98 



YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



Hopelessly locked antlers brings lingering death 

 to bucks. 



As worked out by Dixon, the follow- 

 ing sequence of development ordinarily 

 takes place in the antlers of Yoscmite 

 deer: 



Yearling single spike or "forked horn." 



Two year old- forked or rarely, three point. 



Three year old three pointer, rarely "forked horn." 

 Four to eight year old four pointer. 



Females with antlers have been known 

 and certain bucks never lose the velvet 

 from their antlers (called "stags" by 

 hunters). When Droperly examined, such 

 specimens have proven to be sexually ab- 

 normal. It is believed that the male sex 

 hormone governs the production of ant- 

 lers, but the whole story is not yet 

 known, 



"Old Horny" was a buck famous in 

 Yosemite Valley in the 1920's. He pos- 

 sessed a third short antler growing mid- 

 way between his eyes and his nostrils. 

 The extra antler was 2 ' 4 inches high, had 

 a basal diameter of one inch, and de- 

 veloped tw, prongs. Later, another 

 "forked horn" buck with a third antler 

 was discovered in Yosemite Valley. He 

 was promptly dubbed "Unicorn Junior"! 



The antlers may be shed as early as 

 January and from two to four weeks 

 later, new ones start to grow. The aver- 

 age season for dropping falls in March 

 with new growth started in May. 



The new, growing antlers are cov- 

 ered with velvety skin, very rich in 

 nerve and blood supply. Until growth 



is nearly complete, this "velvet" is quite 

 sensitive. It is not safe to touch it, for 

 the buck might strike out with sharp 

 hoofs, with serious injury to the person 

 taking that liberty. 



By Jul\, the first forking of the new 

 antlers has been achieved. Mid-Septem- 

 ber usually finds the growth completed. 

 The bucks then "horn" brush and small 

 trees to remove the dead velvet, now 

 mainly dead tissue. 



In October or November, the rutting, 

 or mating season begins. The necks of 

 the bucks become quite swollen and they 

 are inclined to try out their armament 

 against rivals. Once they have made 

 contact, the fight is usually a "shoving 

 bout," and when one has been forced to 

 his knees a few times he goes away. 



Cases are known where the antlers of 

 the adversaries became permanently in- 

 terlocked, which ended in death for both. 

 Serious casualties are quite rare, the 

 match seeming merely to determine which 

 buck can drive the other away. 



The dominant buck will follow a doe 

 for several days, much of the time with 

 his head thrust stiffly out before him. 

 This behavior culminates in the actual 

 mating, whereupon he selects another 

 doe and repeats the "running" process. 

 Mating season lasts well into Januan 

 and may extend into February. 



Rutting season over, the bigger bucks 

 lose their antagonism toward each other. 



From cut />> M 

 Deer tracks. Left, fawn; center, very soft mud; 

 right, adult. 



