Can your property produce world class bucks just like the ones you see on TV? Are deer that produce big antlers genetically superior or is it something else? What makes whitetails in Iowa or Kansas different?
The short answer to our first question is 110% yes. Theoretically, any property no matter the location is capable of producing big bucks. Yes some bucks have more potential due to superior genetics, however that is not the most common limiting factor for the rest of the country. The reason some areas produce bigger bucks is a result of 2 main factors. #1 is age. Bucks have to reach a certain age in order to release their full potential. Most hunters don’t realize how much a single year of growth can change the antler size on a specific buck. A 1 1/2 YO buck hasn’t even reached 30% of its antler potential. At 2 1/2 YO they are only at 60% and that number climbs to almost 80% at 3 1/2 YO. So age is the first limiting factor and in a high pressure state like most of us find ourselves in, that’s a hard obstacle to overcome. But what if you happen to get lucky or you’re in a good neighborhood where most of your neighbors practice QDM. Is your 5 1/2 YO buck going to have the same antler size as a 5 1/2 YO in Iowa? Most likely no. But why is that? It’s a result from the 2nd limiting factor most of us deal with. Nutrition and mineral deficiencies! So what does this mean and how can we change it? Should we put out mineral blocks and supplements on our property? Well first you need to decide if that’s legal in your state and what time of year that may be allowed. But the short answer is no. We need to find a more natural and sustainable way to improve nutrition.
First of all let’s take a step back and look at the research that has shown how important nutrition can be. Mississippi State University conducted research to prove that the quality bucks found in certain areas in their state was not related to genetics but instead it has to do with nutrition. They took deer from from specific regions throughout their state based on soil quality. The Delta region in Mississippi has the highest quality soils which results in higher quality forage and ultimately leads to bigger bucks. They then took bucks from 2 other regions in their state. One with medium quality soils and another with poor quality soils. They have been researching these areas for multiple years and it was apparent that the Delta region produced not only bigger antlers but larger bodies. So they took a doe from each of these regions and brought them to a controlled environment. Their goal was to prove that the difference in the quality of these deer was not because of genetics but instead it had to do with nutrition. They fed high quality forage to all 3 groups and wanted to see how long it would take for the deer from the poor quality soils to reach an equivalent level to that of the Delta region. They made sure that each group reproduced with another deer from that same region so there wouldn’t be any questions about changing genetics.
The 1st generation in the controlled environment showed positive results, but the deer from the poor quality soils were still behind in antler and body size. The 2nd generation is where the greatest results appeared and the deer from the poor soils caught up with the ones from the Delta region. Starting nearly 20in behind on the Boone and crocket scale. The bucks from the poor quality soils closed the gap and now we’re producing bigger antlers and bigger bodies.
So what does this mean for us? It shows that the deer in your region are not genetically inferior. It shows that with the proper nutrition we can produce deer that are equivalent with the ones we see on TV. This doesn’t resolve the age structure gap but it does produce higher quality bucks relative to your age structure. So how can we improve nutrition for your deer? We can’t change where we hunt or the quality of soil we have been dealt. Or can we?
Through habitat improvements and proper soil health management you can have a big impact on your property and your deer herd. With proper habitat improvements you can increase the overall forage quality and amount that you provide your deer herd. It takes a lot of forage to feed a deer for the entire year. So it’s important to take a step back and look at what your property provides and understand how you can improve it. As far as soil health and quality goes, their has been many studies that have shown the impact you can have on your soil with proper management and farming practices. You can build your soils and change their nutritional value through habitat improvements. Like the old saying goes “you are what you eat” and your deer are what they eat. Change the soil and you can change the quality of deer that you are seeing. This isn’t something that takes 100’s of year to do. Follow along as we will discuss soil health and how to improve it in our future articles. For this article the main takeaway should be that the “impossible” is possible. Nutrition is the number 1 limiting factor in most areas and that is something that can be changed. You can produce bucks like you see on TV. It’s just a matter of changing your process and management techniques.