Horn color

[20ftupatree]

I was talking with a guy and he was telling me the bucks he's seeing have really dark horns, almost brown. Anyone know what causes this? Food maybe?

[20ftupatree]

I guess the question is what makes some darker than others? Any guesses, thoughts??

[biggamefish]

I would think the amount of rubbing on trees. Just a guess though

[nycoyotehounds..BUB]

how much and type of trees being rubbed

[solon]

Factors that Determine Antler Color and Symmetry    Genetics - antler symmetry is determined almost entirely by genetic makeup. 

Oxidized blood/local plants - antler color  depends partly on the amount of oxidized blood left over from velvet  shedding and partly on a chemical reaction between the blood and sap  from plants on which the antlers are rubbed. 

found this on the web...

[biggamefish]

Thanks for the info

[NYDeer]

how much and type of trees being rubbed

+1

I noticed deer in areas with heavy pines/evergreens have darker colored racks..

[Geno C]

i heard its what they feed on but im not sure if i beleive that... genetics probobly...

[gundeck]

Have you ever seen what pine tar does to the grip on a bat?  I imagine the trees they rub would be a significant factor.

[Landowner]

A few years ago I saw a monster of a buck, I was hunting on the edge of a big swamp. He had chocholate antlers they were great looking. I only seen him one time. I wished I had him on my wall.

[Doc]

I always thought it was from the trees being rubbed. But then, how would the color wind up so uniform. If antler color was the result of some applied substance, wouldn't the color be blotchy or more built up in some parts of the antlers than others? What I have noticed is that dark colored antlers are of uniform coloration.

Doc

[20ftupatree]

I always thought it was from the trees being rubbed. But then, how would the color wind up so uniform. If antler color was the result of some applied substance, wouldn't the color be blotchy or more built up in some parts of the antlers than others? What I have noticed is that dark colored antlers are of uniform coloration.

Doc

That was my thoughts on it. After hearing the ideas posted here I got to thinking about that baseball bat and I wondered why then is the WHOLE antler darker, The buck would only be rubbing a certain portion of the antler most of the time I mean yes it all probably comes in contact but there would be one certain part of the antler that would be darker than the rest and other parts that are virtually untouched, I mean they can't possibly rub every square inch of a rack, think about the underside of the tines and in the crotches.

[nyantler]

Its is a mixture of the velvet and the type of tree that the buck is rubbing... normally hardwoods creat a yellowish orange color .. and softwoods like cedar and suck create the chocolate color because of the heavier sap in softwood trees.. the color of the dried blood from the velvet can add to collor tones as well during the rubbing process.

[nyantler]

Oh yeah and believe it or not the amount of sunlight that a deer is exposed to can have an affect on the color as well

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Oh yeah and believe it or not the amount of sunlight that a deer is exposed to can have an affect on the color as well

never thought abou that...bleached blonde bucks...lol.

Makes sense though.

[whitetailfreak]

It must be what they eat and some genetics most of the saskatchean deer have the chocolate horns that I've seen on tv of course almost never white

[nyantler]

The bleached blonde ones are the best cause you can see those racks gleeming from a long ways away...

[bubba]

My rack from this year is quite dark at the base and the further you go to the tips, the lighten up. Here is a pic

[biggamefish]

  That is pretty light to some of the ones I hsve seen.  Putting some thought into it the different areas I hunt have different shades of antlers.  That being said I would think it has something to do with food and resources.

[HounderEmily]

randome thoughts on the subject:

Just looking at bubba's pic, the rougher parts are darker.  looks like blood remnants from the velvet near the base.  The smoother parts higher up are rubbed cleaner. 

Antler sheds left in the woods for years are usually light in my experience.  

[WNYBuckHunter]

The rack on the buck I have mounted looks very similar to Bubba's deer. Dark on the bases and light up at the tips. All of the bucks in my area look like that as well.

[Isles323]

Is most of the abrasion to the antlers taken by the tips of the antlers, with less abrasion as you get closer to the skull?

[bubba]

the color is nice, but he tastes better than he looks.

[nyantler]

Actually bucks rarely get to rubbing the tips that hard.. most of the heavy rubbing is near the base.. you can even see remnants of bark left on the burrs sometimes.. the tips are quite light color right after the velvet falls off...

[Isles323]

Yeah, but why are the tips so much smoother than the base?