Cactus Coues ?

[Couesnut]

I've looked into this FREAK" for years & have posted the ?? on this forum in the past. I believe a TRUE Cactus Coues is extremely rare.( Not so in other spiecies). I saw a pic. posted on here a while back, but not sure if it was one? Or just a past injury.

I know of only three ever killed.

One is a 158" Beast killed by a friend in New Mex. Another is a 105" 2 year old I helped a friend kill in old Mex. And a uncle? of Bullwidgen" killed one but striped the velvet. I have seen kill site pics of it , & talked to him about the buck.

Any body eles have Docs. of this TRUE rareity????

DH

[COUESAZ]

I have never seen one myself Danny. I talked to my friends about this awhile back and they said they have never seen one either.

[SunDevil]

I know of one that was taken this year during the Nov hunt. It was a 5X10. Also, I know of one that was taken in 2002. That one was a typical 3X3 but it had 4 'eye guard' type points coming off from one of it's bases. Those are the only 2 that I know of. CB

[Azlongears]

This is the only one I have heard of. Taken this year in Southern Az.

 

[bullwidgeon]

Yeah my uncles killed one down in Pena Blanca canyon in the good old days on a middle hunt back when you could get 2 tags. It's nads were shriveled up about like raisins. I used to have a picture of it someplace, I will see if I can dig it up and scan it. It was kind of unscorable but I would say it is bigger than the one Littlebear posted. The velvet is stripped and they sawed the skullplate off and put it on a regular horn mount...

 

Bret M.

[deernut]

LittleBear, I'd be interested in the details of that buck you posted. Looks like a possible antlered doe. Any details on what the genitals looked like? Seems to have had a decided lack of Testosterone based on what I see in the picture.

 

Hope I'm not out of line posting this article I wrote on the subject. It appeared in the August 2005 issue of Texas Trophy Hunters Magazine. I devoted a whole chapter (#4) to antlers in "Deer of the Southwest" for anyone who shares my fascination as a fellow 'Bone Head.'

 

 

Cactus Bucks in Cactus Country

 

By Jim Heffelfinger

 

“What science cannot tell us, mankind cannot know.”

 

Philosopher Bertrand Russell must have been thinking of the many mysteries of antler development when he penned those words. There are so many aspects of antler growth that have not been fully explained despite decades of intensive research. As the tips of the antlers grow, how do they know when to split into a tine, how does a buck’s antlers grow the same general shape each year, and where is all this information stored, in the tip or some other central place?

Growing tip is literally the leading edge of antler growth. Antlers grow as mostly a protein-rich cartilage which is then mineralized, or changed to bone. This growth and mineralization is directed by a complicated hormonal system whereby different hormones and compounds rise and fall at various time throughout the annual cycle. Most of these fluctuations occur because of changes in the relative length of day and night cycles. Like everything in nature, things occasionally go wrong and in some cases they go very wrong.

One of the most remarkable antler aberrations is that of animals with antlers still in velvet in the fall and sometimes badly deformed. The worse ones have a multitude of small burrs or projections sticking out in all directions along the length of the antler beam and tines. These bucks have traditionally been referred to as “Cactus Bucks” because the grossly malformed ones look like they have a cactus on top of their head. This condition has been reported for centuries in many different deer species. Except for a few exceptions, it is uncommon, showing up here and there in individual deer in nearly everyplace deer occur.

 

Cactus Buck Clusters

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, biologists in the Central Mineral Region of Texas discovered an incredibly high number of cactus bucks. During that time about 3-9% of the deer were affected. These cactus bucks all suffered from deformed genitalia and “hypogonadism,” a condition characterized by very small testicles (there’s a word I’m sure you can find a use for next year in deer camp). Because of the condition of other associated reproductive tissues, it appears the testes developed normally and subsequently regressed to 1/4 - 1/6 normal size. The bucks were sterile, at least at the time of harvest which was during a period they should have been in reproductive condition. These cactus bucks were also observed to be at the lowest point in the pecking order. Even does dominated them with aggressive behavior.

These concentrations of cactus bucks offer an opportunity to find an underlying cause. Biologists Jack Ward Thomas, Mick Robinson, and Rodney Marburger investigated every potential cause they could think of, but the reason for this cluster of cactus bucks eluded them. They ruled out exposure to the most common diseases and since there was no inflammation of any tissues it did not appear to be disease caused. The locals had observed this condition in previous years, but felt the incidence had increased following years of drought. This hinted that it was related to the deer being in poor condition, but examination of the fat reserves of these cactus bucks revealed they were in much better physical condition than their fully endowed brethren. It was apparently not simply due to a dietary deficiency. One curious relationship was that almost all the cactus bucks were harvested on one soil type: Granite-Gravel. This points, in a vague way, to possibly some plant that may have grown on that soil type after several dry years.

More recently, a related situation has surfaced far away in black-tailed deer on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Some of the same symptoms have presented themselves and the same questions remained. This time local deer enthusiast and hunting guide, Jake Jacobson, took investigations a step further by teaming up with leading antler researcher Dr. George Bubenik and others.

