The opening of Pennsylvania’s rifle season had been filled with surprises. A rain filled opening day, then temperature swings that facilitated snow cover on the ground. But opening day proved to be interesting.

My grandson and I met up with my son-in-law a half hour short of noon. We decided to return to camp, dry out, and get a quick bite to eat before returning to the woods and finish out the remainder of the day.

Little did we realize what we were about to see. Two big bodied deer were hanging on the deer pole. One was a nice eight point. The second was bald at this point, however looking at the base of the skull it was obvious to see that it was a buck.

My son-in-law, referring to the antlerless buck, said, “It will be interesting to hear the story regarding this one.” That story would come to life in the warmth of our camp.

Once inside, the living room became the center of our attention. And it took only a split second to see who the owner was of the shed left beam of what had at one time been a six point buck. Kirk was beaming from ear to ear. And with good reason. The deer taken was his first ever whitetail buck.

“Well, let’s hear your story Kirk,” we said. We sat down and uninterrupted he shared his experience.

Kirk began to talk and it was obvious he was excited. At times he spoke as if he was out of breath. Excited was the operative word here.

Despite the rain coming down, Kirk had spotted movement from his elevated tree stand. The deer was slowly moving while feeding on briar cane.

Kirk said, “At first the deer appeared to be a large doe. But as the minutes went by I thought it might be a buck. I have no idea how long I watched that deer.”

But Kirk’s patience was about to pay off.

“After watching the deer move and providing me with a clear view, I saw the three points on the left side of his head,” Kirk recounted. Moments later the buck went down. But the best was yet to come.

Kirk went on to say, “It was obvious the buck had shed its right antler. But when I held the left side of the rack in order to turn it over, the antler just popped off. To say the least that was a surprise. But it was a legal and this was my first buck. I was thrilled.”

And he should be. But Kirk was curious as to why the buck was in the process of shedding its rack during the rifle season? The answer would come later.

Antler loss is part of the antler cycle. Over decades this process has been studied, and there are a number of contributing factors regarding the timing of this natural process.

Years ago when winters were harsh and temperatures dropped into the single digits during rifle season, hunters surmised that racks simply froze off. Today we know that statement is flawed.

So what are the combination of factors that determine when a buck will cast its rack, what many refer to as shedding?

Antler growth and eventual casting is controlled by hormones and regulated by the photoperiod.

Antlers grow from the pedicles on the buck’s head which is very secure and can withstand the force when bucks spar prior to and during the rut. However this lasts for a relatively short time.

When the buck’s testosterone levels decline, a bone cell (osteoclasts) begins to remove bone tissue located between the antler and pedicle. As this process begins, the antler falls off.

In the case of Kirk’s buck, the right antler had shed and on the pedicle a scab like appearance was visible. The casting process was in progress.

The photoperiod has a direct impact on testosterone levels. Buck’s in good physical condition generally hold their antlers longer. However there are exceptions to the rule.

In the case of Kirk’s deer, when it was being processed, the animal had very little fat reserves. This may have been a direct result of extensive rutting activity. This too can contribute to early casting.

For the past several decades bucks have been holding their antlers longer into winter. Antler restrictions have been set into place as well, and during that same period wildlife managers have reduced the overall number of deer on the landscape.

The reduced number of deer set to overwinter on the landscape has contributed to better overwintering conditions.

Another factor that contributes to antler loss is injury. In this case there was not visual evidence of bodily injury, but that is not to say it didn’t happen.

“Early” antler loss can and will vary from one buck to another. However the folks at the Quality Deer Management Association summed it up like this. “In general the consensus of factors contributing to early casting of antlers can be a combination of nutritional stress, physical exhaustion from the rut, or a combination of the two. Nutritional stress can be ruled out by assessing body weights.”

Here is a case where the direct cause will never be determined. And that’s OK. However, you can bet that Kirk’s Potter County buck will continue to put a smile on his face and be the topic of discussion for years to come.

Charlie Burchfield is an active member and past president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, an active member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Outdoor Writers Assoc. of America and the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers. Gateway Outdoors e-mail is GWOutdoors@comcast.net