Now we should be looking at a fully muscled neck that blends into his deep chest and well-defined muscled shoulders. Pheasant smokes quickly, and it generates a flavorful, moist product when done. Its first antlers can have three points, while the following year they will have as many as seven. Maximum antler size is usually achieved between age five and seven. Genetics are obviously important, but they are difficult to manage and this is especially true on small acreages where whitetail management and growing better bucks is the goal. Major threats to whitetail deer Population Their antlers will have a spread around the same width as the ears; beams show the beginning of some mass and multiple points. This animal usually has a normal female reproductive tract and is capable of bearing fawns. My third favorite place to hunt waterfowl is my home state of Kentucky. In bucks 7 years old and older, antlers mass often increases, while overall length of the main beam and … Some hunters will set their decoys really close together when the weather is hot. They also have several other characteristics of four year olds including fully muscled shoulders, heavy swelling in their neck during the rut, and a waist that’s even with their chest. As GameKeepers, we owe it to the animals we hunt to be a good marksman and make ethical shots. Research shows that at this age, most bucks have achieved 50 to 75 percent of their antler-growth potential. Antler mass and length increases with age until bucks reach 6 to 7 years of age. The New Year is an excellent opportunity to reassess your old routines and inject them with some new life. By that time, the muscular and skeletal systems are finished growing and more calcium and phosphorous can go to the antlers. This first set is usually a spike or fork hornâ . Copyright 2021 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. I usually start off each waterfowl season hunting in Alberta, Canada, in October. The Life Cycle of Antlers If you think about the chasing, the fighting and the staying on their feet during both daylight and nighttime hours that bucks do, by the time a buck reaches the post-rut, he’s tired, beat-up and doesn’t want to fight. I was the only person who could yell for help for both of us. The future of the deer population lies in the hands of mature bucks breeding. A buck’s antlers continue to grow each year that the deer lives. Do female whitetail deer grow antlers? (Much of the information is courtesy of the QDMA.) Those will be your Boone & Crocket candidates.Â. Antlers will continue to grow each year that the buck lives and will reach its full-size potential until around four years of age. Texas whitetail deer typically start to develop their antlers from around 10 months of age. Now the antlers can have a spread even with or outside the ears with decent mass. Carter specializes in articles relating to pets, as she has four cats and two dogs of her own. Nutrition, age and genetics all play a role in how fast and strong the antlers grow. They will grow a new set of antlers yearly. These animals are easiest to identify, especially the bucks. During summer, deer antlers grow rapidly within two to four months and – according to Peter Yang, PhD, associate professor of orthopedics at Stanford University School of Medicine, they can grow up to 2 cm per day. Their hind-end appears filled-out and rounded. I follow the duck migration. Other hunters will set their decoys too far apart from each other when the weather is very cold. Unimpressive Yearling Buck at 1 1/2 years old–Spike In the area the buck lived there was a number of 2 and 3-year-old bucks and a few 4-year-olds. The following photos illustrate antler growth for 1 buck from 26 March 1999 through 15 September 1999. Nutrition is also simple; a deer has to have enough to eat to grow antlers. It is rare but possible to find female whitetail deer with antlers. LockerSource and Mossy Oak are proud to introduce a new locker line that features four different Mossy Oak patterns for the outdoor enthusiast to enjoy. The cartilaginous antler is a pre-calcified stage of growth. Young deer grow their first set of true antlers the first spring after they are born, at 10 to 12 months … To begin, let’s stop saying “and-a-half” after the age of a whitetail. The waist is still thin and the muscles in the shoulders aren’t very defined yet. Their faces appear to have taut skin around the jaw. Young deer grow their first set of true antlers the first spring after they are born, at 10 to 12 months of age. Once he peeled velv… But whitetails of this size exist only where they are created and cared for by deer breeders. Now the neck and shoulders should be thickly muscled, but the neck should still be discernible from the shoulders. You will develop a more effective management plan if you can distinguish a buck’s age by assessing it in a photo or by sight. Their back and stomach lines are relatively straight and taut. Get a side view of the deer and … During the rut they should have noticeably larger tarsal glands that are dark-stained with some staining possibly extending down their legs.    Given adequate nutrition, they’ll become structurally mature and can reach 75 to 90 percent of their antler growth potential. If a whitetail with 400 inches of antler was a viable model in the wild, it would have a place in the bell curve. The antlers are now beginning to show you their potential and should be heavy with good bases and multiple points. 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