Feature Topic: Antler Development

Spring is upon us and with the days beginning to lengthen, signs of the season can be seen within the elk of Cataloochee as well. For the Smoky Mountain herd, March is the beginning, and also the end of the yearly antler cycle. Testosterone is the chemical in elk that controls the development of antlers each year. During the spring, an elk’s testosterone levels drop, which causes the bond between the antler and the pedicle to weaken, and the antlers fall off. Usually both drop within a 24-hour period.As the days begin to lengthen, testosterone levels in the bulls’ blood increases, signaling the onset of new antler growth. 

Antlers begin growing as soon as the previous year’s set has fallen off. Antlers can grow as much as an inch a day during the spring and summer months and are considered one of the fastest growing tissues in the world. During this development, they are covered in a soft layer of velvet that functions very much like skin. The antlers are living tissue, and this velvet contains veins and capillaries that carry blood and minerals to the developing bones. While still in velvet, an elk’s antlers are light and somewhat malleable. They continue this rapid growth for about four months until they reach full size.

Sometime around August, a bull’s antlers will fully mineralize and the new hardened bone will emerge. As the antler hardens, blood flow to them is halted and as a result, the velvet begins to fall off. This velvet will be shed over a 24-hour period, usually rubbed off against trees, and the newly emerging antlers will appear bloody for a few days afterward. These new bones, which can weigh up to 40 pounds, are made up of calcium, phosphorous, and up to 50% water. 

As a bull ages, his antlers will continue to grow larger each year provided that he is in good health and there is an abundance of nutrient-rich food. Larger racks are typically a sign of mature bulls in good health, and signal to the cows that they are a worthy mate. While the antlers are developing, a bull does little besides eat to ensure that he has enough nutrients to grow a large, uniform rack capable of defending himself and competing for the right to breed when the rut begins. Bull elk will carry these antlers and spar throughout much of the fall and winter until March rolls around and the process begins all over again. 

In February we were contacted by a landowner in the Suttontown area that a small group of bulls were causing some concern to area residents. Over the past few years we have received reports of elk being fed in an area not too far from where these elk were located. As a result it appears that a couple of elk may have lost some of their fear of people and now feel comfortable enough to approach them closer than is normal for wild animals. To minimize any additional concern and/or conflict it was decided to capture and relocate the animals involved.On February 26, bull #66, which had a broken antler on his left side, was captured and relocated to the Oconaluftee area where he has remained with that group of elk since. 

While attempting to dart another of the Suttontown bulls, several uncollared cows were seen traveling with Bull #68 in the Cove Creek area.Most of these females were previously unaccounted for, and as many as five new adult females are now included in the Smoky Mountain population. Efforts are ongoing to monitor any elk in the Suttontown/Cove Creek area and, if possible, assist land owners with any concerns. 

On Tuesday, March 6, the signal from Bull #82’s collar indicated possible mortality and his carcass was found in a drainage east of Nellie Ridge in Cataloochee Valley.He was a 3-year old bull born to Cow #24 in Cataloochee Valley in spring of 2004. The carcass was taken to the University of Tennessee where a necropsy will be performed for disease testing and possible cause of death. 

The elk that travel through Cataloochee Valley had been moving around in the woods very frequently over the past month and had only occasionally been coming into the fields to feed.They seem to be returning to a normal, somewhat predictable pattern and can once again be seen most mornings and evenings feeding in the fields. 

A few of the bulls have already shed their antlers for the season, but most still have their racks and are traveling in two large groups. It is illegal to remove shed antlers from the park, as they are an important source of calcium for smaller animals. If you find one, please leave it where it is. 

Report by Joe Yarkovich
Elk Management