MDWFP explains Mississippi deer antler cycle and Velvet Buck Season

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks explained the annual antler cycle of a buck and described how the timing of the state’s Velvet Buck Season relates to antler development.

In late winter and early spring, changing daylight reduces a buck’s testosterone levels. The drop causes the base of the antlers to erode, eventually leading the old antlers to fall off. New antlers begin growing soon afterward as living tissue covered in velvet, with blood vessels and nerves.

Antler growth slows in late summer and eventually stops. As testosterone levels rise, the antlers enter a hardening phase. After about a month, the velvet begins to die as its blood supply is cut off, causing the buck to rub it away, typically against saplings and limbs. The shedding process usually takes only a few hours.

The department said the Velvet Buck Season is timed for the period when most bucks in Mississippi have stopped antler growth and are undergoing the hardening process. It also said it hoped participants in the season the previous weekend enjoyed it. Photos were credited to Rick Small.

Source: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.