The deer antler velvet shedding is one of the most magical things. While it is mesmerizing, the concept of the velvet layer is much more practical than it appears. Ample people think it’s a waterproof shield, but it’s not. Let us tell you about antler-shedding velvet.
Deer velvet shedding is a soft, velvety layer covering male deer antlers between March and April every year. The blood vessels and nerves gathered, which appear as the velvet layer, can protect the antlers and make them strong underneath. This process allows reaching their full potential so the male deer can use them during the rutting season.
So, there are many things that you must know about before and after deer shedding velvet. Binge till the end to find out more about them.
Table of Contents
- What Is Deer Velvet Shedding?
- How Deer Shedding His Velvet
- Why Do Deers Need Velvet on Their Antlers?
- Is Antler Velvet Used in Medicine?
- FAQs
- Bottom Line
What Is Deer Velvet Shedding?
The deer velvet must shed a soft layer to reveal the new and robust antlers at some point. It’s the most miraculous sign of nature as the dense blood bursts. The velvety layer falls in reddish rags and spreads around the deer’s rack of antlers.
Here we have mentioned some mandatory information about buck velvet shedding that you must know.
Growth of The Velvet Layer
Buck doesn’t have any control over the growth of their antlers. It entirely depends on the nature of synchronization. But, they can rely on daylight across the seasons to produce blood vessels to create velvet shedding around the antlers.
During the summer or spring season, there is much daylight available that helps to grow the male’s neck muscles and antlers. Sunlight triggers male deer hormones and increases testosterone, eventually allowing antlers to grow.
Feeding Nutrients For Antlers Growth
Deer need nutritious food to grow their antlers. Healthy food can develop a good flow of blood and balance hormones that helps to develop velvety substance around antlers.
Food can directly contribute to the length of antlers. It depends on how much healthy food trees intake, especially during the spring and summer. Also, adding sweet feed for deer can be beneficial for growing velvet layers around antlers to make them robust.
Velvet Layer Shedding
Reindeer velvet shedding ends around the middle of October. The velvety layer keeps the antlers safe and sound until they reach their full potential. Also, stags start preparing to encounter their rivals to attract female deer long before the rutting season.
Before the final stages of the buck velvet shed, the deer embarks to display rutting behavior. During the peak of summer, the blood flow breaks off from the antlers, and the velvet layer gets hardened.
When the antler velvet layer starts to peel off, it appears as a bloody strip hanging from the brand-new antlers. Most deer will scratch their antlers on trees or bite off the hanging material if it’s within reachable distance.
Velvet Layers Indicate Battle
The deers live in harmony with each other when they have velvet antlers. But it all ends when the rutting season comes, and the deers compete against each other.
Although in the summer season, when antlers are covered with a velvet layer, there is an existence of dominance.
And there is a possibility of slight brawl between them. For instance, using rival postures, bumping heads, and pawing to claim themselves. And this micro wrestle can risk the safety of velvet shields, which is why most deer embark on shedding early and late September. Once the shedding is done, all bets are off.
Bachelor Herds
Bucks will become friends when the antlers are covered in velvet during the summer. The male deer gang will graze for food together and sleep near one another. This is until the rutting season hit, and their friendship vanished.
How Deer Shedding His Velvet
Why Do Deers Need Velvet on Their Antlers?
The velvet layer provides nourishment and oxygen essential for antlers’ growth. The velvety coating helps them grow robust and extensive antlers underneath. The deer antlers are the fastest-growing tissue among other animals because of the velvet shedding.
Velvet is fundamental for the deer to develop their antler. The deer need to grow strong antlers to protect themselves from danger. Here are several reasons why velvet substance is so important.
Growth Of Antler
This velvet layer is essential for the growth of buck antlers. The brain and liver produce a hormone that helps to grow the deer’s body and antler.
Nutritious food is vital so the blood vessels can produce those hormones. The sweet feed for deer is essential for reindeer shedding velvet. So, the liver can regulate chemicals to boost the growth of antlers.
