Alright, here's the deal. My family ranch is located on 29 between Llano and Burnet, the Whitehead Ranch. Everything started getting strange last season, when we spotted several mature bucks still in velvet in November. Well, it has just gotten a crap load wierder!!!!! This season has produced sightings of 8 seperate bucks in velvet. Each one has very distinctive deformaties wiith their antlers. There are several very nice, mature symetrical 8 points in velvet. But the rest look like alien deer!!! So my question is, what do you guys think?

I have pictures, but don't know how to post them.

E-mail me the pics. I will post them for ya.

wes_murphey@yahoo.com

My first thought would be to call the Game Warden. He might be able to send someone out to research it.

Post deleted by Big_Country

That's allot of Cactus Bucks on one place, I've only seen one in 40+ years. Definitely needs investigating.

http://www.kingsoutdoorworld.com/feature/cactus-bucks.shtml

I did not get the e-mail. Try it again.

Never mind I got it.

here they are

I would call the GW and let him take a look and maybe he can have one of them tested. Never seen anything like that.

I have never seen anything like that. I think getting TP&W involved is the best idea. Lora(campcook) said that it looked like they all had some kind of virus that may be attacking the pedicles. That is definitely strange, and when you add that you are seeing 8 points still in velvet, that makes it worrisome. Keep us posted on what you find out.

The deer you have posted are inferior to the rest of the population since they have both buck and doe characteristics. They need to be taken out of the herd to improve the genetics. Antlered does have been seen and shot throughout the state of Texas, but not this many on a single piece of property. Contact Mitch Lockwood, Whitetail Deer Program Leader for his advice. You can reach him at 830-792-9677.

Oh, it isn't from Aflatoxin in corn...it's a genetic abnormality.

It is definitely worrying all of us as to the quality of deer that we will be seeing over the next few years. The GW has been notified. After doing some extensive research, and with advice from my buddies, I think that it is most likely being caused by bad corn (aflitoxin). But, we are just speculating at this point. I personally watched a very nice 8 point in complete velvet and a fork horn that followed every step of the 8, at my stand last weekend. But, we do have nice hard horns running all over the ranch.

So, not aflatoxin then. Then I guess I was doing the right thing by telling everyone to take any and all of these guys that we see?

No fee for posting the pics. Just a weekend hunt at take care of someof those bad deer. J/K Big_Country glad to help.

Had the same issue last season. Killed what appeared to be a spike on Thanksgiving day. Actually had one long spike on right side and 3 points on opposite, but was also still in velvet. Our lease is on HWY 16 about 2 miles south of Llano High school. Haven't seen any of the same so far this season, but there has been lots of nice mature bucks around. Hopefully we can figure something out before Llano county is taken over by this genetic deformity.

Somebody really needs to find out why so many bucks are getting castrated. Cactus thorns and fences are usually are the primary culprit.

What is a “cactus” buck? Every year, we see pictures of deer that have bizarre, velvet-covered antlers that have a mass of knobby points and abnormally heavy bases. These are the type of deer usually known as cactus bucks. There has been a great deal of research done on what causes a deer to grow such an uncontrollable glob of velvet and I believe you’ll find the results interesting.

Velvet is an extension of skin that covers the growing antlers. Throughout the growing period, blood carries nutrients to the antlers via the velvet. Mineralization of antlers and a decrease of blood supply due to rising testosterone levels trigger velvet shedding. Testosterone is the hormone that dominates antler growth. In several studies, testosterone was artificially injected into deer during the antler-growing stage. The bucks reacted to the testosterone by shedding the velvet from the antlers before the blood supply had stopped. Have you ever noticed the last bucks to shed their velvet are the yearling bucks and the regressed old-aged bucks? Now you know why, they produce less testosterone than bucks in their prime.

So what do testosterone levels have to do with cactus bucks? Well, everything.

