Influence of Dominance Rank on the Antler Cycle of White-Tailed Deer

Abstract

Captive herds of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were observed over a 3-year period to assess the effect of dominance rank on the antler cycle. We found a positive but nonsignificant correlation (P = 0.22) between rank and the order in which bucks shed velvet. A highly significant inverse correlation (P = 0.001) between rank and order of casting antlers indicated that dominant bucks retained their antlers longer than subordinates. The latter is in apparent contrast to what has been reported for whitetails in the northern part of their range and for other cervids. The contributions of social organization and geographic area on hormonal mechanisms underlying the antler cycle are discussed.