Deer Velvet Shedding - Why Do They Do It?
Male deer grow new antlers each year. Antler growth is among the fastest types of tissue growth in mammals. While most people imagine antlers in their hard, bony form, they begin as a soft structure covered in velvet.
Deer antler velvet is the living growth stage of antlers. The outer velvet layer holds blood vessels, nerves, and nutrients essential for rapid development.
The Role of Hormones
The testosterone levels of male deer vary by season.
Early in the summer, these hormones are supplied by a deer's blood supply to its antlers. This stimulates rapid lengthening of the soft, spongy antler tissue. As summer progresses, higher testosterone levels signal the hardening of antlers. Blood flow to the antlers is reduced, causing outer velvet to dry and peel away. During this same period, the underlying antler tissue calcifies and hardens.
Once the velvet is fully shed, the solid bone is ready for the rut, where bucks use their hardened racks for dominance and mating rights.
What Deer Shedding Velvet Looks Like
Velvet shedding usually occurs within a few days. The process can look bloody or messy because of drying tissue and leftover fluids.
Before shedding, antlers appear swollen and covered in a fuzzy layer. As summer ends, the velvet turns grayish or dull. Small cracks form where the tissue separates from the solid bone. Deer may be seen vigorously scraping their antlers against branches.
Within hours, dangling strips of velvet may be visible. Afterward, fresh antlers look darker and sometimes show small streaks of red or brown.
Is Deer Shedding Velvet Painful?
During shedding, most deer experience minimal pain because the velvet is already losing its blood supply. It’s similar to a scab detaching from healed skin. Studies from 2018 suggest that discomfort can occur if the velvet tears prematurely. The nerve density declines significantly once calcification starts, reducing sensitivity. However, if an antler is damaged or infected, it can cause discomfort.
Hormonal shifts also affect blood flow and nerve activity. As testosterone rises, the velvet’s vascular network recedes, which lessens pain. Deer often rub their antlers to speed removal, typically without signs of distress. This process is a normal phase in antler maturation.
Beneath the velvet, bone cells called osteocytes complete their work, turning soft cartilage into dense bone. The transition happens quickly. In most species, peak shedding aligns with the start of the rut when males need their antlers for sparring.
Shedding Velvet vs. Deer Antler Velvet Products
Many people confuse the material that flakes off during shedding with deer antler velvet products. In reality, supplements use the entire soft, spongy antler, harvested before it has a chance to harden. Shedding leaves only dried tissue fragments. These remnants lack the concentrated nutrients found in early-stage antlers.
When Antler Farms harvests antler velvet for its supplements, it does so when it peaks in nutritional value, midway in its growth stage. This velvet is rich in growth factors, amino acids, collagen, and minerals.
Once the antler calcifies, these components decline. That is why the timing of antler velvet collection is critical.