In most cactus buck documentations, a buck had the misfortune to turn “himself” into an “it.” The buck’s testes, the major testosterone producer, may have been left on a barbwire fence line or seriously injured in any number of ways. These castrations continuously result in “cactus” formation antlers with permanent velvet.

The effect of castration on antler development varies, depending on the age class of the deer and the stage of antler growth when the castration occurs. If a young fawn is castrated within the first few months, that deer will not develop pedicles and therefore never develop antlers. Older fawns that have been castrated have been documented of growing a permanent, small, knob-like mass of velvet. If an adult buck is castrated during antler growth and in the velvet, the lack of testosterone allows the velvet antlers to continue growing, omitting the velvet shedding stage and total ossification of antler. These antlers may go on growing for a long period of time creating large cactus racks. These antlers will not shed in the spring. However, it has been reported that in freezing climates the moisture enveloped inside these velvet-covered antlers freezes and parts of the antlers break off. I believe this is why we see so many large cactus bucks in mild weather areas. The antlers are able to continue growing and growing without breaking. Arizona, Southern Utah, and New Mexico are prime examples of mild winter range country and large cactus bucks. A buck with fully-developed, hard antlers that is castrated will shed his antlers soon after the occurrence. With little or no testosterone, the buck takes part in the same shed antler cycle as an intact buck but in a quicker period of time. The low testosterone levels retard protein transfer and assists in erosion between the antler and pedicel. The castrated buck’s antlers will drop within a few weeks. The following year the buck may produce another set of antlers that will remain velvet-covered and permanent. It has been reported in Columbian blacktails, that old-aged bucks that were castrated shed their antlers and never developed another set of antlers.

Many deer are thought to be cactus bucks until closer examination. The unique cactus feature can also be found on another strange deer phenomenon. The potential for antler development may also occur in female deer. Many of these females are still fertile and have been observed lactating with offspring. The antlers are formed by short-term increases of growth hormones. Usually these antlered females cannot produce testosterone to complete the antler cycle, as a result, the antlers remain soft and often permanent, similar to a cactus buck’s antlers. It doesn’t take much to put some antlers on a female’s head, one minuscule dose of testosterone is sufficient to stimulate the growth of a pedicle. Other female deer have grown antlers if their ovarian functions are chemically disabled. Have you ever had a run in with an antlered doe? Send a reply and give me a heads up. Biologists know little about deer that are afflicted with this condition.

I want to thank you guys for your input. And a special thanks to wes70, for posting the pics!!!! Come on down to the ranch anytime, and help me lay the smack down on these aliens!!!!!

From a biologist friend of mine I sent the link to:

"I've seen several very similar deer that have been killed by hunters.

This usually the result of either a testical injury, or involves deer that were born without testicals or testicals that never "dropped" and therefore did not operate correctly.

All of these involve an interuption or absence of testosterone production in the animal. This is what causes the antlers to stop growing and harden in normal bucks.

They are often referred to as "cactus bucks" due to the appearance of the rack and the non-typical points that are produced.

It would be unsual to have that many on a single property, and can't think of an expaination other than a genetic one."

Could it have anything to do with overpopulation? Normally gene defects show up in high density populations.

That looks so very weird!

tell you what, I will meet ya at big johns and we can discuss!

You MAY have had a mild outbreak of the EHD virus. Bucks that are afflicted that survive can be sterile due to hemmoraging in the testes. The vector is a biting fly called a midge, and there is little you can do outside of a controlled environment to address it.

IF it was EHD - you should be pleased with a few extra cactus bucks compared to a noticeable die-off.

Big country,
Did you get my email?

Looks like stags to me! It could be something the bucks are eating even. Get in touch with your TP&W technical guidance bioligist for your area for their input.

I think other than the lack of breeding age bucks in a few years it would be a good deal to let some of the bigger ones grow to an old age and see what they turn out like.I have a friend that had a small 2acre breeder pen and weened his bucks too early one year and they tried to suckle each other causing this type of out break due to ruptures and tears in the testicles as they were growing.

Could be you just have "GAY DEER" (smiley goes here)