School me on antler development

[Bazo]

This is stemming from a thread yesterday about this years fawns with spikes.

My question is, do the fawns with spikes like mine that are in what appears to be velvet going to shed those in a few months? Or will they continue to grow as spikes and then shed them next season?

This is something I have never thought about until I saw that thread yesterday and it has me wondering.

[TX_Hoghunter]

They will shed the velvet here shortly if they have not do already. Probably points to it being a late born fawn. Which is my biggest argument against shooting spikes. You have no clue if they were born early or late. A fawn born late to a yearly doe might be a spike in his first year but genetically be a monster.....

-john

[Bazo]

These guys were born some time in early summer. I don't exactly remember when they first started showing up on camera. What defines and early born fawn to a late born one?

[Dudley]

If the buck fawn is born early and has spikes that are actually covered in velvet, he will shed the velvet and have hard horns this fall, just like any other buck. If it is not velvet, but skin that covers those "bumps" on his head, there will be nothing to shed until he grows his first set of horns next year. Often, fawns born early produce small spike antlers their first year, while it is rare for buck fawns who are born later in the summer to produce anything more than a skin covered bump.

[Bazo]

If the buck fawn is born early and has spikes that are actually covered in velvet, he will shed the velvet and have hard horns this fall, just like any other buck. If it is not velvet, but skin that covers those "bumps" on his head, there will be nothing to shed until he grows his first set of horns next year. Often, fawns born early produce small spike antlers their first year, while it is rare for buck fawns who are born later in the summer to produce anything more than a skin covered bump.

Gotcha, now I understand.

So even though they are still in velvet at the moment they will still get hard horn before long.