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Creating Mother Nature’s Food Plot by Dr. Chris Moorman
Deer Dispersal by Dr. Jonathan Shaw
Food Plot Facts by Kip Adams
Successful Quality Deer Management by Mark Connor
Drought Proof Your Food Plots by Ryan Foster
Antlers From The Ground Up by Gabriel Karns and M. Colter Chitwood
Deer of a Different Color by Christopher S. DePerno, Gabriel Karns and M. Colter Chitwood
All About Antler Development by M. Colter Chitwood, Garbiel Karns, Christopher S. DePerno
Latest Deer Research by Brian Murphy
Crossbows in Suburbia? by Dr. Richard A. Lancia
Buying The Farm by Team Realtree
Single-Best Deer Food? by Team Realtree
Best Food For Antlers? by Team Realtree
Velvet in January? by Team Realtree
Round-Up and Trees by Team Realtree
Special thanks to:
Quality Deer
Management Association
Reader Questions
Velvet in January?
Question: Why would a deer have antlers in velvet and no visible testicles in the middle of January?
Answer: It sounds like the buck in question lost his testicles to an injury. If bucks are castrated while antlers are in velvet they don't get the surge in testosterone needed to mineralize the antlers and shed the velvet. Their antlers will remain in velvet and they won't cast them during winter. The antlers will remain in velvet and they'll add new growth each year. However, in northern environments the velvet antlers often freeze and fall off during winter. If the buck was injected with testosterone he would mineralize his antlers, shed the velvet, and caste his antlers as soon as the testosterone levels dropped in his body (likely would happen very quickly).
Kip Adams