Horn-touching time is almost here. Now, by horns, I mean deer antlers – and before you unleash a storm of emails and letters on your humble outdoors scribe, I know antlers are different from horns.
Antlers are grown by the male members of the deer family (Cervidae, which includes caribou, deer, elk and moose), while horns are grown by various other ungulates (hoofed mammals such as cattle, goats, sheep and, in the wild, a large array of antelope-related critters). Horns are generally permanent; most antlers are shed annually and regrown.
Got all that? There will be a quiz later.
Just in case you don’t know, most deer hunters are obsessed with deer horns (antlers). We love to look at them, touch them and compare them to others, and we spend entirely too much time contemplating how to bring home a big buck all of our buddies will envy.
Why are deer hunters like this? I am not sure. Sometimes when we are having these in-depth discussions I will relate back to the ancient hunters huddled around the fire, roasting a big hunk of the herbivore they skewered that day to feed themselves and their families.