The 2020 antler conundrum
- Thread starter BSK
- Start date
Rainfall is my guess. In my area it was a normal summer. Not too much, and not to little. The vegetation was happy.
BSK
Well-Known Member
From all of the data sources I have, In western Middle TN, 2 buck limit had zero impact. No change in buck age structure or numbers.
BSK
Well-Known Member
I've seen good acorn crops and poor, wet years, dry years, and normal years. But in the 30+ years I've been running cameras, and the 20+ years I've been running photo censuses professionally, I've NEVER seen anything like the jump in antler development per age-class that I'm seeing this year.
Interestingly, whatever the factors involved, they did not seem to impact yearling bucks. Still the same general percentage of yearlings that are spikes. But 2 1/2 on up, big impact.
I have no doubt the reasons are a "perfect storm" of positive influences that only rarely line up, so I'll try to enjoy this anomaly while I can! But I truly hate unanswerable questions...
Interestingly, whatever the factors involved, they did not seem to impact yearling bucks. Still the same general percentage of yearlings that are spikes. But 2 1/2 on up, big impact.
I have no doubt the reasons are a "perfect storm" of positive influences that only rarely line up, so I'll try to enjoy this anomaly while I can! But I truly hate unanswerable questions...
TNRidgeRider
Well-Known Member
2 buck limit may be a big factor. Look at Kentucky. They are becoming a whitetail destination. We see this in places like FT C. They have had a 1 buck limit since the early 90s. I think the buck to doe ratio is better. And as someone mentioned above, maybe these products do work. I'm not a fan of baiting but it works for them.
Could it be there are fewer deer overall meaning an increase in available food over the winter? Isn't the overall deer population less now than years past? Warm winter, lots of rain the last year and fewer deer equals more quality/quantity food per deer?
AT Hiker
Well-Known Member
BSK,
Are you seeing a equal distribution of increased score measurements (ie, mass/tine length) or is it just longer tine length and spread?
Welcome back!
Are you seeing a equal distribution of increased score measurements (ie, mass/tine length) or is it just longer tine length and spread?
Welcome back!
A jump in antler size has to be 100% environmental influences, right? I recall last year was cold late fall( around gun season), but a mild winter after that, followed by a very wet spring and summer. TVA announced this week, that this has been the wettest year on record with most areas in the river Valley approaching 70 inches of rain for the year. Me and my group of lease mats run cameras in 4 states; TN, KY, OH, and VA and now thinking back, we did see a big jump in most of our resident/ named 2, 3, and 4 year olds....very interesting. BSK, if you can figure out how to bottle this, let me know.
woodsman04
Well-Known Member
I don't know near as much as you or y'all other guys. But, last winter in my area was the third highest average temperature ever recorded. Since you say that the stress of the previous season has an affect on antler development. I could see that as a factor.
We also had a good growing season, no droughts, and it never really got bad bad hot, although very humid in late summer.
Also could have been a surge of soybeans or other high protein legumes that were planted.
just some thoughts
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
This may be the most significant single factor.
Add to this (at least compared to over a decade ago) improved adult buck:doe ratios,
improved buck age structure.
Then, there appears to be widespread habitat "improvements" in terms of providing year-round deer food. Much of this has been in the form of timber-cutting, where the "improvements" for deer have been a side benefit, but a tremendous dietary benefit nonetheless.
Also, despite BSK's lack of data to document, I believe the statewide 2-buck limit has played a role as well.
That decreased buck limit may not have had much effect on buck age structure, but it has played a role in shifting the hunter harvest more towards female deer, enhancing buck:doe ratios to a much healthier place than we had in times past.
Why has the decreased buck limit not had much effect on mature buck age structure?
I believe because many hunters have simply shifted from killing 1 1/2-yr-old (yearling) bucks to 2 1/2-yr-old bucks, as well as many shifting from killing 2 1/2's to 3 1/2's. This may produce little change on the number of bucks surviving to full maturity of 5 1/2 and older.
Most hunters today are only going to kill 1 or 2 deer annually, regardless of limits.
But that's no reason to discount having biologically sound deer management, which steers us towards mindsets of sound conservation practices and improving herd health.
One more thing about deer densities:
I do believe the populations are trending higher now in most areas compared to 2 and 3 years ago.
