Most of the injuries come from when the bucks try to use their antlers to scratch a hard to get at itch. They forget they aren't hard, so when they scratch, the tips get damaged. I have seen them try to scratch around their nuts and such many times, with their antlers. They do it very carefully and precisely, but they sure do know how to pinpoint the itch.
I have hunted a couple of areas where the deer get a lot of lice in their "nether regions". All the bucks I have seen use the tips of their antlers year round to get at the little critters biting them. They are very good at it. I suspect this is where a lot of the tips get damaged. Flinch
