One of these things is not like the other...

Over the course of the year, several different White-tailed Deer bucks have appeared on my trail cameras.  While looking at the pictures last night I noticed several sets from September that seem to show the same buck on multiple dates.  These  two sets of pictures date from 06 September and 16 September.  There is one major difference in the photos.  See if you can spot it. (Click on each photo to see a larger image.)

Set #1 (06 September)

Set #2 (16 September)

 

Did you notice the difference?  Here are two of the images cropped down to show it.

In the first picture, the buck's antlers are hung with tattered bloody velvet.  He is in the process of rubbing off the soft velvet that fed blood to his antlers as they developed.  By the end of August or beginning of September the antler is full developed and hardened.  At this point the deer will begin to rub off the velvet on small trees.  The velvet is still soft and peels off the antler.  The shedding velvet may bleed, but it is not painful for the deer.