MONROE COUNTY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation has confirmed that a 16-point deer harvested in Monroe County is an antlered doe. Finding a female deer with antlers is possibly rarer than one in 5,000.
Director of Conservation for the Quality Deer Management Association tells the Clarion Ledger that this can happen when the female deer have a hormonal imbalance. Too much testosterone can cause the doe to grow antlers.
Monroe County Agent Jessica Filla confirmed the catch in Missouri. She met with Samuel Perotti who shot the deer on his property. He has more pictures of the deer from his game camera, according to a Facebook post.
Illinois Outdoor News reports that finding a female deer with antlers this developed is odd. It may mean that the doe is a hermaphrodite or has severe reproductive problems.