Mean (±s.d.) data for sets of whole antlers (left beam) cut on different dates (1-4) and the cut surface sealed. The antlers were left to open-air temperature and humidity under cover from rainfall and direct sunlight until the following April, after the usual casting date. Antlers were dried at the end of the experiment in an oven to assess final humidity. Most antlers in sets 1 and 3 (and some of those in set 2) also had their right beams used to assess water content in cortical and trabecular parts, and for mechanical testing. Antler cleaning or velvet shedding happens in the experimental farm around the 20th August (Gaspar-López et al., 2008).

Different superscript letters in a row show statistical significance with regard to the last set of antlers assessed in a general linearised model (GLM; F statistic and probability shown in last column). n.s., not significant.