Sensory Alarm for Danger
Stag’s velvet antlers can alert them of danger. The velvet layer can send a sensory alarm if antlers brush against anything. Deer need these sensory alerts to protect the fragile and vulnerable antlers from damage when they begin to grow.
In addition, the antlers might get cut because there is a blood vessel in the antlers, and they could bleed to death. The fibers around the antler indicate the deer when their antler is exposed or put in danger.
Attracts Female Deers
The velvet is vital for the growth of the antler to attract female deer for mating season. Stags will compete with other male deer to win the heart of their female partners for mating rights.
The mating season starts from late September to December. Moreover, the male deer will hit puberty at around one year of age and grow their first antlers.
Claiming their Status
You can identify the deer’s age by counting the yearly growth rings on the antlers. However, many believe that the antlers’ points and size reveal their age. But it’s ultimately false because they don’t show the deer’s age.
Additionally, the crown head makes the deer the king of the forest. And velvet layer plays a significant role in getting their hierarchy.
Is Antler Velvet Used in Medicine?
The deer velvet antler is used in various medical procedures. Buck Velvet has been used for medicines for centuries, and most ancient people relied on fallen velvet to treat the disease.
Moreover, in China and England, researchers have shown that deer velvet antlers have proteins and other substances that can cure various diseases. Here we have mentioned some conditions that can be treated using stags velvet.
The Desire For Intimidation
China creates a powder form of this velvet layer used as a sexual tonic. Now, it has been used in many western countries. The powder in most western countries is available and labeled as ageneral tonic.
However, early research states that taking deer velvet powder medicines can improve sexual function. However, there are no side effects reported of this medication on humans.
Wounds And Injury Recovery
A study of New Zealand research indicates that deer velvet can promote the growth of new blood vessels. This can help to accelerate wounds and heal major surgery injuries effortlessly.
Mainly the deer velvet is used in medicines to treat Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis for better and speedy results.
Anti-stress Pills
The whitetail shedding velvet is used in anti-stress pills. It can improve the immune system and blood flow, countering the effects of stress. Also, it can boost strength and steadiness, which helps to control hormones and stress.
Athletic Performance
Many Russian athletes take deer velvet extract to improve their physical health. This is used to maintain strength and improve the aerobic capacity of males going for training. Plus, this substance is effective for the improvement of knee strength.
However, you must take the extract for more than ten weeks. Mainly, Russian athletes used this for a speedy recovery from injuries.
Velvet medication for Females
Deer velvet supplements are safe for females and provide various health benefits. The stag velvet antler is the best food for a woman, with essential amino acids and vitamins.
However, there is no such information on any side effects for new mothers. It is better to avoid it while you are a feeding mother.
Moreover, the velvet antlers medication can take up to thirty to ninety days to work. But, it also relies on your goal. It can take longer to notice the progress of these pills.
FAQs
Why do Deer Rub Velvet off Antlers?
Deer rub the velvet off the antler to shed the velvet layer after it’s entirely dried. It helps them to toughen their neck muscles and establish social and sexual positions. Also, the stag starts to rub its antlers on trees to mark them with its scent.
When do Bucks Shed Their Velvet?
Deer scratch their antlers on trees to shed their velvet, resulting in polished, strong antlers for the breeding season. Most bucks shed their velvet around late August to early September.
The shedding process needs less than an hour or might take around two days. When the growth of the antlers is completed, blood vessels are dried up.
Bottom Line
Lastly, velvet shedding grows naturally on antlers to protect them from breaking while fighting for the hierarchy. Bucks don’t feel any pain during whitetails shedding velvet. Therefore, it is safe to say deer shedding velvet is essential to healthy growth of their antlers.
However, there might be some blood while they scratch their antler as it contains blood vessels. But, it won’t be harmful as the coating protects from breakage and infections.
