Local biologist that comes to our hunter safety classes every year claims that Bucks lose their antlers at different times of the year for different reasons. Many times it's how healthy the deer is going into the late fall/winter. Stress from breeding/fighting/weather, injuries, and chance(getting hung up on a fence, etc) dictate it also. Around here, it's very rare to see a healthy buck with last years antlers after the middle of March. Typically, new antlers begin to grow immediately, so that means in this area, they've been growing for a good month, month and a half. Growth, like the rut is regulated by hormones, which are controlled by length of day. Antler growth coincides with the breeding season in the region, thus the antlers are fully grown and hardened by the time fighting over breeding rights and establishing territory begins. Peak of breeding here in Wisconsin is early to mid November. In Texas it is mid to late December. Thus, one would surmise the growth and development of antlers would be different, As I said, the buck having both ears notched is unusual to me. I have shot a lot of bucks, many mature and in over half a century of shooting and watching, have never seen a wild deer with distinct cuts/notches in both ears. As a matter of fact, the amount of deer I have shot with any damage to the ears is relatively low and involves as many does as bucks. Most of those were created by broadheads or bullets passing thru them. Most captive bucks I have seen have some form of ear tags/marks on them to identify them and most are like the one in the pic. Marks on top and the bottom of the ears, not randomly, but with a purpose. I wasn't saying the buck in the picture was ever captive, just that the occurrence of such ear markings, to me, in the wild, is rare.
