Have you ever seen this? PICS!

[the Ferret]

I have found lots of sheds over the years and most of them are all chewed up. I always believed it was rodents...squirrels, mice etc that chewed them up.

Well I have this pair of elk sheds in the garden in front of the front deck, mere steps from the front of the house.

 

[the Ferret]

a few minutes ago I am photographing a big doe eating out of one of my wife's bird feeders when she walks down in the garden and proceeds to start
chewing on the elk rack!

 

 

[the Ferret]

She actually drug them both out of place while chewing on them, sticking several of the tines deep in her mouth and working them over with her molars. She quit when some other deer came into the yard and she went up to join them. I've been observing deer for nearly 40 years and never seen this behavior, have you?

The evidence

 

I'll never look at a chewed shed the same.

[ber643]

Now that is something - wonder if they all do it or just that this particular doe was "needing/lacking something", like they say about cats and dogs when thjey eat grass.

[vermonster13]

Lots of minerals in those sheds.

[TonyW]

I always thought Bambi was a cannibal, now I know for sure.

[Minuteman]

Takes vitamins and minerals to make 'em so there probably loaded with good fer deer stuff. A natural deer multi- vitamin?

[Bob Barnes]

too cool Mickey.
Bob

[Marvin M.]

Wow!  That's really cool.

I had always heard that rodents would eat them, but never thought about deer doing it.

[Leland]

Great pics!Do you suppose CWD could be spread this way? Leland

[Lost Arra]

I would bet my backyard deer have never seen an elk antler    

Neat pics.

[John Scifres]

Neat.  Do you have a mineral lick nearby?  Looks like she wants one.

[Grant Young]

Calcium salts appeal to just about all mammals especially in the heat like we've been having. I wonder if you could "salt" a traffic area with them in the early season    Grant

[rustyspike]

Those are some really cool photos.

Rich K

[John Krause]

Several years ago I shot a deer and the next day a flock of turkeys were pecking in the gutpile. Whether they were eating the stomach contents or getting a little meat, I don't know.

[knife river]

Deer, coyotes, all kinds of rodents, even cows...  Antlers -- not just for breakfast anymore.  ggg

[deertrax]

This is a pretty well documented behavior. Many of the biological books out there concerning whitetail deer will reference this behavior.

[owlbait]

So hank Parker was over and sprayed it with C'Mere Deer, infomercial to follow    
Cool pics!

[Apex Predator]

Tooth ache maybe?

[jonesy]

Thanks, for the pics.