Bot Fly holes, one in each main beam.

[nycredneck]

Shot this deer this year and did some research on the holes I found. Turns out they are made by Bot Flies which are inside the deer and work their way into the antler during the velvet stage because of greater blood flow and I suspect an easy exit once larvae hatch. When they do hatch they leave holes which are very cool looking.

 

[nycredneck]

I originally thought the flies laid eggs on the velvet antler and then they worked their way inside but I was corrected by someone on another forum.

They are way cool no mater.

[ants]

I have a couple racks like that. The holes aren't as pronounced. I always wondered what caused them

[turkeyfeathers]

Neat !! Thanks for the lesson .Never saw this nor would ever know what they were.

[Dom]

That's some good information thanks for sharing.Do the holes go through the length of the antler?

[nycredneck]

Nope, just a 1/4" or so, I will put something in there and clean them out once I'm finished with the DIY Euro mount I'm trying. So far so good, well good enough to hang in the shed anyway. 

[stoneam2006]

Cool info

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[wildcat junkie]

I have a couple of racks with bot fly holes. I too thought they laid the eggs in the velvet, but yes they are intestinal in origin.

 

I googled "botfly holes in antlers" & found THIS ARTICLE.

Edited January 12, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[Rockspek]

Mine had a little hole in one side but not like yours.  Those are really pronounced.  Pretty cool.

[nycredneck]

Yes wildcat, that's the article I was directed to as well.

If you really want to see some gross Botfly stuff just do a Youtube search for botflies in deer, mice, rabbits AND humans.

The video on Roe deer with a very common nasal infestation was incredible, the guy was doing a Euro and pulled out at least a dozen. Seems in female as well as male deer they like to go into the nasal cavity .

Edited January 12, 2016 by nycredneck

[wildcat junkie]

Yes wildcat, that's the article I was directed to as well.

If you really want to see some gross Botfly stuff just do a Youtube search for botflies in deer, mice, rabbits AND humans.

 

I can remember cottontails with "warbles" when I was very young in the mid '50s.

 

Later, when I was hunting squirrels in S. Indiana in the '80s & '90s I saw a few grays with them, but never any fox squirrels.

 

That is what made me believe that the tougher hide of the fox squirrels kept the flies from burrowing "in" when the opposite might have been the case with the larvae burrowing "out"..

In all those cases, one could see a gray grub like worm. I still skinned the grays & found no evidence of the grubs in the meat, just the skin.

Edited January 12, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[letinmfly]

I killed a buck with a similar hole on his right main beam a few years back.  It makes for added character!!

[Geno C]

I got this one on trail cam this season, he had a big one on his left side. was after him all season

 

[Tacti_Steve]

My hound had a bot fly on him a few years ago. Luckily I caught it quick. Nasty things! Interesting that they end up in the antler. The one my dog had was sticking out of his shoulder as it was eating him. You can't just rip them out. I had to put super glue on it so that it suffocated and let go. Then I could remove it. Still left a hole about that big around and 1/4" deep in his shoulder. I think it had only been in there 2 days tops.  

[BizCT]

Interesting topic. Always wondered about those holes. My Dad has a few whitetails with them as well.

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[LET EM GROW]

That is crazy how they come "out" of the deer and through the antler during velvet. I also thought the fly just burrowed "in" to the antler during summer... neat. Have a couple racks with them as well.

[nycredneck]

Since it’s cold as all heck outside I’m bringing back an old post in the hope that some are staying inside and might find it interesting.

[WNYTRPR]

Love the hole look in antlers.cool stuff

 

[wolc123]

I like the bot-fly holes, because they give a typical rack just the right amount of “character”.  I find most non-typicals somewhat grotesque.  Super-symmetric typicals (like the little split-brow 10 on the right of the holey-9) look fake.   

[boo711]

On 1/11/2016 at 6:25 PM, nycredneck said:

Shot this deer this year and did some research on the holes I found. Turns out they are made by Bot Flies which are inside the deer and work their way into the antler during the velvet stage because of greater blood flow and I suspect an easy exit once larvae hatch. When they do hatch they leave holes which are very cool looking.

 

Got an 8 point with the bow in 2020 that had one on the right side antler beam. My brother got a buck a few years prior that had one. Up until then had never seen one