But the 2 1/2 & 3 1/2-yr old bucks we're seeing today may have been born in a lower-deer density time, thus benefited in their early lives from higher quality food sources (at least per mouth). Having better nutrition as fawns, perhaps this may have been the single biggest factor for the larger antlers we're seeing on 2 1/2-yr-old bucks this year?
Deer will generally seek out the highest quality food sources.
When there are fewer deer, each deer gets a more nutritious diet.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
There very well may be something to this. Or perhaps even a year earlier. Most recent information reveals the most critical time for optimum nutrition for a buck to eventually reach the most of his genetic potential at maturity is actually when he is an EMBRYO/ FETUS. That's right, the nutritional status of that mother doe 5.5 years prior to that buck becoming a 4.5 y/o is the single most important year.
Which is also why hunters should not expect to see dramatic improvements in antler scores of mature deer the year (or even 2 or 3 years) after improving habitat and increasing food resources. It's actually going to take a minimum of 5 years of improvements to see mature bucks benefit from the habitat improvement.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
A lot of very valuable information in this thread. I'm a huge fan of improving the habitat and wish more people were as thrilled about it as I am. We have done several timber operations on our property over the years. Fixing to start another big one in a few weeks. Hoping to do a lot of burning this spring - just need the weather to cooperate. I believe that's one of the reasons we have been able to grow the bucks we have in an area that is nothing but rolling hills and hollows of hardwoods, with absolutely no agriculture for miles around us. When we planted soybeans this spring, that was the first time our deer had ever even come close to smelling a soybean. Hoping to have 3 times the acreage of beans this summer with a lot of fresh natural grasses and forbs from burns. This should lead us to our goal of having much healthier does, and not far behind, much healthier and good-looking bucks.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
Same way for our place JCDeerman....last year we completed a TSI project with our Forrester which included hack-n-squirt...and of course timber harvest opening up the canopy while leaving a many of our mast producing white and red oak.....we also introduced soybeans and peas for the first time this year in two new plots that were previously log loading decks from the TSI project....then we updated the older existing plots with a fall blend of wheat, rye, rape, radishes and clover....also manage several acres where we rotate bush hogging natural vegetation which the deer absolutely love....very pleased with the progress so far and looking forward to seeing the new growth develop in the timber areas having the canopy opened some....I too have become as interested in habitat improvements as much as the hunt itself....don't get me wrong....I love late October , November & December hunts...but land management is a year around hobby that I really enjoy.
That pretty astute. Good rule of thumb for any habitat manager/tinkerer.
Me too. It actually got me excited about deer hunting again, added an entirely new level. There's no much to learn again and should keep me busy experimenting for quite a few years, hopefully the rest of my days. I don't think I've loved deer hunting this much since I was a boy.
TN Larry
Well-Known Member
I haven't noticed a huge antler score increase this year, however, I have seen an increase in body weights. Prior to this year, the biggest deer that I had killed in my area weighed 140 lbs field dressed. I have killed several that weighed 140 with none over and with several of these being mature bucks. This year, my daughter has killed one that weighed 160 field dressed, and I have killed one that weighed 150 field dressed. My son killed one that we didn't weigh, but we estimated it at 135 to 140 which is about normal for a mature buck here. It may be pure coincidence with the other two, however, it could also mean that they came into the winter last year healthier than normal which allowed more body weight.
TN Larry
Well-Known Member
We've also had several years in a row with a really good red oak acorn crop which I know helps keep deer healthy through the winter. This year, it hasn't been as good so I am curious to see what next year looks like for antler development.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
That's awesome.....and I understand exactly what you're saying.....it adds a whole new element to the experience. Very satisfying to see the fruits of your labor......along the same lines as previous comments pertaining to the nutrition a mother doe has while carrying her fawn....it's very satisfying and rewarding to watch deer feed in a food plot you worked hard to plant....I actually get a kick outta just watching deer feed....or to watch various other types of wildlife benefit as well.....just an overall more fulfilling experience.....feel much more connected to the land.
Lincoln Co Archer
Well-Known Member
Man this has the wheels turning Mega.
Mescalero
Well-Known Member
I don't think your theory is all that outlandish, although I would think most of a deer's diet in middle TN won't be crops. Still, there are probably a significant minority living a GMO diet. Back when I hunted the Midwest every year, we'd joke that the deer we killed couldn't be certified as organic.
