Looks may be deceiving: Rittman hunter shoots antlered doe

Staff Writer
The Daily Record
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Daily Record Sports Writer

Tim Watts knew he didn't shoot a buck of a lifetime, but what he didn't know, was that he shot a doe of a lifetime.

Hunting in Harrison County during last week's deer-gun season, the Rittman hunter harvested an antlered deer with eight points, five on one side, three on the other. When he rolled the deer over, though, he was a bit perplexed.

"There were no male parts. I couldn't believe it," said Watts. "Where were they? I was flabbergasted.

"I called my dad over, and he was like 'Gees, did you forget how to clean a deer.' I said, 'no, look!' And lo and behold ..."

Watts' harvest was presumably a rare doe with antlers, an abnormality that occurs in nature in 1 out of every 6,000 deer. Some studies have shown the ratio to be 1-in-3,500, and in one particular 1985 study in Alberta, Canada, 1-in-64.

No matter what the odds, it's rare, and how it happens is a matter of science as well.

For bucks to form antlers, three episodes of testosterone levels must occur. In April, bucks get a surge of testosterone, which combined with increased daylight and the hormone prolactin, causes antlers to develop out of the pedicels, or buttons on their skull.

At this point, the antlers are soft and full of blood vessels and covered in velvet.

A second surge of testosterone in August causes the velvet to drop off and the antlers, made of bone, to turn polished and hard.

When testosterone levels drop in January, the antlers form a separation between the bone and pedicels, and drop off.

Does have been known to get the first testosterone surge if they've had a problem in their pregnancy, have a tumor, or some other stress to their system. When that occurs, they too can develop antlers.

However, it's extremely rare that they get the second testosterone surge as most does with antlers are continuously in velvet, and don't drop their antlers.

"These antlers look like most antlers," Watts said of his deer. "They're hard."

Studies indicate that most does with velvet antlers are reproductively functional, while most does with polished antlers are actually reproductively malformed males. In a lot of cases, they exhibit both male and female genitalia.

It really doesn't make a difference to Watts what his deer exactly is. What he has is a story of a lifetime.

"I think it's great," he said. "It's a story I can tell forever. I've shot a nice 8-point buck before, but this is something rather unique. It was a great hunting season."

To finish up the story, when Watts checked the deer in at the Deersville General Store in Harrison County, he didn't know how to register it. Can he use his doe tag, or did he harvest a buck?

"What they told me was that I shot at what I thought was an antlered deer, so it's checked in as a buck," said Watts.

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