Uncommon Whitetails: Antlered Does
If you have ever seen a deer with velveted antlers at strange times of the year, it may have been a rare sighting of an antlered doe. Unusual circumstances like this allow for the antlered and antlerless deer tags to still apply as imposed by the Michigan DNR deer regulations, as it can be difficult to identify a doe from a buck while in the field, aside from the presence of antlers. Often, hunters who tag an antlered doe do not find out it is a female until they go to field dress their kill.
Antlered does are uncommon as they occur only at a rate of 0.104% according to Deer and Deer Hunting. However, there is the ability to find hermaphroditic white-tails, which do not possess the ability to carry young and have both female and male organs, which can be hard to identify. A pseudohermaphrodite (cryptorchid) has internal male organs, which can be hard to identify if a hunter does not know what to look for. Most antlered does that are reported are expected to be a case of a hermaphroditic deer rather than a true antlered doe.
A 1960 report in the Journal of Mammalogy by Haugen et al. recognizes that most antlered does are fertile females with velvet year-round. The presence of antlers on a doe is due to heightened testosterone levels in the body, according to Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. One sign of an antlered doe is that their antlers do not drop and regrow like those of a buck and remain velveted. The shedding of velvet naturally occurs in bucks when testosterone levels rise, however, hermaphrodites and antlered does may not reach these levels of rising testosterone for the process to take place.
Although most hunters are unlikely to come by a doe with antlers, the kill should be reported correctly. It is best practice to tag your game immediately before taking any photos and report the game within the 72-hour time required by the Michigan DNR for harvest reporting. More information can be found in the 2025 Deer Regulations Summary or by calling your local DNR Wildlife Division office.
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