Predicting antler growth....
Whitetail Deer
Contributors to this thread:
I am selecting whitetail deer, because I HAD to pick a category. However, what I really want to ask my fellow Bowsiters is this....I am estimating that visible antler growth probably starts to occur in April. It probably ends in August (early September at the very latest).
I would like to get input on what percentage of growth occurs in each month. Something like April - 5%, May - 15%, June 32.5%, July - 32.5%, August 15%. I imagine that some of the deer farms have very specific breakdowns of this info...I just don't ever remember seeing any specifics.
I have a few bucks near a foodplot that I just recently created....and I am trying to get a feel for what additional growth I can expect from them, before they are "hard horned". Right now, I am estimating that they are approaching the halfway point on their total growth for this season....anyone have opinions (or better yet, facts) to share?
Also wondering if you believe that the monthly percentage breakdowns are consistent for all antlered game? Moose vs caribou vs elk vs deer...etc?
It seems like July is the big month for growth in TN. Right now my deer are only about 30% (if I had to guess) complete. I don't think you will get any concrete answers to this question... just to many variables, but I share your interest in this subject.
Interesting that you brought this topic up as I was wondering the exact same thing and actually private messaged someone on bowsite about it as well. I would suspect that each area experiences different growth percentages. This is the first year that I have been running trail cameras year round, normally I put my cameras out in the beginning part of August where the deer for the most part in my area are finished growing. I have one buck in particular which I had huge hopes for this year. I knew he needed atleast another year but he was a main frame 8 point last year but with additional inline points and a split brow, for a total of 13 points. This year he is hitting my mineral almost daily and now has two split brows, with all 4 of the brows being 3-4" long and his main beams are ear width wide. He is starting his G-2's but I would have expected him to be much farther along at this point, but again this is going off of no real hard experience from years past. I do have other bucks on camera which are already starting their G-3's so maybe this particular buck is a late bloomer or maybe he wont turn out to be what I expected. I sure hope he blows up over the next month and a half though!
I have no real data, but out west where things can really dry up early, you see some elk that have tremendous early growth, ( I have one with 1's and 2's between 20 and 22 inches and then the 5's are only about 6 inches.
Deer are individuals and antler growth is at different rates... Some could be in earlier stages of development while others in later stages of development all in the same bachelor group... There are plenty of picture out there to collaborate...
Same with shedding antlers, some shed earlier than most while some might shed later than most...
Pat, your pictures are certainly making me feel better about the potential of the buck I am looking at. I will keep track of him and post pictures down the road to show his development.
The Kid's Link
A great study done by Mississippi State that shows the progression in a week by week case on a couple of different bucks!
StickFlicker's Link
Here's a study done by University of Missouri.
StickFlicker's Link
I would be fairly certain that the peaks in antler growth will vary by region, mimicking the breeding seasons differences in particular areas. Northern regions breeding seasons are earlier than Southern areas, so I would guess that antler development cycles have adapted to coincide with these regional adaptations to weather, and antlers would develop later in the year for Southern climates. For the Coues whitetail deer, their antlers develop much later than other species of whitetails, and aren't polished until late September to early October here in Arizona. Per the attached full article linked here:
"Just as the breeding season for Coues is 6-8 weeks later than that for other subspecies of whitetail, the antler cycle is similarly delayed. For Coues deer, antler growth happens from June-September. During that time, the antlers are covered with “velvet”...In Arizona, Coues deer typically polish their antlers from late September to mid-October...After the breeding season, hormonal changes cause the antlers to drop off. In Arizona, that antler drop typically occurs in April and May..."
I look at the bases for mass.
This is exactly the type of info I was hoping to receive....thx
Cool photos, Pat.....if you need help learning how to set the date and time on your trail cameras, ask FNG for help.....LOL
"I look at the bases for mass."
Yep Charlie, me too...
The Kid - Good linky of the study done by Mississippi State, thanks for sharing...
The thing is different deer are different. It seems to me I have observed older mature bucks finish their growing before some of the younger ones. They don't all stop and start at the same time. I've had pics of deer and thought "Oh man he's this big in June, I can't imagine what he'll be by the end of August, and then that particular buck pretty much stops growing first half of July. Thing with that buck was I was looking at his rack thinking it didn't really have any more "stubbed" ends so I was wondering where the growth would come from.
