Winter coats…

[grundsow]

Caught these two buck traveling together on this particular day. One has lost its summer coat completely, while the other appears to still be in the process of switching over to winter mode.

Why aren�t they in sync?

Is one in better health? Is it genetics? I think it�s safe to say neither is a yearling, so birth date should have nothing to do with it, right? Both apparently feeding in the same quality forage. Is one much older? Did they overwinter on different quality range? Did they just happen to cross paths on this particular day? What�s the deal

 

[Dbllunger]

I like to compare it to people. Not everyone loses their baby teeth at the same time. It has nothing to do with environment (baby teeth) but more of genetics and individual variation. I wouldn't try to read to much into it. I have also seen deer in velvet and some hard horned traveling together, once again individual variation.

 

[BSK]

I like to compare it to people. Not everyone loses their baby teeth at the same time. It has nothing to do with environment (baby teeth) but more of genetics and individual variation. I wouldn't try to read to much into it. I have also seen deer in velvet and some hard horned traveling together, once again individual variation.

Exactly.

Look at the difference in these two bucks' coats. Nature isn't perfectly synhronized. And thank goodness it isn't. Life can only continue to exist in a constantly changing environment unless variation is pre-programmed into the system.

 

[grundsow]

Hmmm� Maybe so.

When the PA Game Commission did their deer density studies in the 1970�s & 80�s, the low deer density pens had healthier deer - evidenced by higher weights and sooner winter coats. In the high deer density pens the winter coats were late in coming (relative to the low-density pens).

Pens had adult doe (and in some cases castrated buck) so there was no rut or fawn rearing stress involved, and nothing age-related either.

I just wondered how this played out in the real world. Thanks

 

[BSK]

Certainly animal health is going to affect all aspects of biological timing. For example, healthy does will enter estrus before unhealthy does. I'm sure molting is the same. However, I would not look at a single animal's biological timing and assume health is always the culprit for any late timing. That particular deer may simply have the genetic propensity towards later biological timing.

Health factors affecting biological timing should be assessed only on over-all averages and especially noticable changes in timing within a localized population. For example, over a 20 year period, the rut has peaked right around the same dates in my area (give or take a couple days, and a slight shift forward due to improved sex ratio and buck age structure). However, last year, with our late spring freeze, record drought, record heat, and extensive EHD outbreak, the health of the entire local population was depressed enough that breeding was at least 2 weeks late, and a strong second rut was evident (I had not witnessed a strong second rut previously). That was the only time in 21 years that I have seen a noticable change in peak breeding dates.

 

[grundsow]

Yea, I regularly see variance in winter coat timing, but typically the difference is between older deer or buck (with winter coat) vs. fawns, yearlings, and doe with fawns (without winter coats). I always concluded this reflected their relative health.

In this case though, neither buck looked young to me, so that had me raise an eyebrow. The two buck also appeared to be traveling together and living on the same range conditions which further piqued my interest.

 

[BSK]

Yea, I regularly see variance in winter coat timing, but typically the difference is between older deer or buck (with winter coat) vs. fawns, yearlings, and doe with fawns (without winter coats). I always concluded this reflected their relative health.

When it comes to molting differences between older bucks and females, the difference is driven by biological need. Bucks have a different prtein need timing than females. Bucks must first build their velvet antlers as a proetien matrix. Later, in early fall, they will need to produce a massive amount of muscle in a short period of time (they may grow 50+ pounds of muscle in a month's time). They only have a limited "gap" between these two timings hence Nature has designed them to replace their entire coat (a VERY protein intensive process) during that gap in other high protein needs. On the other hand, does are producing milk through the summer (again, high intensity proein need). Yet they don't have another major protein need after milk production has slowed hence they can wait to molt until early fall.

The two buck also appeared to be traveling together and living on the same range conditions which further piqued my interest.

Again, I wouldn't necessarily attribute much to differences in timing unless that becomes a general trend for the majority of bucks over time. Deer breeders tell me they have individual older bucks that begin and end their antler growth as much as a month earlier or later than normal every year. Just variation in individual biological timing.