Hi Guys,
Here are some photos of a weird forkhorn buck that I killed the other day with my muzzleloader. I had been hunting for five straight days with nothing coming in except does with fawns and very young deer. After fighting the heat and humidity plus the mosquitos for four days, I was ready to quit and come back after it cooled off. Finally on the fifth day it cooled just a bit and a nice breeze came up so I decided to hunt until full darkness set in.

I was only wanting to shoot a deer for the freezer so when this guy showed up late in the evening, I shot him. At the time I didn't even notice his offside antler, or if I did, I didn't recognize it as an antler. I didn't see it till I walked up to him. I have heard that when deer form these types of wild antler growth that it is because they have had a testicle injured, but this guy was fine in that department with both testicles fully intact.

I don't know what caused this but it is really strange to walk up on what you thought was just a forkhorn meat deer and find something like this. I am currently cleaning up the antler and skull for a European type mount. There was some rotten velvet left on the strange antler and it stunk to high heavens but I have gotten most of it off. I have to be very careful with it though, because in places the tips of the antler are still somewhat soft and it can be hard to tell if I am taking off just velvet or getting some of the antler tip as well. Some of the antler is porous without a hard covering.
Bob

The elephant buck.

Dang strange!

Interesting deer, have you shown it to a biologist yet?

Mark,
A guy who posts on Nitro Express showed them to his son who is a wildlife biologist. He said it was caused when the buck injured his horn while in the velvet stage.

Biting flies can also make it worse or be the cause of it. This is the second weirdest deer I have shot over the years. I am going to post some pictures of a doe I shot back in 2007 for all who are interested.

We were told later that this condition that caused her to grow this wart-like appendage on her head was caused by biting midges. They are found in stagnant water puddles and the deer are more apt to get bit during dry hot years.
Bob

DANG: Do you hunt Oak Ridge or Aera 51? Those are strange looking for sure.
Aaron

WOW. Never seen anything like it.

Were those deer shot in "Area 51"? I think they're a product of military experimentation. LOL
Zeke

Google Perruque Deer. In the U.K we see a few like this every year in our sporting press. A good taxidermist should know how to preserve a perruque head (and eliminate the smell).

About 15 years ago, I shot something similar. It was just a knobby mess. I would really like to know how this happens. Mine was later in the year and was totally hard. I left the skull when I sold the camp. I wish I still had it.

Here are a couple of picture of the same buck after I cleaned up the skull. I think it turned out pretty well considering that this is the first time I ever tried to do one this way. I will make up a walnut plaque to mount it on eventually. Much of the additional bone mass is not covered by hard antler covering but is porous on the outside. Bob

When deer have reached their prime, they go downhill and many will spike out again but the spikes are large and often deformed as pictured here..

Also when a deer is wounded and survives he has used all his protein and vitamins to heal the wounded area, and in many cases his depleted body must then repair itself and the horns don't get enough blood...

If you will notice a deer shot in the left leg and healed up and haired over, will show a abnormal grouth in his right horn and visa versa, this is said to be the nutrician going to the wound and not to the horn on the opposite side..I have found this to be true in every case and several vets have told me this it true.

Why the opposite side? I don't really know but I do know that when you teach a horse to turn right you are using the left side of his brain and visa versa, so maybe that has something to do with the above?? makes since to me sorta!!.

Strange stuff for sure.
Looks like you did them both a big favor by killing them, especially that doe. Maybe the buck would have shed that mess. Does look like it's above the bud.

Very educational, and Ray, thanks for adding that bit of extra.

George

I've shot two in my lifetime and seen two more. My Father in Law was an old sheepherder. He told me that anytime a herder found a buck fawn or one caught in a fence that they would castrate them because they are so good to eat when they are "steers". Both of Mine were without nuts one of the others was also and the second had only one. On the opposite side. They are weird but boy they grow big and eat very well.

Weird horns usually mean damage to one side then the other side has weird horns .Strange things also may be caused by hormone problems .