Antler Color, the debate goes on

Written by Bill Miller

Any hunter no doubt would agree that no two bucks are the same, and the color of their antlers add to their diversity.

Yet camp fire debates swirl over why some antlers are lighter, or darker, than others.

Does it have to do with deer nutrition, or the actual density of the antlers? Maybe it’s both, according to some whitetail deer experts in Texas.

They’re quick to note, however, that nobody seems to know for sure, at least for now.

“Of all the things that you could potentially study, this is not high on the list,” said Dr. David Hewitt of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

But antler density – or lack of it – seems to make the most sense to Hewitt, who chairs the whitetail deer research program at the institute.

Other experts agree. “I’ve always been interested in that,” said Dr. Dale Rollins, a Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist in San Angelo. “It could be that the softer, more porous antler soaks up more stain.”

And blood is likely the ultimate staining agent that thoroughly covers antlers when bucks rub out of their velvet.

Larry Weishuhn, whitetail deer expert from Uvalde, has noted that tree sap also stains antlers during the rubs.

Weishuhn, an author and television show host, offered his comments in an online chat on the Web site for the Los Cazadores deer contest.

He added that a buck on a really good diet will produce very dense antlers that resist staining.

Rollins noted that dense antlers polish up nicely in the rubbing and they can appear almost marble white.

He recalled how he began exploring this mystery in the late 1980s.

“There was a real rash of broken antlers in the Concho Valley and around Sterling City in particular,” he said. “I had a student look at it, and in the course of that, we’d take core samples out of antlers.

“Well, on the very dark antlers it was like sticking a hot knife through butter.”

Additional tests on density, however, distracted from the main research on the broken antlers.

So the density theory and other issues related to antler colors were never fully explored.

And as far as Rollins and Hewitt can recall, no researchers have ever done that.

Rollins agreed with Hewitt that the color of antlers is not a pressing health issue for deer, so it doesn’t impress organizations that award research funds.

He added, however, that the causes of antler density could become part of a larger project that addresses human bone density and osteoporosis.

Don’t laugh.

According to Hewitt, there have been numerous medical studies for humans that have looked at deer antlers.

“Antlers grow so fast, I’ve heard them compared to tumors,” he said. “So, yes, there are potential ties to human medicine.”

Meanwhile, until the issue is put to rest, deer camps throughout Texas have retained a debate topic.