Starting in the 1990s Jacobson noticed an increasing trend in abnormal antlers on one part of Kodiak Island. These deer showed and incomplete growth of points, retention of velvet, malformed antlers, incomplete mineralization, and some antlers were dropping off above the normal antler base. When they examined some of the bucks more closely, they discovered that the bucks with abnormal antlers had testicles that were still located inside the body cavity rather than in a scrotum. They collected samples of blood, muscle tissue and testes from these bucks and catalogued detailed sets of photographs of each. Analysis of the blood showed that testosterone levels were an average of 10 times higher in normal bucks than in the cactus bucks. They were not able to determine the cause of the abnormalities, but the high incidence of cactus bucks continues, as does their research.

Remarkably, we still know very little about the causes of this abnormality. One thing is clear is that it is mostly associated with conditions that cause an interruption of the hormone cycle or possibly the ability of antlers to detect the hormones (hormone receptors). There are several factors potentially related to the growth of perpetual velvet antlers: hormone levels and cycles, endocrine disruptors, genetics, age, injury, disease, and antlered does. One or several of these acting in concert can cause the occurrence of what we call cactus bucks.

 

Hormones

Abnormal or improperly-timed fluctuations of hormones can cause irregular antler cycles or abnormal antler conditions. Young fawns that are castrated before three to four months do not develop pedicles (bases) because they never produce the necessary testosterone levels required for this first step in antler development. Late injections of testosterone will initiate the production of a bony pedicle. A buck that is castrated while in velvet will never lose the velvet from his antlers because he lacks the rapid rise in testosterone that occurs prior to rut. Without the subsequent decrease in testosterone after rut, a castrated buck does not drop his velvet antlers. The buck then continues to grow more antler material in the next antler cycle, never shedding his antlers until he finally carries a grotesque mass of often stunted velvet antlers.

Antler growth is still possible because high levels of testosterone are not needed. Low levels of male hormones (androgens) are produced by other structures besides the epididymis of the testicles (such as the adrenal cortex). These low levels may be enough to grow antler material, but not enough to stimulate the closure of blood vessels to the antler, which completes velvet drying and antler shedding. These latter two processes require a sharp increase and then decrease in the testosterone level.

Bucks that are castrated while in the hardened antler stage will drop their antlers within a few weeks because of the sharply falling testosterone level. Bucks castrated after they drop their hardened antlers, will grow new antlers the next year, but they will never be polished or shed because of the lack of sufficient testosterone levels. In the 1840s, naturalist John J. Audubon (1989) described two castrated whitetail bucks he observed: “Their horns continued to grow for several years; the antlers were of enormous length and very irregularly branched, but the velvet was retained on them....they had become very large and when first seen at a distance we supposed them to be elks.”

 

Genetics

Many odd points and abnormalities are the result of the animal’s genotype, or genetic blueprint. Antler characteristics are inherited from the buck's parents. A nontypical buck will frequently produce a disproportionate number of offspring with nontypical points. Genetically programmed antler abnormalities can be seen year after year in each new set of antlers an individual grows. Palmated antlers, which are “webbed” like a moose, are a good example of a characteristic that is usually genetically inherited in whitetails.

Researchers in Utah observed 14 mule deer bucks in the 1950s that were missing one or both antlers. They felt that this was a genetic abnormality because all bucks came from one localized area. Although many abnormal antler conditions are genetically-based, the grotesque antlers of cactus bucks are probably not genetic in most cases. The exception to this may be cases where a genetic mutation affects the production, transport, or reception (in the velvet antlers) of a hormone. This facet of the cactus buck mystery has not been investigated.

 

Age

Age is a contributing factor in the production of cactus bucks only as it relates to the maintenance of adequate hormone levels. When a buck becomes very old, the complicated orchestra of hormones sometimes begins to break down. Antlers will not grow normally without some hormones at correct levels. With the loss of an adequate spike in pre-rut testosterone, the antlers will stay in velvet and not be shed. This is obviously a hormone issue, but precipitated by the advanced age of the buck.

 

Injury

Obviously castration in the wild is an injury that would clearly produce a cactus buck. Many times people explain cactus bucks by saying they must have been castrated while jumping over a barbed wire fence. This may seem like an obvious explanation (especially for those of us who cross barbed wire fences!), but I have to believe that bucks are more careful than that.

Physical injury or trauma to the velvet antlers or a major skeletal structure can result in antler abnormalities. Nicks and cuts in the velvet antlers can produce points and oddities. Injury to a large skeletal structure such as a broken leg bone often causes a misshapen antler the next year. Injury to the pedicle (base) itself nearly always causes abnormalities. Extensive trauma to the pedicle before growth begins or soon after is the source for many large freakish racks. However, these bucks will lose their velvet as rut approaches, differentiating them from cactus buck.

 

Endocrine Disruptors

There are many different compounds called “endocrine disruptors” that can interrupt the hormone cycle either by reducing the production of hormones or by interfering with the binding of those hormones at receptor sites in the velvet antlers. These can produce symptoms that mimic castration. Endocrine disruptors can come from naturally occurring plants, herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals.

