When you have a whitetail deer you mostly wait for its antlers to grow, even more than its body growth. Do you know that antler growth also has a specific pace? You can understand it better if you go through the whitetail deer antler growth chart by month.
The antler’s growth depends on many things like the season, deer’s age, and other factors. For example, the antlers grow faster in the summer and decrease in the late summer. Moreover, the yearlings may have less antler growth than adults.
So, are you interested in wanting to know more about the monthly growth of these deer antlers? Well, we got it all covered. Stick till the end to find out.
Whitetail Deer Antler Growth Chart by Month
As mentioned before, whitetail deer antler growth depends much on seasons. The antler growth explodes during June and July, and it stops after the summer is gone. Moreover, the growth is not the same in different-aged deer. Let’s take the little ones and see their growth chart each month.
| Month | Antler Growth |
| April | Brow tines and 1-2 inches of antler are grown during this month. |
| May | The antler beams are all visible within the end. |
| June | Antler’s growth suddenly increases a lot, and its beam achieves half of its growth. |
| July | The deer antler growth becomes the highest and they reach their peak growth. |
| August | Antler growth suddenly decreases in August and it goes towards the ceasing the process. |
| September | The time for deer to shed velvet as the growth stops. |
April
When it’s a buck, it will not have antlers in the beginning and will eventually start growing. The antlers usually start growing from the last week of March or the first week of April. This is when you can visibly and visually see the antlers peeking out and beginning to grow.
May
You can observe the antlers’ growth weekly in this month. You will find all the G2 spots and antler beams will reach a good growth pace at this point. The antler beam growth will be 3-4 inches per week to reach half of its growth in this stage, and all the possible portions will be visible.
June
The antler growth suddenly increases a lot and the parts from the bottom up and grow mostly in this month. The main beam, and framework grow to its full potential in this month and take up the basic structure of the antlers. So, the deer antlers won’t look unfinished or incomplete by the end of June.
July
If someone asks, what month do deer antlers grow the most, it will be the month July. Because the antler growth rate is the highest in this month. The antlers may grow an inch daily during this month which leads towards great growth.
August
The growth starts to cease in this month because the antlers have already reached their peak for the season. If the growth remains slightly incomplete in July, the formation will complete by August.
Thus, the blood circulation will start decreasing and the hardening process will begin. By the end of August, the velvet-shedding process may start.
September
What month do deer antlers stop growing? It’s the month of September because the summer has already passed and it’s time for velvet shedding. Most of the velvet gets removed within the first two weeks of September, and by the month’s end, you will find the hard antlers showing up.
So, the month-by-month growth chart is easy to understand if you watch some photos of whitetail deer antler growth previously taken. But you may think why the other months of the year are not mentioned here.
The reason is – the deer antlers don’t keep growing all the time. It stops during the autumn, and some people even ask to do deer antlers keep growing each year or not. The answer depends on how old the whitetail deer is because the seasonal growth is normal among deer of 3-4 years.
What Makes the Deer Antlers Grow Huge?
Now you may ask what makes deer antlers grow bigger or which factors have effects on the growth. Well, these factors are quite common and they actually have effects on each animal’s growth. Let’s have a look:
- Nutrition
- Age
- Genetics
- Disease
1. Nutrition
Nutrition is the first thing that affects a deer’s antler growth because it contributes to body formation. If a deer gets enough protein-rich foods, nearly 20% daily, can lead to having healthy antlers.
On the other hand, antler growth may be delayed due to a lack of nutrients. So, the amount of food and nutrients the deer gets helps a lot in the formation of its antler.
2. Age
Age is another factor in the antler’s growth because it stops after the deer reaches a certain age. For example, the buck gains 10% of his total, big antler during the first year and 25% within the second. The antler may not grow after the deer turns 6 years old. So, age is definitely a factor for antler growth in deer.
3. Genetics
All mammals get DNA and genes from both of its parents, and white till deer is not different. So, how fast the antlers will grow or how much the growth will depend on the genetics that the deer carries.
If a deer carries less growth genes and such hormones, the antler won’t be as majestic. No matter how much you try, you can’t overcome and go beyond genetics.
4. Disease
There are many infections that can occur in deer, and some germs or diseases can hinder its overall growth. So, some diseases affect the optimum growth of deer antlers, and that’s why you should try to keep the deer around you healthy.
Bottom Line
Knowing about the whitetail deer antler growth chart by month, you can draw the conclusion that the growth and the antlers, overall are the most majestic feature of it. Thus, you will have an idea about the antler’s growth and what to expect over time.
Once you know the factors and what month deer grow their antlers, you can easily take the necessary actions needed to ensure healthy growth. Thus, there will be no problems in the antler’s growth and you can achieve your goals.