All photos this post, M. Gould9 October, 2009
Our son-in-law is a hunter and a keen observer of wildlife. Most days he carries his camera in his work van. Today, leaving a service call in town, he saw this doe, a mule deer, crunching on an antler dislodged from an "antler work" gate post that was in some disrepair. Shed antlers or antlers from hunters' kill are often collected and used to build gates or arches, as well as being cut and used for unique drawer pulls or secured to coat or hat racks.
M. has seen sections of antler in the wilderness, chewed, as he imagined, only by squirrels or other small rodents. Odd as it seems, the deer obviously was nibbling and consuming the antler, perhaps as a source of calcium.
When M. first spotted her--and before he could grab the camera--she stood eyeing him with the antler hanging from her mouth, rather like a dog caught with a steak bone.
I've read about this happening over here, but never seen it. It is, I believe, for the calcium content. Takes some chewing though!
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