The deer in my avatar was a real dark brown color, almost like black walnut. It looks brighter in the pitcure because of the flash. I have quite a few racks hanging in the game room, this one is by far the darkest. I was told by a hunting buddy of mine that this is because he rarely is out during the day, strickly a night walker, In the thick bush during the day. thus no bleaching from the sun. I thought bull#@$%, I always heard it was from the type of tree,bush,ect.. that they did there rubbing on. But now that I look closer at the coloring of my past racks, that the oldest ones are indeed getting bleached or lighter colored by age. Anybody else noticing a change in past trophies or info on this?
I think your original thought of "bullocks" was correct. When a buck sheds his velvet his antlers are bone white and the tips are needle sharp. Any color comes from the sap in the trees he's rubbing. Sap is sticky and then dirt sticks to the sap. We had a buck around here one year that must not have ever rubbed trees as his antlers stayed bone white all hunting season. Gary
what bout genentic's, food/minerials and other varibles in there region....deer with white antlers has to get the velvet off some how....plus when a deer starts to lose it's velvet the antlers are blood stained also......bob
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Sun bleaches the racks. Show me one shed that has been in the sun for more than a year that was dark that is still dark. you will not find one. I have over 150 sheds and not one is still dark. Dark racked deer live in the woods and thick cover not much sun bleaching. Light coloured racked deer live in more open environment where they eat and bed where the sun can reach there racks and bleach them white.
Shotnbeer wrote:Sap. Look at the racks and the what type of woods (trees) are around. Darker racks pines. lighter racks hardwoods.
Sorry but this is not necessarily true. I have seen both dark coloured and white antlers come from the same area (heavy swamp). I have been told by a biologist in the past that this topic is very controversial as to what is correct. But his statement was that most of the colour in the antler was from genetics. That a dark antlered buck probably had a dark antlered father. Just like skin and hair is determined in humans. All factors will add up to determine what the results will be.
Just like years ago many thought that a non typical rack was caused by damage in the velvet, but trail cameras have proven that wrong with pictures from year to year.
Tom
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Shotnbeer wrote:Sap. Look at the racks and the what type of woods (trees) are around. Darker racks pines. lighter racks hardwoods.
Sorry but this is not necessarily true. I have seen both dark coloured and white antlers come from the same area (heavy swamp). I have been told by a biologist in the past that this topic is very controversial as to what is correct. But his statement was that most of the colour in the antler was from genetics. That a dark antlered buck probably had a dark antlered father. Just like skin and hair is determined in humans. All factors will add up to determine what the results will be.
Just like years ago many thought that a non typical rack was caused by damage in the velvet, but trail cameras have proven that wrong with pictures from year to year.
Well said Tom! Makes total sense and very close to what i was told too!
Shotnbeer wrote:Sap. Look at the racks and the what type of woods (trees) are around. Darker racks pines. lighter racks hardwoods.
Sorry but this is not necessarily true. I have seen both dark coloured and white antlers come from the same area (heavy swamp). I have been told by a biologist in the past that this topic is very controversial as to what is correct. But his statement was that most of the colour in the antler was from genetics. That a dark antlered buck probably had a dark antlered father. Just like skin and hair is determined in humans. All factors will add up to determine what the results will be.
Just like years ago many thought that a non typical rack was caused by damage in the velvet, but trail cameras have proven that wrong with pictures from year to year.
So if you take a dark colored rack and saw it in two it is dark inside? Not. How would genetics make the outside of the rack dark and leave the inside white? And then, after time bleaching in the sun, it goes back to all white. It's bone and it's white like all bone is. C'mon! I was born at night, but not last night. Gary
Truth be told they get 'em colored. Haven't use seen any rack shops in your area? I think it's a combination of the two genetics and rubbing. Antler shape is genetics and diet e.g. one area where we've consistently taken deer w/o brow tines.
I thought bull#@$%, I always heard it was from the type of tree,bush,ect.. that they did there rubbing on. But now that I look closer at the coloring of my past racks, that the oldest ones are indeed getting bleached or lighter colored by age. 
Anybody else noticing a change in past trophies or info on this?
Gary
I think it's a combination of the two genetics and rubbing. Antler shape is genetics and diet e.g. one area where we've consistently taken deer w/o brow tines.