CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



243 



There were four-point, 2 ; three-point, 3 ; three-two-point, 1 ; two-point, 2 ; 

 spike, 1. All their antlers were in the velvet and appeared to be three- 

 fourths grown. On August 1, 1929, in Yosemite, I found a spike buck 

 that had antlers between 5 and 6 inches long but still in the velvet. In 

 the Yosemite region, the earliest date upon which I have found bucks 

 with antlers practically grown but still in the velvet was July 20. 



By the tenth of September some of the bucks begin to "fight 

 brush" in order to free their antlers of velvet. One of the most notable 

 instances in which I was able to witness removal of the velvet from 

 a buck's antlers took place in Yosemite Valley in 1927, where, on Sep- 

 tember 14, I found a very tame buck with large antlers still in the 

 velvet (see Fig 85). At this date he was all shed out into the short 



Fig. 85. California mule deer biiciv with antlers fully grown but still in the velvet. 

 Yosemite, September 14, 1927, 5 p.m. Mus. Vert. Zool. No. 5 47 8. 



"blue" (really gray) winter coat. He was fat and in excellent con- 

 dition, with large well-balanced antlers that carried three tines on each 

 side. I watched him for some time at a distance of ten feet as he fed 

 on goldenrod stalks which were just ready to bud. As far as I could 

 see, even with binoculars, the velvet was as solidly attached as ever to 

 the antlers, and there was no break or tear in it at any point. I left 

 him at 6.20 p.m., still chewing peacefully on the goldenrod. Twelve 

 hours later, at 6 o'clock on the morning of September 15, I met this 

 same buck coming out of a thicket of western chokecherry where I later 

 found evidence that he had been ' ' horning ' ' the brush to free his antlers 

 of velvet. The velvet which the day before had covered his antlers now 

 hung in long limp ribbons from the base of his antlers, to which support 

 the shreds remained firmly attached. The shreds of velvet caused 

 the buck considerable worry in that every time he lowered his head to 



