Cyst or Something Else?
Filed under: Ask Grant, Deer Biology
I live within smelling distance of Lamberts on 65 and J/CC in Ozark, Missouri. I have two big bucks using my woodlot behind my house and have had a tube feeder and a camera out for about two months. I have also had a doe with two fawns and a forked horn. The forked horn has a very distinctive growth on his back. It looks like someone put a big bottle cap on him because it is perfectly round and raised. It is reddish in color. Is this a cyst of some sort? Tom
Tom,
Deer are usually extremely healthy. However a small percentage of them do have illness or injuries. The growth you described could be the result of an illness or an injury. It’s tough to say without close inspection. If you are blessed enough to continue watching that deer, it will be interesting to see if the growth goes away, enlarges, or remains the same size.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
