. A buddy of mine shot an Idaho bull one Sept (seems to me it was middle of the month even) that had barely started to rub. I have not seen one shed yet this year, be it branched bull or spikes. Hi, it’s Laura here from Little House Big Alaska, I’ll be taking over the blog here at The Reindeer Farm for a little while. to get rid of it. If you live in Jackson Hole or an area with an elk population, you might have recently heard bull elk bugling during the fall rut, or breeding season. Wiki User Answered . While moose start dropping their antlers the earliest (in December). While the antlers are developing and growing they are covered with a soft substance called velvet. 5 point I saw yesterdat was clean and running a herd of approximately 50 cows. 6pointbull 05-Aug-10. I have seen them in winter with velvet many times. Elk shedding velvet Elk. When Do Bucks Shed Their Velvet. In winter, long, coarse guard hairs overlay wooly underfur. cnelk 06-Aug-10. I have found shed velvet in bushy type trees; serviceberry, willow, gamble oak etc..They mostly strip off in one day. 10 Amazing Photos of a Buck Shedding Velvet These rare photos of a big buck rubbing off his early-season velvet are insane By Craig Dougherty and Donald M. Jones They rub on just about anything to get that velvet off and uncover the antler that most of us would recognize. Posted by Robert Hoague | Sep 5, 2016. Elk, on the other hand, start losing their antlers in March and into April. I’m a lifelong Alaskan and proud to share the love of my state on my own site and nowhere on the blog at The Reindeer farm. It seems around here that they shed velvet around September 3 or 4 (with some starting a week earlier). Favorite Answer. It’s that time of the year again when bull elk shed the velvet that has been nourishing their antler growth for the last six months. The tarsal glands of cryptorchid bucks are rarely stained because the bucks do not rub-urinate. The farm provides cut trees and, oddly enough, street sweeper brushes at this time of year to aid the reindeer in this process. This one is looking like he has an itch to scratch...From 8/14. It is almost exactly like what it sounds like, a soft velvety fur cover on their fresh antlers. Thick as my wrist, about 2 feet long, then 4 points sticking out at all angles from a knob at the top. In fact, antlers are the fastest bone growth in the world. The busy summer season is winding down, and the days are a little less busy, and the farm begins to prepare for fall. They shed velvet where convenient at the time. Stik'n String 05-Aug-10. Within days it would have shed. Around the 14th of August. He and one other really big bull were rubbed already. These bulls have made it through a fall rut, the breeding season, and most of the winter. We All Know Buck’s Shed Their Velvet. Elk here in west central Colorado have no velvet by opening day, except for some young bulls. Antlers have blood vessels, nerves, skin, cartilage and bone. With the exception of several spike bulls I have seen over the years, I cannot think of a single branch-antlered bull I have seen in full velvet by the season opener. Once the males are just about finished the females start losing their velvet. Click here to Due to Covid-19 the farm has safety protocols in place during your visit. Q: Why do tule elk drop their antlers every year?-Teresa, El Cerrito. The antlers can be used as protection from predators, one toss of their head can inflict some serious damage! By the time a deer (or moose, elk, caribou…) has shed its antlers in fall, all of the living tissue in the antlers will have dried up. If you’ve ever been around dried velvet antlers, they can get pretty funky pretty fast. Females can use their antlers in the winter to clear away snow from their food sources. Every other bull we saw that week was fully shed and dark with rubs in the middle of the rut, except this guy. Then the hardening process begins, which usually takes 20 to 25 days. Deer antler velvet is the As of Thursday of last week Idaho bulls had their velvet on. ​ The Archery season opened a week earlier than usual. The bulls I saw yesterday were still in velvet, and appeared to still be growing. Stillman 05-Aug-10. Most bucks in the North are finished growing their antlers by August 10 when blood flow to the antlers ceases and the velvet begins dying and degrading. 2010-05-16 17:54:37 2010-05-16 17:54:37. Click here to Learn more about activities, Click here to Learn more about winter reindeer tour, Click here to Learn more about santa experience tour, Click here to Learn more about gift certificates, Click here to Learn more about summer 2021 reindeer tour, Click here to Learn more about all activities, Click here to Learn more about reindeer sale & rental, Click here to Learn more about covid-19 mitigation plan, Click here to return to REINDEER FARM BLOG, Click here to email reindeertours@gmail.com, Click here to view location Reindeer Farm  5561 S Bodenburg Loop Rd, Palmer, AK 99645. Growth is triggered by increasing daylight and subsequent testosterone production. Killed 15 Aug last year. Cant wait for Sept! Join us as we dive deeper into the farm, the history, the seasons and the animals here in Butte, Alaska. August is one of my favorite months in Alaska, the days are a little more balanced light wise, the mountains are occasionally tipped with fresh snow and the air is crisp and fresh. See photos of these two bucks in the Gallery below. In their natural state, they are used to create rustic chandeliers, lamps, and table centerpieces, or simply as wall decor.As a raw material, they can be turned into knife handles, jewelry, decorative carvings, key fobs, and a variety of other items. Nice shots CK! Bull moose shed their antlers in late autumn or early winter, after the end of the breeding season. Virtually all mule deer will be in full velvet until the latter