Neck swelling?

[ucfireman]

What causes a bucks neck to swell?
Is it the increased muscle mass from carrying the weight of the antlers? And rubbing trees? Kind of like working out.
Or is it an underlying hormone thing?
What would be the purpose? Does the increase protect vessels in the neck or something? Is it more attractive to the does? Like a peacock tail.


Things that made me go mmmm?

 

[Semi-Pro]

It ain't the weight, that spike I killed was all swollen up already.

 

[DrK]

Testosterone

 

[Core Lokt]

The neck is a muscle. Working it out daily (rubbing trees etc) builds muscle mass and strengthens for fighting. Testosterone levels as they increase have a little to do with too.

A good read and not too long

Some deer hunting myths will live forever

Want to know when the rut is going to start? Plenty of advice - and contrary research - on that.

www.al.com

 

[chrislibby88]

I think it’s kinda all of the above. High testosterone and working them out on trees and other bucks. I believe, but can’t confirm, that they carry extra fluid in their neck tissue, probably directed by hormones, similar to pregnant women retaining a lot of extra fluid.

Definitely muscle mass too though. And I’m sure does prefer a buff necked buck, like human women generally prefer men with muscular upper bodies.

 

[ucfireman]

So if testosterone causes neck swelling in bucks, does that mean the guys running around with fat necks have higher testosterone?
Off topic, just

The neck is a muscle. Working it out daily (rubbing trees etc) builds muscle mass and strengthens for fighting. Testosterone levels as they increase have a little to do with too.

A good read and not too long

Some deer hunting myths will live forever

Want to know when the rut is going to start? Plenty of advice - and contrary research - on that.

www.al.com

So this lead me to believe its mostly muscle mass increase.

 

[chrislibby88]

So if testosterone causes neck swelling in bucks, does that mean the guys running around with fat necks have higher testosterone?
Off topic, just


So this lead me to believe its mostly muscle mass increase.

Genetics have a lot to do with it, but guys that bald early usually have higher test levels, and most of the bald guys I know are built thicker. Not all, but most.

We also don’t have seasonal hormone fluctuations like deer do. But if you had two guys wrestle saplings for an hour every day and one was getting more testosterone than the other, the guy receiving test would develop larger muscles faster than the natural guy.

 

[johnpoulan83]

What causes a bucks neck to swell?
Is it the increased muscle mass from carrying the weight of the antlers? And rubbing trees? Kind of like working out.
Or is it an underlying hormone thing?
What would be the purpose? Does the increase protect vessels in the neck or something? Is it more attractive to the does? Like a peacock tail.


Things that made me go mmmm?

Testosterone, least that’s what the “experts” say

 

[Core Lokt]

So if testosterone causes neck swelling in bucks, does that mean the guys running around with fat necks have higher testosterone?
Off topic, just


So this lead me to believe its mostly muscle mass increase.

Google it and find out.

 

[ScLowCountry]

Google it and find out.

I hope you don't ever ask any questions on this forum lol.

Most questions can be answered via Google. He may want everyone's opinion and wants to start some discussion. Gotta have posts to keep the forum going

 

[Dutch]

During the rut, bucks are flooded with testosterone which is a natural response to does entering heat.

At the same time, during the rut, bucks also participate in the following activities:

• Creating rubs
• Fighting for dominance or mating rights (usually older, mature bucks)
• Sparring to determine dominance (usually younger bucks)

All that activity is in addition to carrying the weight of a rack.

Testosterone in animals has a similar effect that it does in humans. When humans exercise specific muscles, those muscles increase in size and strength.

The same thing occurs with whitetail bucks. The flood of testosterone, in combination with all the activities that work the neck muscle, causes those neck muscles to grow.
When the rut ends, a buck’s testosterone level returns to a normal range. That reduction in testosterone, combined with the reduced level of neck muscle activity, causes the buck’s neck to return to its standard size.

MSU deer lab.

 

[livinoutdoors]

^^^thats it right thar.^^^^^
Bucks get ta workin out and at the same time get pumped full o roids. All to help with the fighting im sure. I doubt the dang does care what the bucks neck looks like since they runnin away half the time.

 

[Dutch]

^^^thats it right thar.^^^^^
Bucks get ta workin out and at the same time get pumped full o roids. All to help with the fighting im sure. I doubt the dang does care what the bucks neck looks like since they runnin away half the time.

Don't you know that does get all excited over a buck thats a gym rat/cross-trainer.
And if his rack is over 180" and he makes 500k acorns a year is a guarantee love at 1st sight with a doe.

 

[GSUQUAD]

Once this time comes around bucks are swollen up with muscle due to a once a year build up and abundance of testosterone. Just like a body builder in the gym taking steroids.

They have pencil necks in the summer because during that part of the cycle they have the lowest testosterone they have all year.

It’s why they get along so well with each other in summer and why they beat the snot out of each other in fall and chase tail.

It’s also why they make mistakes and get killed. I’m sure many of you can relate to being a young man making terrible mistakes over a female at the height of your virility.