Roe Deer Antlers colour causes

[Top Spanish Hunting]

The color of the antlers of deer and especially of roe deer has been of interest to researchers and hunters concerned about obtaining notable trophies. There are records of hunters roe deer of the 19th century in Germany, like Brandt, who already made observations and told us They left notes on the matter. In Spain, with the growing interest in hunting trophies of this species the question of antler color becomes important. Along In this article we will try to shed some light on its causes. Even today it is discussed at trophy shows and in commissions. homologation on this matter: the origin of the coloration and its interest or not as beauty element. The main objective of many trophy hunters is to obtain antlers – which in addition to being thick and tall – are dark as this adds punctuation in the event that the horn is approved. This has some elements that may not be reasonable. Why should colored antlers be scored unfavorably?

Clearing of a roe deer from agricultural land versus a roe deer with the same antlers hunter in a swampy alder forest with almost black horns? On many occasions one reaches the ridiculous situation of seeing dyed antlers presented for evaluation as trophies in the attempt to scratch some points that allow climbing the ladder of the best hunted animals. But why is coloration included as an element to value in a trophy? The main reason is, as we will see, that for a terrain determined, there is a correlation between coloration and porosity, coloration and pearling, and between porosity, pearliness and sexual maturity, so that there is a tendency for sexually mature roe deer have darker antlers, although we must do Note that there are great local variations in color nuances.

Authors from the beginning of the last century maintained that they were substances that the body of the animal those that dyed the antler arriving through the circulatory system up to the horns. It was established in Germany that the yellow-brown or reddish-black color ranges were heritable and that they formed the basic colors of the antler. These authors disagreed that it was the juices of the plants that, upon contact with the antler during the removal of those responsible for the coloration. Other authors were of the opinion that light and air were responsible for color. But wich ones Based on what we know today, the cause of the tone of the antlers?​

 

[Top Spanish Hunting]

The possible causes.
Recent communications and writings, as well as own observations, collected during the last decades indicate that, in any case, these are substances unrelated to the animal those that influence the color of the antlers, and always from outside the animal what excludes diet as a basis for color.

In our opinion the main causes are:

- The superficial state of the antler. The antler may be more or less mineralized, so that the surface becomes more or less rough or porous.

- The juices of the plants, trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants of the environment in which The roe deer lives, which when scrubbing or rubbing the antlers with them causes different tones and color.

- The nature and composition of the soil where the roe deer lives. It is perhaps not very known to many hunters but the roe deer, in addition to rubbing its antler against the vegetation sticks it into the ground in the usual way. With this behavior the liquids and substances from the earth begin to dye the antler. This is especially pronounced in acid-humic soils.

- The surface structure of the horn, the pearling, the folds and grooves, also influence the coloration. In these recesses of pearls there is always one greater amount of dye or colorant, humic acids, earth, plant remains, etc.

- The fats and coloring particles that reach the horn during body grooming of the roe deer. It is common to see that the deer scratches itself with its antler, rubs it against the anterior legs so that some remains of these substances remain, which are mainly fatty in nature, which when oxidized tend to darken.

- Ultraviolet light, traces of blood from the core or other tissues as well influence.​