Antler progression
Whitetail Deer
Contributors to this thread:
I am fortunate to have my own property for the last 8 years and also fortunate to have some pretty good neighbors. This has allowed me to see some bucks “grow up”. Would be curious to know others experience regarding age of bucks and progression of their horn growth. We have been holding off on deer until we thought they were 4+ but I am starting to think we might should manage for 5. Mike
Mike-Much will depend on where you live in TN. Send me a PM with details of where you live and perhaps I can help you. I live in MiddTenn and have been studying TN deer for quite some time. Different areas produce different results and there are "pockets" within areas that are completely different. There is no set formula and results can and do vary within counties. Additionally, if you are not far from me, I may be able to come do a quick survey and give you accurate information-no, I am not angling for an invite to come hunt.
Mike, if you aren’t satisfied killing bucks on your property when they reach 4.5 years old then wait till they turn 5.5 years old. You don’t need a special formula and your deer herd won’t be affected by your decision.
Bill.... Super insightful . Thanks so much! John, I’m actually hunting in KY in Muhlenburg and Caldwell counties. Just looking for others experiences. Are you seeing bucks take jumps in antler growth after 4.5 years. Based on experience at what age are they as big as they are going to get.
Mike
Bill- there is no one answer to that question. Too many factors involved-age-nutrition-genetics-all contribute. In some cases, you may even see a decrease in antler size. Remember, age is only one factor and it is outweighed by nutrition as in soil nutrient content. As for at what age are they at max? That too varies but usually around 7.5 is the maximum.
I get that it depends but there are general rules .... a 3.5 will likely still grow some and a 7.5 is likely pretty much done and could head downhill. Let me be specific... my question is for guys who are managing deer for age.... are you seeing sizable jumps in antler size after 4.5.... to be even more specific.. are you seeing big jumps between 4.5 and 5.5?
Here in Iowa I've seen significant growth between 4 and 5. Again,comes back to what you enjoy and your goals, but regarding size and overall mass-Ive been shocked to see the changes from 4-5.
If you are trying to kill deer at that their max antler size 4.5 is way too early. 7.5 is the generally regarded average but individual deer have their highest scoring set of antlers anywhere from 5.5 - 9.5 years being pretty much the outside of the bell curve not accounting for outliers.
I believe that every farm can have so many variables. There are so many factors that come into antler growth. On our farm, we have seen a lot of bucks flatline with just a few seeing a jump after 4 1/2. I have been baffled by this as our last lease was completely different.
I do feel as though we have lots of deer on our farm and we see lots of buck fights. I believe this leads to a harder winter on rut exhausted bucks, causing their body to retain nutrients to go to body instead of antler growth. This is just a theory/my opinion. Would love to hear what an expert would think of this.
Rain or lack there of in the spring/summer can affect crops and mast. A quality food source is just as important as age or genetics when it comes to growing antlers. When I hunted out west my outfitter/guide was explaining that antelope and deer would have great headgear that year since they had good rainfall leading to awesome alfalfa fields!
Mike, do you have history with a few bucks that you know to be 5 1/2 ? Just curious if you have seen some major jumps in the past. I just love this topic and am interested to hear others input.
Just my 2 cents. Take if for what is worth (not much most likely). Good luck!
One of the main reasons I bring this up is that I read somewhere a few years back that they are typically 90% done by 4.5 and therefore I have set that as my goal. After 8 years of having my own place and watching this I think I have been shorting them by a year. I do know this.... even in great setup there are A LOT of bucks that are never going to amount to anything and you generally know this by 4.5. I also have seen a buck on our property take a big jump at an early age. When he first showed up he was a 12 pt that I thought was 2.5 because he just looked like a teenager with long legs and smaller body. I’m guessing he scored close to 140. We passed good bow shots on him in ‘16 and last year our juevenile hunter killed him and he scored 166”. 2016 picture
Another 2016 pic.... he is on the right
Not sure that the story of the 12 pt has a lot of relevance to 4.5 vs 5.5 but fun to see what one can do in a year
Appears to me, you know the answer to your question.
Actually my original post was to get others opinion on when a buck topped out. So far I have had 3 guys post something that was helpful. Hopefully some more guys with helpful opinions will post and we won’t have to wade through too many useless post to get to the ones that add value.... wishful thinking
You are a fortunate hunter if you have neighbors that believe in the same deer management philosophy.
Many of the bucks on my farm seem to top out at 4.5. We usually try to kill 4.5 year old deer but of course we don't get them all. Most of the time at 5.5 there is very little additional antler growth but those bucks are ghosts very rarely even being seen in the daylight. For me it makes sense to shoot 4.5 year olds.
I think you go for 5.5, unless a 4.5 just trips your trigger.
My deer spots are not very ag dependent. Some beans, rye and wheat at one place adjacent to us; about it.
I shoot one buck a year and a couple does. If we let them walk until they surpass 5, they’re usually much better on headgear.
Example: Lucky was a nice 15” inside 8 at 3.5. I let him walk at 5 yds with a longbow. By the time he was 5.5 I shot him with a smoke pole trailing a doe at 9 a.m. He was over 150”, and a hoss in the body. I named him Lucky because a neighboring hunter missed him twice and my dad missed him once...all with a rifle.
You’ve got the ticket being able to track them via cameras too. I don’t run cameras; just scout and spy...and let lots of deer walk during bow season to get updated.
It takes a buck 4 years for his bone structure to fully mature (2 years for a doe). At 4.5 part of the same minerals that grow antlers went to his bone structure, at 5.5 it can all go to antler development. All else being equal, food, weather, stress, they will always have a good jump in antler size from 4.5 to 5.5.
Thanks for the input. I think I need to up it a bit although I don’t think I have been completely screwing it up. This one showed this week that I am estimating in the mid to upper 160s
I’m guessing he is at least 4.5. Probably should wait another year. To see what he does. :). Seriously, I don’t recognize this deer but based his body I’m guessing he has some age on him.