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I don't know if they're newly forming or left over from last year?

Plinker

This is a 1.5 year old moose with very small antler.

Plinker603 those are newly forming antlers. Notice that he still has that baby or doe look to him. When he gets a set, his brow will thicken.

I agree with KentuckyMountainMan that it looks like a yearling buck, sometimes called a "button buck". I would think that they are newly formed and probably will look the same (a little point might protrude) until he sprouts his first set of antlers, I might be wrong though. Thanks for the picture-Ron

Yeah, i know it's a young deer. All the pictures i get are of young deer. Just didn't know if it was new buttons or old buttons. I've been feeding the deer grain all winter and have mineral supplements out for them. Helping them through the winter, there was hardly any acorns last fall. They're leaving the feed alone now, though. Everything is greening up and they like natural browse the best. I can't wait till the fawns are born to get some pictures!

Plinker

Clearly a young buck. Our buck fawns all have knots on their heads--no bare antler protruding through, although should they be an early born fawn, they might have bare antlers like in the photo.

I got a funny pic the last trip to the ranch. Saw two deer at the end of the road (200 yds+) and put the glasses on them and saw a doe and fawn. The fawn was trying to nurse, and the doe kept kicking him away. After a couple of kicks, he moved around behind her and sniffed her behind, then mounted her--and only about half her size. This happened several times and as I watched, I saw antlers coming through the cactus on her downwind side. I grabbed the rifle and got ready, then a young 4-pt popped out of the cactus and I watched him chase her around the blind for the next 3 hours.

Guess the doe/fawn episode would confirm an "Oedipus Complex" among whitetail?

This sure looks like the antlers of a male that may not have had the correct compliment of hormones for antler growth. It takes more than testosterone - a whole host of different hormones - to pull off a normal antler cycle. If this was a yearling male and not a calf then it is probably just one of those anomolies in the antler world. My new book has a whole chapter on antler developement and abnormalities incorporating the latest research. It is simply the best discussion of antlers in print.

JIM
www.deernut.com

I spend hours watching the bucks, does, and fawns on the ranch where I hunt. About 40-50% of the fawns are young bucks--and they all have knots on their heads. By January/February the older buck fawns born early have bare, bony antlers--if you call a 3/4" "bump" an antler.