Elk antlers driver#
Either he’s too cheap to get it fixed or he’s a really bad driver (or both). But if there is a giant dent in the side and he’s still driving it around, that’s an instant red flag there’s something wrong with him. It’s visually impressive – an indication of fiscal success. A bull elk prone to such injuries might not be the agile, athletic male that a female wishes to sire her young.īut what if the injury happened when the elk was young? It would be a shame for an elk’s injury as a yearling to affect his chance to breed as a prime 9-year-old, right?įor a human analogy, imagine a guy has bought a Hummer to impress the ladies. Antlers can be damaged or break off while they are growing, or later on after the velvet is sloughed off. Even a back injury can result in asymmetrical antlers. Some asymmetrical antlers are actually genetic, but most are likely from an injury. Asymmetrical antlers are not attractive, even if they’re large in size, because they’re an indication of a malfunction. Bull elk need to grow symmetrical antlers to really impress the ladies. Growing big antlers, however, isn’t enough. Males that survive despite the burden of their massive antlers – some growing over 300” over the course of just a few months – are chosen by the females to breed and get a chance to pass on their genes. more successful at finding food in and adapting to the local ecosystem. Are they perfectly matched, mostly matched, mismatched, or even broken off? Females prefer larger antlers because the bigger antlers you can grow, the healthier you are, i.e. When you see a bull elk in the Greater Yellowstone System, take a careful look at his antlers.
But after investing so much energy in growing antlers, why do bull elk shed them in the winter? Bull elk can be easily identified by their impressive antlers during the summer and fall, some growing over 300″ of new bone over the course of just a few months. If you live in Jackson Hole or an area with an elk population, you might have recently heard bull elk bugling during the fall rut, or breeding season. Why do bull elk shed their antlers each year?
Elk antlers professional#