As I was driving to Watertown, SD today, I saw a good size herd of Whitetails just a few mikes north of town. In the middle of the herd was a buck - a good size buck - wearing a good size set of antlers. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a buck, this time of the year, wearing antlers.

Latest I've seen one with both sides was 4/7. Small hard horned forkie.

We have some late horned bucks around here. Last week I still had active scrapes on my place in Kansas. Talking fawns in Aug/Sept timeframe.

Deer work some scrapes all year long.

Seems like I heard somewhere that if they are castrated they never shed their horns.

I took down my cell camera behind the house and put up an older Bushnell. I'll pull the card once a week. We have 3 behind the house that still have both sides of their antlers as of last weekend. All 3 are 12"-14" 7 and 8 pts.

A castrated wild WT?

I have see whitetails on the 4/23 with their horns 2 days later bald....seen them several times the end of March.....

Shot a 8 point 15 years ago on 12/31 we had 2' of snow in the UP deer ran about 100 yards and was bald when I found it.....found the horns in the snow that the deer dropped....

Blacktailer is correct. I saw a buck killed years ago that had damaged testicles. His antlers never shed, also he never shed his velvet. The bases had grown so big they were almost touching. The antlers were nontypical (21 countable points) but only 15-16 inches wide. Huge body size for the area.

GreggH

Bugger,
I am fortunate in the Black Hills where I live. I can watch deer year round from the house. It is amazing how early some bucks drop, and at the other end, how late they keep them. Have seen antlers dropped in middle of December and as late as 2nd week of April.

You seeing one this late does not surprise me at all, but will say it is certainly at the far end of the bell curve of antler shedding. This year, I have not seen antlers for about three weeks.

Dad, sons, and I have taken four deer over the years that had abnormal testes. Every one of them had velvet antlers in November. In speaking with the biologist, listed a number of possible causes.

1. genetic
2. disease
3. physical trauma

seen a big 10 pt. whitetail buck in late may woman hit the buck with her car and killed that buck, i rolled the buck over he had no balls .i wonder if that buck jumped a barb wire fence and his balls stayed on the fence in the past ?

On the topic of the velvet antler deer. A couple of Februarys ago we never got above freezing for the month. We have a velvet antlered deer hanging around, his antlers froze and fell off. Wish I knew if he survived and grew another set.

Not uncommon

Talking fawns! Holy Cow that's amazing!

Sorry, I had to..

Seen a small buck Thurs.with one side still

Son just called and has been out at the ranch the last few days. He has seen a bunch of bucks with antlers yet. That is 15 miles from where I live and out on the prairie and not pine forests.

For what that is worth. Said there are some fairly good ones, 120's plus. Going to send pics if he sees any more and can get them to stand still.