March 2021 • Nebraskaland 59
HEALTHY?
how
deer's health can be determined by examining the
pedicle seal of shed antlers. Seal depth represents
testosterone levels at the peak of breeding
season. Healthy males with high testosterone levels at
rut will typically have a convex or rounded seal whereas
stressed or unhealthy individuals typically have a seal
that is flat, concave or indented. During 2012, when
Nebraska experienced extreme drought conditions and
an epizootic hemorrhagic disease outbreak, white-tailed
deer had smaller pedicle seal depths compared to normal
years between 2009 and 2016. Additionally, we found
buck fawns born during the 2012 drought had smaller
antlers throughout their life compared to deer not born
under those conditions.
A
Healthy bucks typically have a convex, or rounded, pedicle
seal (left), while unhealthy bucks have an indented, or
concave, seal.
SET?
matched
any shed collectors ask if it is possible
to confirm a set of antlers are from
the same deer. To determine this,
we collected more than 115 assumed match
sets and genetically tested them to confirm
individuality. Once completed, we took
several measurements from each antler side:
total points, main beam length, main beam
circumferences, total score, weight, pedicle
seal depth and area. We determined the best
antler measurements to define a set were antler
circumference, main beam length, pedicle seal
shape and antler mass. The worst measurement
to confirm a match set was total points.
M
When looking for matching sheds, we observed that 1.5-year-olds
shed their antlers, on average, less than 60 yards apart, while older
deer shed antlers at an average distance of 100 yards.
Brian Peterson is a biologist at the
University of Nebraska at Kearney and
coordinates the M.S. Biology Online Program.
He and his colleagues have been collecting
naturally shed antlers and gathering antler
measurements from harvested deer at check
stations for the past 10 years. Their work
and findings have been published in wildlife
journals and highlighted by the National Deer
Association. For more information, contact
petersonbc@unk.edu.
PHOTO
BY
BRIAN
PETERSON
PHOTO
BY
BRIAN
PETERSON
