JACKSON, Wyo. — Velvet antler season is in full swing in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and this bull moose is rocking an impressive set.
Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer glimpsed this moose in early September.
Moose antlers grow from April or May until August, according to Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Beginning as small bumps called pedicles on each side of the forehead, the antlers enlarge until they are knobs. The knobs change into antlers and grow until August.
Yearlings grow six- to eight-inch forked antlers; prime adult bulls usually grow the largest antlers—as wide as five feet from tip to tip.
As with other members of the deer family, growing moose antlers are covered with a thick fuzz, referred to as velvet. According to YNP, the velvet is actually skin with a network of blood vessels. Blood flowing in the skin deposits calcium that creates the antler. Usually around early August, further hormonal changes signal the end of antler growth, and the bull begins scraping the velvet off, polishing and sharpening the antlers in the process. It can be a gory display.
Bulls usually shed their antlers in late December to late January, although young bulls can retain their antlers as late as March. Shedding their heavy antlers helps moose conserve energy and promotes easier winter survival, according to YNP.
