Does anybody understand what's up with this deer? Out for another bike ride, the camera on board. Saw three male deer out for a meeting but one of them just looked odd. Any ideas what...

captxmas Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

Out for another bike ride, the camera on board.

Saw three male deer out for a meeting but one of them just looked odd. Any ideas what is hapening with the curly-horned one?

Inquiring minds want to know.... Alien Buck, Something in the water?

A Couple of the boys...
A Couple of the boys......

Another example of normal
Another example of normal...

What the heck?
What the heck?...

jimward Loc: Perth, Western Australia

No i-deer

roxiemarty Loc: Florida

Wow! I've no idea. But now I have to research further...........

Juy Loc: Delaware

damaged his antler growth. probably rubbed his head on something due to insects and resulted in deformation of the growth. or could be a genetic mutation. Will result in a Non-typical rack.

roxiemarty Loc: Florida

They called it a Cactus Buck. Interesting..........none of the images looked like this. I think you need to send this image to someone in the field, due to its rarity.

(Download)

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

captxmas wrote:

Out for another bike ride, the camera on board.

Saw three male deer out for a meeting but one of them just looked odd. Any ideas what is hapening with the curly-horned one?

Inquiring minds want to know.... Alien Buck, Something in the water?

That growth on the deer is like a fungus, the deer will rub the antlers again most anything to clean it off.
Hunters will look at trees to see if there is any signs of recent rubbings to see if there might be deer in the neighborhood.
Hunters have been known to rub antlers against a tree or against another antler to see if they can entice a male deer to come and investigate as the males are very territorial and do not like other males in there area.

roxiemarty Loc: Florida

I did find more images very much like your deer. This one says it was a doe.

twowindsbear

Send the pic to your state's wildlife office, see what they say.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Lot's of things happen to antlers during growth. Thay are very sensitive to physical damage during early growth. But it could be abnormal due to the buck as well, in which case, every year the antlers will be deformed. It's fairly common and seems to be concentrated in various areas, so maybe an environmental factor at work as well.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Years ago I assisted another hunter in dragging out a huge mature buck with identical antler configuration. I asked a game warden later on what had happened and he explained, sometimes bucks are injured in their groin area perhaps in a fight with another deer, crossing a fence or whatever. That injury may lead to abnormal antler growth as indicated in the buck I helped drag out for the other hunter.

Dennis

roxiemarty Loc: Florida

dennis2146 wrote:

Years ago I assisted another hunter in dragging out a huge mature buck with identical antler configuration. I asked a game warden later on what had happened and he explained, sometimes bucks are injured in their groin area perhaps in a fight with another deer, crossing a fence or whatever. That injury may lead to abnormal antler growth as indicated in the buck I helped drag out for the other hunter.

Dennis

That is what I also read on the internet. Damage to that area of bucks. But it did not explain why a doe would get that way.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

roxiemarty wrote:

That is what I also read on the internet. Damage to that area of bucks. But it did not explain why a doe would get that way.

I can't help you about the doe getting that way EXCEPT to consider a doe generally does not grow antlers to begin with. For one to do so would indicate some really gone-wrong things there in the nether region of the doe to begin with.

Dennis

roxiemarty Loc: Florida

dennis2146 wrote:

I can't help you about the doe getting that way EXCEPT to consider a doe generally does not grow antlers to begin with. For one to do so would indicate some really gone-wrong things there in the nether region of the doe to begin with.

Dennis

Yes, born with hormonal problems already. I suspect this is true.

kenpic Loc: Edmonds, WA

I suspect it's a transgendeer! :)

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

kenpic wrote:

I suspect it's a transgendeer! :)

Didn't think of that!!