Food Plots for Antler Growth
There has been and always be a lot of interest among landowners in improving the antler size of white-tailed deer using deer food plots. Genetic improvement of deer as related to antler growth has received more than its fair share of interest, but nutrition is far more important in free-ranging whitetail deer. Nutrition is something hunters and managers can control.
In fact, good nutrition is essential to produce large-bodied and large-antlered bucks. Improving genetics through culling of inferior animals or introducing breeder bucks will have little impact on free-ranging white-tailed deer populations on a practical time scale, but deer food plots can help every whitetail on your property. Do not substitute good habitat management for food plots. Instead, use food plots to supplement natural forage.
Other Antler Growth Considerations
Additionally, let’s say that genetic improvement through the culling of bucks does work. Well, a manger still needs habitat that provides high levels of nutrition in order for deer to express their full genetic potential. Do you know that a buck’s gross antler score can vary by up to 20 inches depending upon food availability?
Unfortunately, natural habitat does provide a constant supply of food and an optimal diet to wild animals, deer included. Nutritional quality and availability of forbs, recognized as broad-leaved weeds, and browse (shrub leaves, stems and twigs) fluctuate seasonally, limiting availability of natural foods at certain times of the year. Deer food plots can help with nutrition and antler growth.
Deer Food Plots & Diet
Whitetail deer prefer forbs over browse and eat little grass except when it is young and tender. During rainy winters and springs, forbs often are abundant, resulting in deer that are on a high nutritional plane. Forbs are extremely high in protein, so when it rains bucks will produce well above average antler growth.
However, the deer’s habitat does not always get the necessary precipitation, animals do not get the necessary deer nutrition, and buck’s do not achieve the antler growth that many hunters and managers desire. Properties managing for quality deer should recognize deer food plots as a means to supplement the whitetail’s natural habitat.
Summer Food Plots & Antler Growth
Summer, especially late summer, is often a period of nutritional stress for deer in much of the United States. Not that all deer food plots can withstand drought, but better deer condition can be achieved during the spring by using plots to prepare deer for the hardship of dry weather. This not only helps bucks with antler growth, but helps does as they develop and nurse their fawns. Keep in mind that mid-summer is the period of maximum antler growth in bucks.
As with other times of the year, rainfall in September and October is sometimes lacking, resulting in poor habitat conditions and low whitetail food abundance. Although fall forbs are abundant if rainfall is adequate, dry winters result in a lack of green, nutritious forbs. Cool season deer food plots can help maintain deer body condition and hold deer on a property. Winter food plots are much more reliable than spring or warm season food plots, but rain is never a sure thing.
Forbs, preferred browse species, and deer food plots can work in combination to keep deer on a high nutritional plane. Both forbs and browse decline in nutritional quality during summer. Spring and summer food plots can help maintain deer body condition and increase antler growth in bucks. When forbs are lacking, browse becomes the mainstay of deer diets, so land managers should always be involved with habitat management. Producing quality deer year after years takes a multi-prong approach. There are no silver bullets.
Deer Food Plots Can Increase Antler Growth
Hungry deer become smaller deer. Smaller-bodied bucks have smaller, inferior antlers. A food deficiency can cause weight loss or reduced weight gain and may result in reduced antler growth in bucks. Furthermore, fawns are born during summer and the high nutrient demands of lactating does must be met or fawn survival will be reduced.
It is critical that land is managed to provide deer with adequate nutrition. Deer food plots should be part of an overall deer management program. However, manager should not rely on deer food plots or supplemental feed as a cure all for maintaining more deer on a property than the habitat can support. Maintaining deer numbers within the carrying capacity of the habitat will help increase antler growth in bucks. Supplemental nutrition can add on to that.
Food plots can help antler growth when high protein plants are used. Good rainfall can produce a lot of natural plants that help with antler growth in bucks, but we think warm season food plots have helped tremendously with our bucks. We also keep total deer numbers down.
BuckBoy,
Yes, it’s important to consider the objectives of a food plot prior to planting. A high protein forage is ideal for improved antler growth if deer food plots are planted in an adequate amount to enhance forage intake. Keeping deer numbers down is also important, as too many deer will sink into a property and overuse food plots. Too much competition between deer means too little food per animal.