Antler lesson...

After having a conversation with the wifey a month or so ago I decide there are misconceptions about a deers antlers.

They do not keep them for life. Every Jan-March the bucks will loose their antlers and begin growing new ones in the Spring. There are 3 basic things that enable good antler growth:

 a. Age - most deer killed every year are about 1 1/2 years old. The HUGE deer you see with
 big racks are usually 4 1/2 years or older. What happens with bucks is that alot of the
 calcium used early in life is for the skeletal system and by age 4 that is mostly done.
 Therefore, after age 4 you will see dramatic increases in antler growth. That it why I
 don't shoot younger bucks - but that is just me. Who knows how big all those 1 1/2 year
 olds would have been? Best buck management is not to pull the trigger.

 b. Nutrition - If a deer doesn't have the nutrition in needs to sustain good antler growth or milk
 needed for fawns in the Spring the deer will not reach its full potential. You would
 think that Indina with all its farming would be an easy place for deer to live and
 reach its full potential - not totally true. Although they do have beans/corn it is
 usually harvested and gone. That leaves Nov - March with forage that is
 sometimes lacking.  Deer survive pretty well, but to have a plan that supplies
 365 days of nutrition is needed to help them reach all they can be. Supliments can
 can help too. Not rock salt - deer are different than cattle. But make sure you
 don't hunt over it - a boo boo according to the regs.

 c. Genetics - Letting a buck get older and giving it all it needs for antler mass is all good BUT
 a deer can only reach its full pontential with how it is genetically programed. An
 eight pointer will usually only be an 8.....

Nothing we can do about genetics really, unless you have tons of acreage and take out some bucks that
lack what you want. But we can give them year round nutrition and let them walk and get older. Most people can't do that - to each their own. If I am taking out a new hunter and he has a shot a any deer, he/she has the green light. For me - I would rather shoot does than a small buck. Sometimes those old does are harder anyway.

There is more that I may post later.