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The 2020 antler conundrum
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<blockquote data-quote="BSK" data-source="post: 4999264" data-attributes="member: 17"><p>As many have correctly pointed out, improving herd population, sex ratio, and buck age structure WILL improve many aspects of individual deer performance, including buck antler growth. I've been preaching that for decades and still believe in it because I've seen it happen first hand. However, those changes occur over time. They are not rapid. As Mega pointed out, to get maximum benefit, you have to start with a deer's health through their mother's health before they are born. Then that healthy fawn has to reach maturity. And as the latest research into epigenetics is strongly suggesting, it can take several generations of "better conditions" to produce maximum results. What I am seeing this year is a sudden single year jump in antler growth.</p><p></p><p>In addition, on the properties I'm monitoring, and the properties other managers are telling me about, years of detailed herd data is available. None of the properties experiencing this sudden jump in antler quality have experienced any major change in sex ratio or buck age structure in years. Other than some fluctuations in population density over the last 5-7 years, sex ratio and buck age structure are unchanged.</p><p></p><p>I believe Woodsman04's post is on target. I think we're seeing the results of a combination of environmental factors that don't come around very often. But I sure would like to know exactly all of those factors.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BSK, post: 4999264, member: 17"] As many have correctly pointed out, improving herd population, sex ratio, and buck age structure WILL improve many aspects of individual deer performance, including buck antler growth. I've been preaching that for decades and still believe in it because I've seen it happen first hand. However, those changes occur over time. They are not rapid. As Mega pointed out, to get maximum benefit, you have to start with a deer's health through their mother's health before they are born. Then that healthy fawn has to reach maturity. And as the latest research into epigenetics is strongly suggesting, it can take several generations of "better conditions" to produce maximum results. What I am seeing this year is a sudden single year jump in antler growth. In addition, on the properties I'm monitoring, and the properties other managers are telling me about, years of detailed herd data is available. None of the properties experiencing this sudden jump in antler quality have experienced any major change in sex ratio or buck age structure in years. Other than some fluctuations in population density over the last 5-7 years, sex ratio and buck age structure are unchanged. I believe Woodsman04's post is on target. I think we're seeing the results of a combination of environmental factors that don't come around very often. But I sure would like to know exactly all of those factors. [/QUOTE]
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The 2020 antler conundrum
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