Sometimes, the most useful deer hunting tips have to do with herd management. To prize hunters, the goal is to harvest a deer with big antlers. We aspire to one day get that huge rack. All of us hear about and tell each other tales of huge antlers; points, spread, diameter, length of tine... However, do you know what really makes a difference in regards to antler size?
There are three main factors that decide the overall size of a buck's antlers.
1. Heredity
2. What The Deer Has To Eat
3. How Old The Deer Is
Genetics determine the potential size of the antlers. Science has verified that antler size is an inherited trait among deer. Of course hunters always knew this. Game managers will sometimes limit the size of the antler that is allowed to be harvested to maintain the quality of the herd. By restricting the number of genetically superior kills, the inferior herd is culled and the gene pool is allowed to "antler up" as a result. Though the theory behind this practice is sound, the benefit of the strategy is sometimes questioned because effective culling of the herd is often not effective when related to overall population.
Nutrition or what a deer has to eat is another factor affecting the size of a deers antlers. Even if a deer has superior genetics, when there are not enough nutrients available for the deer to eat, the antlers will never reach their full size. Experienced hunters will tell you about seasons when drought caused foliage and food sources to be scarce. They will also attest how these conditions made it impossible to find any deer with huge racks. In order for deer to reach their full antler producing potential, they need adequate nutrition throughout the entire year. Due to the fact that most of the antler growth occurs during the spring and summer time, nutrition through this period is the most important. This means that when foraging conditions are poor during the spring and summer months, antler growth will be limited. However, if time and energy are put into habitat management, adequate nutrition and foraging will be made more likely. There are many times that supplemental feeding is needed.
The last thing that affect antler size is age. However, age does not have as much of an effect on antler size as genetics or nutrition do. A deer reaches maturity at around 3 years of age. Usually antler size potential increases throughout the first few years of life. It continues to increase some during the fourth through sixth year. However, the actual growth rate and size depend on the breed of deer and the deers genetics. For this reason deer under four years of age should typically not be harvested. I can still hear my father complain when the people on the farm next door shot a two year old buck. My dad would always state with frustration that "That deer still had milk on its breath." It is recommended that young bucks be allowed to mature fully before being harvested. If you are at a point where you need venison, but can't seem to get a mature buck, then you should harvest a doe. You will see the benefit of this during the next season of hunting.
There are three main factors that decide the overall size of a buck's antlers.
1. Heredity
2. What The Deer Has To Eat
3. How Old The Deer Is
Genetics determine the potential size of the antlers. Science has verified that antler size is an inherited trait among deer. Of course hunters always knew this. Game managers will sometimes limit the size of the antler that is allowed to be harvested to maintain the quality of the herd. By restricting the number of genetically superior kills, the inferior herd is culled and the gene pool is allowed to "antler up" as a result. Though the theory behind this practice is sound, the benefit of the strategy is sometimes questioned because effective culling of the herd is often not effective when related to overall population.
Nutrition or what a deer has to eat is another factor affecting the size of a deers antlers. Even if a deer has superior genetics, when there are not enough nutrients available for the deer to eat, the antlers will never reach their full size. Experienced hunters will tell you about seasons when drought caused foliage and food sources to be scarce. They will also attest how these conditions made it impossible to find any deer with huge racks. In order for deer to reach their full antler producing potential, they need adequate nutrition throughout the entire year. Due to the fact that most of the antler growth occurs during the spring and summer time, nutrition through this period is the most important. This means that when foraging conditions are poor during the spring and summer months, antler growth will be limited. However, if time and energy are put into habitat management, adequate nutrition and foraging will be made more likely. There are many times that supplemental feeding is needed.
The last thing that affect antler size is age. However, age does not have as much of an effect on antler size as genetics or nutrition do. A deer reaches maturity at around 3 years of age. Usually antler size potential increases throughout the first few years of life. It continues to increase some during the fourth through sixth year. However, the actual growth rate and size depend on the breed of deer and the deers genetics. For this reason deer under four years of age should typically not be harvested. I can still hear my father complain when the people on the farm next door shot a two year old buck. My dad would always state with frustration that "That deer still had milk on its breath." It is recommended that young bucks be allowed to mature fully before being harvested. If you are at a point where you need venison, but can't seem to get a mature buck, then you should harvest a doe. You will see the benefit of this during the next season of hunting.
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Please use these deer hunting tips to help you during your upcoming deer hunting season. And please check out www.Deer-HuntingTips.com for even more advanced deer hunting tips.
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