Secrets to Growing Big AntlersPosted by Peter Douglas on October 30th, 2018 Antlers are found in the family of deer. it is the growth of the bones that deer and other animals are known to grow especially when mating season is around the corner. Did you know that only male deer could produce antlers? The number of male deer that keep their antlers for a long period of time is even less. Contrary to the popular belief, the point in the antlers or the size of it does not reflect the age of the deer. The size of the antlers depends upon the nutrients that the deer consumes and the overall health as well. When we talk about deer antlers, the main purpose of it is to find a suitable mate. They use the antlers to fight other deer so they could mate with one of their choices. It is also to show supremacy among other deer. You would have noticed that only caribou females grow rack of antlers. The shorter antlers that you may have noticed on the females is mainly used to protect themselves and the young ones from harm's way. Materials Deer antlers take a lot of energy to grow. The antlers are very boney and the main nutrient that helps them to grow is calcium. But, calcium is not present in high dosage in a deer's vegetarian diet. This is why it takes a lot of time for the antlers to grow and why only the healthiest of the deer can grow big antlers. Secrets to growing big antlers The hunters hunt for deer with big antlers every year. If the antler is not as grown as the hunter wants, then sometimes they let the deer go, hoping that they would catch it the next year when the antler grows more. But, there are a lot of factors, which affect the growth of the antlers like genetics, forage quality, and poor habitat. The bottom line is that if secrets to growing big antlers are what you want to know, then focus on the doe and the fawn rather than the bucks. Another thing that you could pay attention to is the nutrition. The increase of protein in the diet does impact the growth of the antlers. Author: The author is an avid writer and this article is about secrets to growing big antlers. Like it? Share it!More by this author |