Watch a deer’s antlers fly off as it aggressively itches, Vermont video shows

The awkward moment a buck’s antlers fly off was caught by a trail camera in Vermont, and it apparently scared the poor deer half to death.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife shared the footage Jan. 7, calling it “spectacular and unique,” despite a less than optimal angle (it’s recorded from behind).

“Watch closely – it happens fast,” state officials advise in the Facebook post.

The 15-second video shows an 8-point buck at first scratching itself with a back leg, then shaking its head vigorously, as if trying to rid itself of a bug.

That’s when its antlers suddenly fly off and the startled deer bolts away.

Bucks are known to annually grow and shed their large sets of antlers, which serve for sparring and “to attract female deer for mating,” according to Sciencing.com.

The footage is dated Jan. 4 at 1:43 a.m. and was recorded in Northfield, Vermont, on the property of Ann Sivori, officials said.

Sivori says she is not a hunter, but went out and found the antlers in the snow for display on her mantel, according to a Facebook post. Northfield is about 10 miles south of the state capital of Montpelier.

“There is a crab apple tree in that area and he (he buck) was eating the apples that had fallen,” Sivori wrote on Facebook post. “I’m very aware of where the animals on our property frequent and have been using trail cameras since 2015.”

The video has been viewed 130,000 times and hundreds have commented, many calling it “a once in a lifetime video shot.”

“As a(n) outdoor person and a hunter, never seen that before,” posted Lynn Barrows on Facebook.

“Looks like he scared himself doing it, too,” Nancy Dinardo wrote.

“Amazing footage of the something most of us will never get to see!” Deborah Hyjek said.

This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Watch a deer’s antlers fly off as it aggressively itches, Vermont video shows."