On the way home from work yesterday, I saw 2 deer feeding in a thicket about 150 yards from the back country road. I stopped and glassed them. Turns out that one was a doe, one was a buck (small deer - 1 1/2 year old) with one antler gone and the other was a full-racked 8 point that I would guess by body size to be a 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 year old.

I think this is the latest that I have seen a racked deer in West/Central Pennsylvania. I once saw a small spike on Valentines Day, but never saw a buck with decent antlers in February.

I've seen deer lose their antlers as early as late November or early December. Does anyone know why there is such a long period of time over which the antlers can be shed?

I am not a biologist but I think I have read a lot of it depends on the health of the deer and amount of nutrition he is getting.

I once saw a full antlered buck chasing a doe in APRIL.

Some are are still sporting head gear here in N.J. I've seen some as late as the end of March on my trail camera.

The smaller deer like spikes hold theirs longer because the more loving a buck does the sooner he sheds !! I don't know the other variables.

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh51/bja105/feb22008057.jpg

These two had lost their antlers by last week.
Not exactly pertinent to a discussion of buck with antlers, but it gives me an excuse to post pics from my new camera!