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A Mule Deer's Antlers

© B. J. Barton

Five mule deer bucks stepped cautiously out of the shelter of the forest at the end of Upper Beaver Meadow, taking in the open valley below them with eyes, ears, and noses. It was September, and each of them was crowned with a full rack of antlers. Four pairs of antlers were still covered with the velvety covering that protected and nourished them as they grew, but the antlers of one buck were partly uncovered, with shreds of velvet hanging in loose tatters.

When they were satisfied that the big open space held no unwelcome surprises, they trotted down to the winding stream that ran through the middle of the meadow. Willows lined the stream and they began to browse the willow leaves, but the buck with half-polished antlers went directly to work rubbing his antlers against the branches. He worked at it very hard, thrusting his head forward into the shrub so all of the antlers were rubbing against willow switches - up and down, side to side. I watched through binoculars from my car at the edge of the meadow. I could imagine that he was scratching some seriously itchy spots. Even from this distance, the antlers looked a bit red and raw. I had never seen a buck cleaning his antlers before and I was delighted at the opportunity.

Mule deer (Odocoilius hemionus) are westerners, ranging over most of the western half of the United States and up into the Southern Yukon in Canada. They are medium sized members of the deer family. Their coats are reddish-brown above in summer, grayish-brown above in winter. Under bellies are cream to tan. Legs, rump patch, and insides of ears are white. Those ears are large - like mule's ears - and are usually turning restlessly to pick up sounds. Their excellent hearing is a distinct advantage among the forest trees where they can't see very far. The tail of a mule deer is white with a black tip.

Antlers grow from two separate stalks that fork to several tines in mature bucks, and are large and impressive when a buck is in his prime. However, huge old bucks may have regressed antlers with long spikes and wavy forks. Because of their large body size at that age, they can still dominate the younger males with large healthy antlers and can drive them away from breeding does.

Mule deer bucks actually do a lot more sparring with their antlers than they do fighting, especially in the period after they remove the velvet and before the does are ready for breeding. In his book, Mule Deer Country, Dr. Valerius Geist writes, "It's a sporting game and a means of forming bonds of 'friendship' between bucks. Bucks on 'sparring terms' are friends, and the smaller sparring partner makes use of his friendship with the bigger partner to insult and displace other bigger bucks - with his bigger friends help."