Ask The Biologist

Whitetails can get all sorts of bumps, lumps and bruises.

QUESTION: Do you have any idea what this lump is or what might have caused it? — Robert

ANSWER: It could be any number of things, the most likely being a subcutaneous fibroma (basically, a benign tumor) or possibly the result of an injury, perhaps from an antler tine or a well-placed hoof.

However, shortly after receiving your question, I came upon a social media post from a bowhunter who arrowed a buck and did not recover it, but had another opportunity the following year and shot it. While butchering the deer, the processor found his broadhead from the previous year. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility this is a healed-over bullet or arrow wound.

Plug the Hole: Focus on the deer requirements in least abundance to set your property apart.
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