Key Technical Points and Operation Methods for Velvet Antler Sawing in Sika Deer

1. Timing of Velvet Antler Sawing
Because the entire antler harvesting season falls in midsummer, after verifying the sika deer to be harvested on the previous evening, saw the velvet antlers early the next morning before the morning feeding. At this time, the sika deer are in a fasting state and the environment is quiet, which facilitates the recovery of the sawed deer and the processing, preservation, and drying of the velvet antlers after sawing. The harvesting time should be appropriate; harvesting too early or too late both affect the velvet antler yield of sika deer. It is suitable to harvest three-branch antlers at 65-70 days and four-branch antlers at 75-80 days.
2. Sawing Position
After the sika deer is restrained, a specially made antler saw should be used to saw at 1.5-2.0 cm above the pearl disk. The saw cut plane should be kept parallel to the pearl disk, and the horn base should not be damaged; otherwise, the foundation for regenerating velvet antlers will be destroyed. The sawed velvet antlers are weighed and registered, then sent to the processing room for processing.
3. Hemostasis
Commonly used hemostatic drugs include: Qili San and zinc chloride in equal halves, mixed evenly and ground into powder for later use. Qili San and loess are stir-fried until dry and then ground into powder for later use.
Common hemostasis methods: Divide the hemostatic powder into several even portions and place them on thick paper pieces. After sawing the velvet antlers, use your hand to support the thick paper piece and press the powder onto the saw cut, then twist and press with your hand to spread the powder evenly over the saw cut. When the first-cut antler has grown to 3 cm, cut longitudinally from the top with a knife for 1.6-1.9 cm, which can greatly increase the velvet antler yield. If some sika deer bleed severely, after evenly twisting and pressing the hemostatic powder onto the saw cut, cover the saw cut with a small plastic sheet and tie it at the horn base with straw rope to stop the bleeding. The plastic sheet and fine straw rope can be removed within 24 hours. Be careful not to leave them on too long, as this may cause necrosis of the horn base and loss of velvet antler growth capacity. There are also certain tricks for tying the velvet antler hemostasis rope. When tying the ligature rope, tie on a piece of cloth the size of manuscript paper so that it blocks the deer's line of sight on one side. When the rope needs to be untied, because the deer cannot see, approach quietly and pull the long end of the ligature rope to untie it. This avoids the trouble of failing to untie it in one attempt.
After sawing the velvet antlers is completed, for sika deer restrained by the mechanical restraint method, release the restraint device and let the sika deer out. Sika deer anesthetized with Succinylcholine can be allowed to wake up naturally; sika deer anesthetized with Mian Naining can only be awakened with Huisuling, or can also be allowed to wake up naturally.