Doe with antlers

[KGAINES]

ABOUT TWENTY YEARS AGO I TALKED TO A HUNTER IN 6A WITH A DEER HANGING IN HIS CAMP, HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A DOE THAT HAD GROWN ANTLERS, IT WAS ALREADY DRESSED OUT AT THE TIME, I WAS YOUNG AND DO NOT KNOW IF HE WAS JUST PULLING MY LEG OR WHAT, I DON'T REMEMBER BUT I SEEM TO THINK IT WAS A WHITETAIL, DOES THIS HAPPEN, I WOULD THINK THE ONLY WAY TO TELL WOULD BE TO SHOOT ONE OR CAPTURE ONE, I HAVEN'T READ ABOUT IT, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF ANY ONE ELSE MIGHT KNOW SOMETHING

[Arizona Griz]

Every now and then it is reported that a doe is taken and has antlers. I have seen a few pictures of deer back east this way but it seems that they never have very big antlers.

Arizona Griz.

[CouesWhitetail]

KGAINES,

 

Whitetail does can grow antlers. It is very rare, probably much less than 1 % of all does, and it is caused by a hormonal imbalance. Usually a female with antlers won't have enough elevated hormones to cause the velvet to shed and so she keeps growing velvet antlers. But they can have hard antler also.

 

I don't know for sure of a Coues deer doe with antlers, but there is no reason it couldn't happen. The fact that some female animals get male characteristics is part of the reason why game regulations are listed as "antlered deer" and not "bucks" or as "bearded turkey" not "male turkey or toms". That way a hunter can not get a citation for shooting an antlered doe or a bearded hen. I once saw a guy bring in a bearded hen turkey that had eggs developing inside her. So even though these animals may have some unusual hormones, they can sometimes reproduce and function as normal females. I also saw a photo on the 'net of what appears to be an hard antlered doe with twins. Very interesting photo! Search the net you might find the link.

 

Amanda

[GRONG]

I saw a coues doe mounted in a guy's house about 10 years ago that he sweared was a doe. It was about a 85" 3x3 in velvet that was killed during a general hunt in S AZ somewhere. I wish I would have taken a picture of it.

 

Josh

[Guest Guest_GreyGhost85]

in november 2000, during a 28 rifle deer hunt i saw a doe with antlers. i am sure it was a doe because it had a fawn that kept trying to suckle. it just had a nasty looking 3 inch or so spike on either side. i also used to butcher in the Round Valley butcher shop and occassionaly you would see an animal that someone swore was an antlered female, and all of the ones i have seen have had very odd looking racks.

[Guest cottonwoodbowhunter]

I once shot a mule deer in unit 9 that was in velvet in november and it also had no nuts. I was a 29 inch 3 point, and was with two other big bucks that didnt have velvet. Could it have been a doe?

[5yearcoueshunter]

No I don't think that would be a doe. It was what they call a cactus buck. A buck that somehow lost it's testacles so the buck has no testostorone to cut off the blood supply to his velvet antlers. My counsin shot one once in northern New Mexico. It to was a big velvet antlered buck and was the best eating buck we've ever had.

[Guest Firstcoueswas80]

i remember when i killed my first elk, the butcher had a picture of a doe with antlers hanging on his board. the only thing what was weird(besides a does with antlers) was the fact that it was huge~!!! it was back east somewhere and he swore it was a doe???

[GRONG]

Casey,

The deer you might be talking about I think is a monster doe killed in Illinois by Mike Lock. It weighed 350 lbs and has 23 points with no definable main beams therefore it cannot be measured. It is in a book called Mammoth Monarchs of North America by Odie Sudbeck. This is one of three books in a series that is awesome. It's 80% northern whitetails, 18% big ol muleys and 2% Coues deer. Pretty awesome books. If you are crazy about antlers you may want to look into getting the books, at least 2 of them anyway, one of them isn't that great. If you're potentially serious about buying them email me and I'll see if I can get the info for you.

 

Josh

[crotalus]

Josh,

in reference to your Aug 3,03 posting. This wouldn't happen to have been in the Safford area where you saw this doe mount? I am aware of a hunter that shot an antlered doe in 30B who now resides in Safford(?). I also remember that the deer was photographed and report in the local rag( Bisbee Review).

Ernest

[galiuro mountain man]

I have never seen a doe with antlers, or even heard of one. I have seen one albino doe in the wild. Also I have seen a mule/coues shot. facial colors and features looked like mulie, rack and tail was white tail. JUst imagine trying to explain that to a game warden when you have a unit 31 mule deer tag.

[catclaw]

There is an old man in Safford who has a pasture full of Virginia deer. He has a doe right now with a 100" rack. I think he said it is the second time he has had this happen. I suspect he may have some serious line breeding issues as he can't bring fresh blood lines in due to being grandfathered in.

 

Years ago I snuck up on a pair of bucks in Temporal Canyon (34A). One of the buck clearly had testicles but NO antlers. His partner (straight or gay I can't say) was a 90 incher.

 

Wierder things have happened.

[Packgoat]

It is possible that some of these examples are what is known as a hermaphrodite. In this case, a deer with the sex organs of both male and female. I can't remember what it is called if it possesses all the correct sex organs of a doe but has antlers too, or vise-versa. I've seen a few livestock borne this way. Unusual in nature? Yes. But most experienced livestock or animal breeders of registered lines have seen one-to-multiple. If it is less UNusual in whitetail, perhaps it is because they seem to be more family/herd group oriented and territorial than other ungulates in the deer family. This would make interbreeding more likely, which is the cause of the genetic condition. Just a thought.

[CRB]

There is a guy on Lonestar road in Safford who raises deer And I dont know if it is still there but one of his bigger bucks was actually a doe with antlers Just thought you guys might be interested in that info.

[vizsla-dog]

A female [dear] with a hormonial inbalance who would have thunk it.