Hunter Photographs Rare Three Antlered Deer

As the wife of an avid hunter, I can appreciate a beautiful set of antlers.

When I first came across this deer I didn't even notice what was special about him.

In this picture, his antlers blend a bit in the trees and frankly, I wasn't expecting him to have three antlers.

Yup, that's right this deer has three antlers.

Lindberg lives in Marquette Michigan and this is where he saw this unique deer. In his Facebook post, he says

Five days before rifle season for Whitetail Deer and look who I get to see, along with his girlfriend. A three antlered, nine or twelve point buck (depending if you want to count the two little tines on the right antler, and the small tine on the left antler), I don't recall ever seeing a three antlered deer before.

Here is another picture he took of this beautiful and unique deer.

Isn't he gorgeous?

According to an article I found from the University of Missouri there are a variety of reasons why a deer may have nontypical antlers.

White-tailed deer may grow deformed antlers as a result of an injury. Leg, pedicle and velvet injuries can all lead to antler deformations. Depending on the type and severity of the injury, these antler deformations may be temporary or permanent. Nontypical antler growth can be caused by genetic predisposition to abnormal branching, which is typically seen on both antlers.

I'm not sure why this particular deer has three antlers, but I DO know that I am thankful that Lindberg had his camera with him when he went for a walk.