# 28-pt. Doe



## AR Cattails (Dec 22, 2005)

Deer Hunter Kills a Rare 28-Point Doe



November 19, 2006--Posted at 1:15 pm CST

Sarcoxie, MO - A Missouri deer hunter is getting some odd looks when he tells people about his latest kill: a 28-point doe.

Part of the shock is because the male bucks normally grow antlers; not the does. Also surprising is the size of the antlers. One estimate tallied up this doe with 28 points. Each point represents an antler that branches out one inch or more from the deer's head. 

An official with the Missouri Department of Conservation called a deer with 28 points a very rare occurrence. 

The hunter, Howard Becker, says he was within sight of his home when he shot the doe. And he says that is where he's preserving the antlers and hide.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


I've never heard of a doe with antlers. Anyone else?


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## posifour11 (Feb 27, 2003)

i've read about one a few years ago, i think it was in north american hunter magazine. if i remember correctly she was nontypical as well.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Ive heard of a lot of them but its still very rare


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

I once shot a whitetail doe with a 5" spike on one side, in the velvet. That's a far cry from a 28 pointer.


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## MaineFarmMom (Dec 29, 2002)

AR Cattails said:


> I've never heard of a doe with antlers. Anyone else?


My BIL and one of his friends were hunting in down east Maine last week. The friend shot a six point doe. She was in "velvet," which is actually hair that does not shed like velvet.


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## tyusclan (Jan 1, 2005)

I have heard of them, but they are rare. A distant cousin of mine shot one about 30 years ago. It wasn't a 28 pointer, but she did have a decent rack.


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## HeatherDriskill (Jun 28, 2005)

That's like a hermaprodite deer! Ha, ha...That's hilarious. Or, is it more like a woman with a moustache?


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## countryboy01974 (Oct 19, 2004)

i've got a magazine name of it is weird whitetails that has a article about a doe with antlers that was killed in fulton co. illinois in 92 .she weighed 350 lb and had 23 points. nearly all of the top of her head is covered in horn. acording to the article all deer are born with the pedicles in there head to grow antlers but unless there exposed to testosterone while there a fetus they do not grow antlers but when a doe has twins and one is buck and one is a doe it can cause the doe fetus to be exposed to the testosterone and she will grow antlers the rest of her life.it occurs in like 1 percent of deer they think. they don't know for sure what testing they have done has been on cattle.I'm not sure who they are :shrug: but they pretty much know it all.lol!!


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2006)

Here in Oklahoma you use to buy a buck or doe tag for hunting. But they had to change that to antler or antlerless tags due to a few people harvesting what they thought was a buck but turned out to be a doe.


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

Countryboy:

I have no idea why doe deer might grow horns, but your hypothesis makes sense if deer twins are typically same sex. 

In cattle, if twins are same sex both will be normal, but if they are a bull/heifer pair the heifer is exposed to testosterone in utero and will be born a "freemartin", typically (over 90% of the time) sterile. 

Does anyone know if deer twins are almost always same sex? If they are only rarely a mixed pair the testosterone thing might be the answer. 
Ox


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Oxankle said:


> Does anyone know if deer twins are almost always same sex? If they are only rarely a mixed pair the testosterone thing might be the answer.
> Ox


Deer fawn twins, triplets, and quadruplets may be any combination of sexes. In fact, most twins that I've seen have been a male and female.

Martin


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## MaineFarmMom (Dec 29, 2002)

r.h. in okla. said:


> Here in Oklahoma you use to buy a buck or doe tag for hunting. But they had to change that to antler or antlerless tags due to a few people harvesting what they thought was a buck but turned out to be a doe.


Maine's "doe tag" is actually an antlerless tag. The antlers have to be under a specific size.

I have the doe I mentioned several posts up. I asked to see a picture and was instead given the head and hide. It was dark when it got here last night and is still dark now so I haven't seen it yet.


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## MaineFarmMom (Dec 29, 2002)

http://thymeforewe.com/doe003.jpg


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

Very odd! I googled it and found this link that has the story - and a slide show of the doe to the right of the article. http://images.google.com/imgres?img...images?q=28-Point+Doe&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&sa=G


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## countryboy01974 (Oct 19, 2004)

heres one killed in texas

http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/weirdwhitetails/ww_1004heshe/


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## countryboy01974 (Oct 19, 2004)

done search for what causes antlered does and found this from the mississippi department of wildlife

http://www.mdwfp.com/wildlifeissues/articles.asp?vol=9&article=120


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