I was antlered yesterday

Yesterday I was out at Barbara's with Aaron walking the deer trails and looking for shed antlers. Much to my amazement, I actually found one.


No, it is not for sale for $5.00. The legal tender is merely a visual scale reference.

Diane stayed with us this weekend, and she needed an explanation for how I happened across an antler on the ground when it should be stuck to a deer's head. So here is a little information on antlers.

Antlers are often mistaken as horns. Horns (think bighorn sheep) are permanent and grow larger throughout the animal's lifetime. Antlers are grown each year and are shed each winter. The deer family are the only species in the world that grow antlers. In look and feel, antlers are very similar to bone. They grow from March until September (growth is triggered by the increase of sunlight in the spring), and deer shed them in January and February. Each year they typically grow bigger until a deer is 4 or 5 years old. Their purpose is mainly for fighting other male deer...the winner of the fight gets to breed with the girls.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.