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CLEAR Temp: 67 °F Wind: NW at 4 mph Monday, August 11, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 24, 2003 Local climate conducive to prime antler growth Deer numbers and hunting success may be down, but southwest Oregon is still home to some of the best conditions for growing the biggest of antlers on black-tailed deer. The record books are loaded with blacktails taken in Jackson and Josephine counties, where the blacktail bucks started sprouting their prized antlers this month. The main reasons for the good antlers here are a combination of good genes and strong antler-growing minerals in the soil, researchers say. Antler growth is triggered by calcium and phosphorus minerals, both of which are rich in the region’s soil. The minerals make their way into vegetation eaten by deer, with the highest concentrations tending to be in new grasses and brush shoots during spring and summer. The summer’s long, sunny days create the photosynthesis process that drags these minerals out of the soil in greater concentrations. Advertisement When the antlers sprout, they are living tissue with soft, velvet-like exteriors. By fall, they eventually harden and fall off in mid- to late-winter to make way for the next year’s new growth. The antlers tend to grow progressively thicker, larger and with more points until the buck begins to deteriorate in old age. Bucks from this region dot the top all-time lists for typical and non-typical (or asymmetrical) antlers as listed in the three groups that tally these international records — the Boone and Crockett Club, Safari Club International and the Pope and Young Club. — Mark Freeman Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times