Antler Deformities

[cameras eye]

New member and first time poster. I've been bowhunting Wisconsin since 1962. I have been hunting this fall in Southeastern Wisconsin and have noticed three different bucks in my area with one side their rack formed and the other side either missing or with spikes of varying sizes. If this is genetic, we are contemplating thinning these bucks out of the herd. Also I was talking to a friend who hunts central Wisconsin and has seen the same thing there. Any comments on this.

 

[Big Fin]

I have little input on the deformities, but welcome to the site. Hope you share your stories and pics.

 

[TLC]

its genetic. if you can find the breeding buck, take it out. then take out the others as you see them. had a few deer that would grow nothing but spikes. finally took out the breeding buck, and the others, and now have better racks running around here.

 

[cameras eye]

Reading the Wind

First off, thank you Big Fin for your welcome, and thank you TLC for your response on Antler Deformity. Each of us brings to this forum our experiences and things we've learned from others. I've been hunting for over forty years and still enjoy conversing with fellow hunters and hearing their experiences, for through our talks we all pick up tid-bits we can use in our future hunts.

Shifting gears now, how can we best gain the best knowledge on wind direction. I've seen the recent hunting shows on TV. Most all of the hunters use a small puff sprayer which sprays a small amount of powder into the air. From the ground, it will show a hunter the wind direction at their present elevation. But what about the tree stand hunter? I have found wind currents can differ depending on elevation and the ecosystem at ground level. The powder sprayer will tell me what the wind direction is at my elevation in my tree stand, but will not always tell me what changes are present at ground level.

The solution for me; I now carry a small 35 mm. film canister packed with cotton balls. When I get into my tree, and several times throughout my hunt, I'll check wind direction. The wind velocity will determine how much of the cotton fibers I use, but in all tests, I simply remove a small amount of cotton fibers and release them into the wind. The white fibers are easy to follow for long distances and they tell me two very important things: 1) They show me if there are any wind direction changes at ground level and where those changes are and 2) The fibers either rise or fall as they travel. This tells me the present thermal conditions of the wind currents. In mountainous areas, this could be especially valuable.

Give it a try. I hope it helps your hunt!

 

[Layin_It_Down]

We used to get a lot of one horned whitetail where I used to hunt along the Yellowstone in Livingston. Something like a nice 4 on one side and a spike on the other. People were encouraged to shoot these bucks and they lasted for 5 to 10 years. From my experience, I say it is definitely genetics. Not something you want running around. I agree with TLC, take them out.