Ask the Biologist

Have a question regarding deer or deer biology?  Below are some questions posed by visitors and answered by branch biologist, Dick Henry.  If your question isn’t listed, feel free to submit a new question using the link below.

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1. Last year I harvested a deer that had several hard black growths in and on its skin. What causes this?
2. Is a spike buck always going to be a spike buck ?

1. Rating: +4

   

   Last year I harvested a deer that had several hard black growths in and on its skin. What causes this?

   What you saw is called a "fibroma" or "papilloma". It is a hairless external black or grey tumor that is caused by a virus transmitted into the skin of the deer when it is bitten by an insect, most commonly a deer fly. They are attached to the surface of the skin and are generally not a problem for the deer unless they become infected (rare) or become so numerous that they interfere with the deer's vision, locomotion or eating.

   Fibromas are not contagious and cannot be transfered to humans or pets. While grotesque and unsightly, fibromas also do not affect the meat and should generally just be cut off at the surface of the skin and discarded before butching the deer. The attachment of the fibroma often recedes and I've seen them in late spring where they appear to be hanging by a stalk. Interestingly, the virus that causes cutaneous fibromas appear to be specfic to deer and are not observed in cattle, horses or other livestock.

   Don't let it spoil your deer hunt !

2. Rating: +3

   

   Is a spike buck always going to be a spike buck ?

   “Once a spike, always a spike” was a common refrain I heard when going afield with my deer hunting elders in Ulster County in the late1950’s. Nothing could be farther from the truth - a yearling buck with spike antlers is similar to a 12-year-old boy…an energetic, excitable and highly mobile individual with a lot of growing that needs to occur to his physical stature before he reaches maturity.

   Spike bucks in New York State are almost always a yearling deer and are not destined to be spikes if they survive to future hunting seasons.

   For more on this answer, read my blog: Once a spike, always a spike