During the summer I've been documenting the development of a yearling buck's first set of antlers. It was easy to identify this young buck due to a notch on his right ear. As a deer's antlers develop a soft, furry skin, known as velvet, supplies oxygen and nutrients for the antler growth. Here's a photo of the velvet covered antlers from late August.
In late summer/early autumn the blood flow to the velvet stops and causes the velvet to dry and start to peel away. This photo show the velvet cracking and starting to shed.
A day later and all the velvet was shed and the new antlers revealed. This buck has also shed his reddish summer coat and now has his dark brown winter coat.
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