weeks of September, possibly later. Last year, the several bulls I saw at the beginning of the CO season were bare whereas the several mule deer I saw were all in velvet. I wish I had pics of the bull one of our clients got when I was guiding on the west slope 2 years ago. LOL. What is velvet? the velvet starts to shed in sep-oct and it itches, so they help rub it off using saplings, etc. The largest bulls polish first and are usually done by the end of August. I don't remember ever seeing a branch antlered bull with velvet by the end of August. Deer, elk, and moose, actually all drop their antlers at different times starting in those shortest days. Open Year Round by Appointment Only. Those antlers are so needed! Horns are permanent, they grow from their base up, and both males and females may have them. One of the bigger bull killed that year (340ish) looked like he had a glove on the whale's tail on one side - rest of the antler was clean, just a rawhide looking chunk of velvet on the tip of that one side... Never have found velvet on a rubbed sapling or tree. All good questions my friends, I’ve got answers straight from the farmers! The summer pelage is short, thin and colored reddish brown. What is velvet? Answer. Image 5 of 15 6 | Tempers Flare Spring months in elk country are unpredictable at … Interestingly the males lose their velvet in August, starting earlier than the females. Like deer and elk, moose shed their antlers every year in the late winter or early spring. It was a 4 point, so it was legal, but its antlers looked like 2 old indian war clubs. As males age, their antlers grow in bigger each year. I believe they rub saplings/small trees for marking territory and staging/displying after the velvet is shed and continue through the rut. Why do bucks shed their velvet? Click here to learn more. Adult whitetail deer antlers can grow ¼ inch per day, whereas elk antlers grow about an inch per day. Last year, there were bulls killed in velvet in Utah. Underneath the velvet is the bony antler that is so important to the reindeer. In most parts of the country, the antler growth for whitetail deer is done for the year. Antlers are not shed, and they remain in velvet year round. Horns are keratinized tissue and antlers are organs. Robert Hoague. Contributors to this thread: FlatLndr 05-Aug-10. Usually around mid aug. around here. If you were to come by the reindeer farm at this time of year you would probably get to see some of the reindeer rubbing and scraping off this velvet. Females, or cows, weigh 500 to 600 pounds. Even saw one nice 6x6 with this guy that had rounded tips on his top end and still has some growth to do. Whitetail deer antler sheds have a wide variety of uses and are becoming more popular as a crafting material and for home decor. Shed hunters can only pick up antlers that have been naturally shed by deer and elk in the wild. Deer can shed its velvet within a single day or less if it is determined. One was at about 6500 ft and one was at timberline. Antlers still attached to skulls must remain in the woods. I hope to get some nice photos like CK has. Measured out close to 300" but with only about a 26" spread. Just a few weeks after a whitetail deer or elk sheds its antlers, a new set begins to grow. It did seem that the bucks shed velvet a bit sooner this year than most. The bull’s new growing bone is covered by skin with numerous blood vessels which we refer to as “velvet”. When they grow in, a moose’s antlers are covered in velvet. Also, the necks of cryptorchid bucks do not swell as the breeding season approaches. At this time, an elk's body is tawny brown or brownish gray, with the nec… yes, deer shed their antlers in january-february. Elk 'velvet' is the outermost layer of skin covering a growing antler. Reproductively, they are in neutral. Is it September yet??? "I was kind of surprised that elk shed that much earlier than deer.". In some instances, deer can eat the shed velvet for nutrition, while others will walk away without feeding on it. Very round at the tips. I’m SO happy you’re here and reading this. The spikes may have velvet well into September. I seen 6 big bulls 8/15 and they were all clean also so seen a 5+5 rubing.8/15. These two bulls were hanging together when I photographed them on Aug. 12. two weeks ago almost all the bulls (out of 30+ elk, 10 were bulls),all had velvet from what I could tell. Elk Rut in September and Deer Rut in Nov or later... Not too surprising..... Terry. On rare occasions, bulls carry full racks up to six months later than average or don’t shed their antlers at all, usually a side effect from injury or irregular hormone levels. Some spike bulls never shed there first year velvet. It grows, as the antlers grow, to protect them as they get bigger. Cowboy in Colorado 05-Aug-10. AZStickman 05-Aug-10. And why do they shed it? On the same glassing run I saw a big bull that had not rubbed at all. Speaking of nutrition, deer that roam the Midwestern farm counties, where nutrition is good to tend to shed antlers later on in mid-January. First of all both male and female reindeer grow antlers. I didn't have the heart to tell him he was going to get the crap kicked out of him in a couple of weeks. It’s definitely an interesting time to visit the farm. He still has it (just the rack) mounted with the velvet still on it. 5 6 7. This time of year is also when reindeer shed their velvet. When the antlers are full grown the velvet dries up, and the reindeer begin to rub it off because it itches. Some have suggested that early velvet shedding is drought related. By this time, these antlers have hardened and are solid bone. Just talking about this stuff gets me all geeked up. Here's a bull that was fully rubbed on Aug 11th this year. A: First, what is the difference between horns and antlers? I would say around the 15th-25th depending on the