The bull (male) elk are beginning to drop their antlers—a yearly occurrence that happens a few months after breeding season due to a decrease in testosterone.

Antlers drop annually in late winter, typically January through March. The dropped antlers are called “sheds,” and the process does not hurt the buck. From spring to summer, the antlers regrow and are usually larger than the previous year.

Here is one at the North Carolina Zoo.

Elk Looking Up

Elk