What follows is a complicated process of hormone release and changes in the deer s body to enable the rapid transfer of nutrients and minerals to the growing antlers. This process continues until late summer when a sharp increase in the male hormone, testosterone, stimulates antler hardening and velvet shedding. However, they are not the only minerals present. Lesser amounts of other minerals were found including potassium, barium, iron, aluminum, zinc, strontium, and manganese. Other than calcium and phosphorous, little is known about the role of these other minerals in antler growth.
Clearly minerals are important in antler development.
However, these body sources of calcium and phosphorous provide only a portion of that needed for optimum antler growth. The remainder must come directly from their diet while their antlers are actively growing. Therefore, supplementation of these minerals prior to and during antler growth may be beneficial. While deer have the ability to stockpile calcium and phosphorous, this is not true for the majority of other minerals found in antlers. As in humans, many trace minerals such as barium, aluminum, zinc, and strontium are toxic in large quantities and must be excreted from the deer s body.