Bottom line I don't think you can attribute any model to a specific deer unless you have watched the growth cycle of that individual buck, as I bet he has a similar growth patter year after year - but that is just a guess. I do know that I have seen some deer finish growing in early/mid July and others putting on inches in late August in the same field.
Pat,
The most noticeable observation of your photos (for me, at any rate) is that the buck seems to grow the majority of his main beam first. Tine length occurs later in the growth period, as opposed to the entire antler growing proportionally throughout the growth period. Did that buck make it through the winter? Is he your new #1 or #2?
A friend of mine had a great buck over at a property he hunts in Iowa a few years back and it's a nice example of growth on a pretty top end buck. We figured he was 5-1/2 years old the year of these pictures - he made it through and really fell off the next year. Anyways, hopefully you guys enjoy these pics.
Todd,
Those are some really cool photos. Thanks for posting. In this particular case, the buck really seems to have completed the vast majority of his antler growth by the end of July....the August photo didn't really show that much additional growth.
I agree - it looks like this buck had the most growth during the current time of the year that we're in right now, late June through mid July.
I'm actually glad I did this because I have a few deer on the farm this year that I felt looked ok, but nothing great. They seem to have G-3's that are close to what this buck had on June 20 so maybe there is hope for them after-all! It seems like it usually gets really fun to check the cameras after the 4th of July...
I believe APauls is correct. I've been told by game biologists that the larger bull elk develop and polish out earlier so that they have an advantage in collecting cows into harems before they have to complete with the younger bulls. This helps the larger bulls pass on their genes. This might hold true of the other deer species as well, to some degree, although mule deer tend to be more nomadic in breeding does and don't stay with a group of does for very long.
Pat - not that I'm aware of. There was a buck the following year that I believe was him but not nearly as big of a frame - lots of mass and funky brows. I'll see if I can dig up a pic when I get home.
Todd,
If he did decline the following year, based on the links that have been provided, he is probably older than 6 1/2 years.
Jake, I wish I had the pictures here but I had two bucks running together last summer with lots of pictures as they progressed. Buck #1 was a young buck, but an outstanding tall and wide 8. He took off with his growth on a fast and furious rate and was honestly done growing by mid-July. Buck #2 was an older deer that his growth was lagging way behind, but about the same time buck 1 was finishing up this guy really started to take off. If I get time later I will try to find some pictures for you.
Matt
i had a couple bucks last year this was in july
Jake -
Not trying to hijack the tread, so sorry if you're past this buck but I wanted to share what he looked like the previous year. We figured him for a 3-1/2 year old in 2011, but when he blew up in 2012 we figured no way was he a 4-1/2 year old. Actually we were really wondering what he'd turn into in 2013, but when he feel off (pic is on my work comp and I'll post tomorrow) we thought we were probably a year off. 2013 was a drought year around us so maybe that had something to do with it.
Todd,
You're not hijacking the thread at all. I am fascinated at the photos that some people are sharing.....and the variability of the outcomes is intriguing. Since deer age affects antler outcome, it has to be considered as well.
This was in August of last year!
Jake -
Here he is the following year. I guess he didn't fall off quite as much as I remember, but he wasn't near what he was the year before. It's fun to watch them grow from year to year, you never know what they're going to turn into.
LOL.....if my local deer would "fall off" to what you are observing, I'd be thrilled!!
Well, the problem is we haven't seen one like him since then...
Jake -
Not trying to hijack the tread, so sorry if you're past this buck but I wanted to share what he looked like the previous year. We figured him for a 3-1/2 year old in 2011, but when he blew up in 2012 we figured no way was he a 4-1/2 year old. Actually we were really wondering what he'd turn into in 2013, but when he feel off (pic is on my work comp and I'll post tomorrow) we thought we were probably a year off. 2013 was a drought year around us so maybe that had something to do with it.
Here's a series of photos showing different growth rates of deer in the same area. The tall 8 was pretty much done by mid-July. One of the others grew into Early August and the drop tine buck grew into mid-August (I don't have any of the later pics).
Great "time lapse pics", bucks and info!
TMA1010,
What a buck....if no one got him at least he's passing on the genetics!
Mark
Rhett Parish - no way! That's the Mitch Rompola buck! :) :)
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