 

One class of hormone-like compounds that have received a lot of attention (for obvious reasons) are phytoestrogens. These are naturally occurring compounds found in many kinds of plants that are very similar to estrogen. They are a defense mechanism produced by the plant to reduce predation by large herbivores like deer. Unfortunately we do not know enough about what natural deer foods have high concentrations or under what conditions phytoestrogen levels are higher than normal. It is interesting that cases of cactus bucks frequently occur in association with certain soils, or after fires or unusual weather patterns. This is all consistent with the idea that this phenomenon is associated with certain plants. This type of endocrine disruptor is probably the cause for incidents where many cactus bucks are reported in an area the same year.

 

Other types of endocrine disruptors are those compounds such as Zearalenone which are produced by mold. This is a naturally-occurring compound with estrogenic activity that has been shown to reduce testicle size and interfere with hormones. Problems with Zearalenone are probably most common with supplemental feeding programs, where storage of feed creates an environment for mold growth.

 

Hermaphrodites

These are deer that possess both male and female sex organs. The usually have an ovary on one side and an internal testicle on the other (lateral hermaphrodites). These animals are not capable of reproducing and, because of the presence of testosterone, usually carry out a normal antler cycle. Although hermaphrodites usually have polished antlers during the fall, the presence of the ovary may result in enough estrogen to offset the effects of the testosterone and cause the velvet to be retained.

 

True antlered does

Some deer that are called antlered “does” are actually bucks with their male genitalia deformed and situated inside their body so they appear as females externally. Most true antlered does have fully functional female reproductive tracts. These does can breed, become pregnant, and successfully raise fawns. These antlered does remain in velvet and are subsequently reported as cactus bucks.

What actually initiates the antler development in these does is still somewhat of a mystery. It is known that the testicles are not the only source of testosterone to initiate the growth of pedicles; the adrenal gland in both sexes can also produce this male hormone. Castrated males have been shown to have adequate levels of testosterone in their blood stream to initiate antler development, but it is not known if this is the initiating influence in antlered does. Because of the lack of increasing testosterone levels at the end of summer, true antlered does in the wild do not have polished antlers. They never lose their velvet and the antlers are often deformed, lacking basal burrs, and permanent (not shed).

 

Disease

Tumors can affect the hormonal environment and thereby produce antler abnormalities such as antlered does or cactus bucks. There are cases of antlered females that are found to have a cyst or tumor on an ovary or their adrenal gland. Tumors such as these can disrupt the normal balance of hormones and may provide enough male-type hormones (androgens) to initiate antler growth.

Besides disease-caused hormonal imbalances, viruses can cause antler abnormalities by directly affecting growing antlers. Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) can cause hemorrhaging in the testicles or cause other effects which disrupt the proper production and circulation of male hormones. EHD can also result in incomplete hardening of the antler tips because of damage to the velvet’s blood vessels before antler growth is complete. This disease commonly strikes deer in late July-August, which corresponds to the last stages of antler growth.

 

Mystery Unsolved

It is somewhat unsatisfying that we know so much about the antler cycle and still are not able to solve the mystery of the wild cactus buck. The most promising area of research will be on environmental toxins, both natural compounds and those of human origin. A different assemblage of annual plants appears each year depending on the variation of spring temperature and rainfall. Even the same plants grown under different conditions will contain different levels of various compounds. Herein lies the difficulty of diagnosing a dietary cause of cactus bucks. The key, I believe, will be to mobilize an immediate sampling of common deer food items for phytoestrogens and other endocrine disruptors in an area where the incidence of cactus bucks suddenly increases. Even this will be difficult as the plants available to deer during the fall may not be the same as those causing the condition earlier in the spring.

As interested deer enthusiasts we may, in the end, have to begrudgingly admit that Bertrand Russell was right.

 

 

JIM

http://WWW.DEERNUT.COM

[More D]

Very, very interesting. I always enjoy your posts very much. I just might have to get your book.

 

 

Thanks

[TAM]

I saw one a few years back in unit 31. I hunted him hard during the October hunt, but never saw him again.

[GRONG]

TAM, you talkin about Jay Gates' buck? Andy, Jay lives right near you in Chino, he's Chino Chief's godfather. I've been to his house and took a bunch of pics of his mounts. I might have to dig the one up of his life sized cactus buck, it's pretty cool.

[TAM]

Josh, the buck I saw was alive. I'm not sure if anyone ever shot it? Send me a picture of Jay's buck and I'll tell you if it looks the same?

[Couesnut]

The 158" buck I was refering to, is Jay's. He took it in New. Mex back in the 80s.

There is a pic. of it in his book. It's a stear that weighted something like 160lbs.

DH

[GRONG]

Here's the pics I have that I took at Jay's house a couple years ago. Neat deer for sure!!!

 

 

[galiuro mountain man]

Holy "coues", thats a cool lookin rack. It would be awsome just to see something like that running around somewhere.

 

GMM

[out2hunt]

That is the neatest looking coues I have ever seen!I probably would miss the shot.