Roe deer antlers: which trophy would you hunt?

Roe deer antlers are present only in males and, like those of deer, are deciduous. This means they fall off each year and then grow back very rapidly. These antlers fall off in January and February, making way for a new, increasingly larger trophy. During this growth period, they become covered with a kind of velvet, which the animal begins to remove by scratching itself against trees and walls.

The typical shape of a roe deer's antler is six points, but there are very common exceptions and anomalies. The most typical are the so-called "buttons," which are young specimens with very short and deformed antlers. Another could be when there is a lack of testosterone and what is known as "wig" develops, an excessive proliferation of velvet that prevents tissue ossification. This makes the animal unable to see and therefore eat, and it is then destined to die. Another type of antler that draws attention is that of the so-called "killer roe deer," whose antlers are limited to two very long points without any point or growth that would block them in fights with other bucks, resulting in significant injuries to their opponents.

What are roe deer antlers used for?

Defensive and offensive work: Roe deer, unlike stags that use thrusting antlers, try to injure their opponent with them. Often, the opponent comes off badly. This is why a healthy, prominent roe deer has good antlers.

Marking: The "woodland elves" scratch various vegetation in the area to warn other males and females of their presence. They also do this practice to determine the size of their antlers.

It helps in reproduction: If a male has large antlers, it can determine the outcome of the fight or even force its rival to retreat. Females, on the other hand, don't notice this characteristic.

Although the antlers are important, we shouldn't limit ourselves to just that; it's important to make good use of the meat from these animals. That's why we're leaving you with a finger-licking recipe using roe deer meat:

Now that we know a little more about the trait that keeps roe deer awake at night, we present five rare trophies hunted this April. Many of them possess the qualities we mentioned above.

Roe deer with wig

As we mentioned before, wig-faced roe deer are abnormal and have a hairy coat throughout their lives. In this case, Rafa hunted this roe deer, which had almost completely lost its vision due to the hair that had grown. This is truly selective hunting, as the animal suffers from both its vision and its search for food. Furthermore, other roe deer exclude it from the groups.

Old wig roe deer

Nature is very capricious, and the specimen that Carlos Blanco hunted proves once again that there are no limits to the rarity of "duendes." This animal had been under the watchful eye of the animal manager for three years, and last year it was sporting a wig due to having only one testicle. The manager believes it developed the testicle late, which led it to untether and lose its wig.

Unconventional roe deer

This time, after many days of searching, Daniel Iglesias hunted a dream roe deer. Its main characteristic is its right antler, which is bent in an L-shape, making it a unique and distinctive trophy. Daniel missed the first shot from 290 meters away, but the second caused the animal to collapse, allowing him to hunt the roe deer he fell in love with the first time he saw it.

Ten-point roe deer

These ungulates typically have six points, but Zaragoza native Victor Martín managed to shoot one of ten, with a spectacular pearly and very thick horns. The first shot missed, but the second managed to stop the animal. He had already evaluated it with his binoculars, but when he got closer, he was amazed by the beauty of that horn, which he will undoubtedly never forget.

Gold medal roe deer

In this case, Luis Ruiz del Olmo shot a roe deer in Castile and León with a five-point left antler (extraordinarily long) and a three-point right antler (the usual). The hunt was wonderful; they enjoyed a fight between bucks, in which the one shot chased another. The whole atmosphere made the event a unique moment to remember.

Have you hunted any rare or unusual trophies? Share it with us and it will be featured on our hunting community's Instagram!

Author: María Balletbó