year. I saw two branch antlered bulls last week here in Colorado and both were rubbed clean, very white. They shed these antlers every year in late winter or early spring and begin to grow a new set of antlers in spring. Elk shed last, between January and April, though the great majority lose their racks in March. The antlers no longer fill with blood or nutrients, and the velvet will eventually dry off. As testosterone surges in male moose, around September, the velvet will shed (see video) and the antler bone hardens. The third buck (1.5 years) shed on August 28. A healthy bull elk can produce up to 10 pounds of velvet a year! Bullhound 05-Aug-10. A mature male elk, called a bull, stands 50 to 60 inches at the shoulder and weighs 600 to 1,000 pounds. Still totally in velvet second week of the season - don't think he COULD rub it off. Click here to learn more. Then over the course of the summer, their antlers grow back. After it serves its purpose of protecting the young antlers, the soft furry velvet is no longer needed. Furthermore, the antlers continue to grow as the animal matures. We say that the antlers have completed their growth at this stage as they are no longer receiving nutrients. The cue for antler hardening and velvet shedding is the change in photo-period caused by decreasing daylight and increasing darkness, which results in a significant increase in the bucks’ testosterone. The procedure is generally done around June in the Northern Hemisphere and December in the Southern Hemisphere. Elk have a summer and a winter coat. The antlers can be used as protection from predators, … Yes, the velvet is soft and visually appealing, but at some point, the deer needs to shed the material to reveal its new antlers. Asked by Wiki User. When that velvet dies, it starts to decompose. And males dress to impress the females with their impressive antler display that say’s “I’m a stud”. Bull elk can be easily identified by their impressive antlers during the summer and fall, some growing over 300″ of new bone over the course of just a few months. You could also witness reindeer shedding their velvet up close and personal. Sometime between September 1 and 15 bucks will shed their velvet. All the smaller bulls are still in full velvet. As the antler hardens, the male moose scratches … Velvet is hair-like in appearance and tex Deer typically shed their antlers in starting in January, but mostly in February and early March. Who sheds it? In the spring months of March and April, bull elk drop their antlers due to biological changes in their hormone levels. I am excited that I finally got my cameras out so it is going to be interesting. I will be out again this coming weekend to stash some supplies and I bet the big 6x6s will be without velvet. Time Lapse Antler Growth The fuzzy skin that covers antlers as they grow is terrifically concentrated with blood vessels and nerves. Saw a fair number that were rubbed off and some that were not or were just starting. That is why if you are shed hunting in March you may be finding larger fresh sheds (“browns”) while at the same time observing smaller bulls with antlers still attached. On the 13th here in CO I saw a small 4 point that had just rubbed out and still had a small amount of velvet on a couple points. Why do elk have velvet on their antlers? +1 6pointbull 2nd or third week of August. Elk Velvet When the antlers are growing, they are soft to the touch or spongy, unlike horns. However, it can range over a week period or more, easily. I was kind of surprised that elk shed that much earlier than deer. … Top Answer. So come by for a visit and look for the reindeer scraping and rubbing their antlers in the hopes of finally shedding their velvet. Not only is the beauty of Alaska so full and rich at this time of year the pace of the farm is a little slower and definitely more relaxed. Driven by increasing day-length (photoperiodism), a mature bucks antler growth begins around April 1 in the North and ends when velvet is peeled around September. (Unlike deer and elk, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats do not shed their horns each year, so don’t expect to find them as “sheds.”) Contrastingly, deer in areas with poor nutrition tend to shed their antlers earlier in mid-December. After it serves its purpose of protecting the young antlers, the soft furry velvet is no longer needed. Why do reindeer shed their velvet? Reindeer Farm  5561 S Bodenburg Loop Rd, Palmer, AK 99645. The season usually opens around the 21st, and they don't have velvet. This shedding process is amongst the goriest sights in nature as the dense blood vessels burst and the velvet falls in red rags from the deer’s rack of antlers. Late summer in Alaska. BigAl 05-Aug-10. You don’t even have to do anything – just leave them somewhere to dry and you are finished. The elk are losing their velvet, which is the fuzzy growing layer that covers their antlers from spring until…about this time of the year. In late summer and early autumn, the antlers shed off the velvet skin, leaving the bull with a set of 40-pound antlers. I’ve been lucky enough to take pictures of whitetail deer nearly every day the last 20 years, beginning in 1996 when I moved from the city to deer counntry and subsiquently put Bowhunting.net online. Calendar Underneath the velvet is the bony antler that is so important to the reindeer. Deer antlers are the only mammalian bone structures to regenerate completely every year. That’s an easy one: Because the cessation in blood flow leads to the “death” of the velvet covering. I am assuming with only a month away from hunting season the big bulls are or have shed their velvet.Do they usually rub it off,the velvet:),in the same area? It was a weird bull, though... apparently perfectly healthy but a really tall & narrow rack. 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