Camera Critters: A Young Buck Grows Antlers

Here in Pennsylvania, whitetail buck's antler growth accelerates rapidly in early May .  This is the same animal that was posted for Camera Critters last week.

Antler Growth Accelerates In May

Look carefully at the close-up shot of the left antler in the following photograph and note how the antler is starting to fork(the slight dip in the center indicates that the antler will grow in each direction from that divide-one will be the main beam the other the brow point).  It will be interesting to see how soon this becomes a well defined point.  This buck should make at least a six-point and will likely grow eight or more points.

A Point Develops

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Gobbling Season Winds Down

While we had a severe winter this year, it did break early and spring seemed to arrive earlier than usual.  As a result the turkey mating season began early, at least in my area, and is now winding down.  It was common to hear several gobblers each morning just a short time ago, but now gobbling is very sporadic and one can easily spend a morning outdoors without hearing any gobbling at all. 

Alert Mature Gobbler Pauses As He Moves Through Woodlands

It was common to see the birds strutting and courting only a week or so ago, but now it is rare.  They are more likely to be seen feeding or moving about.  If they do strut or gobble, it seems that the action does not last long, before they lose interest and return to feeding.