Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Moisture and antler growth

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,720
248
Ohio
While I need moisture in my line of work in order to make a living, too much prevents us from getting to work. Last month, my county had more than twice the annual average in precipitation. Why am I posting this in the general deer hunting section? I will tell you. I was reading through an old magazine and read an article today. It was in regards to moisture during antler growing periods and throughout the growing season. Historically, in years of drought, there were fewer B&C bucks submitted. The classes of B&C deer in the 180-189 range were reduced. The 190-199 and 200-209 were pretty much non-existent. While I am not worried about 200" deer around my area, I am worried about the 125-150" deer. They aren't around every corner, but they are out there. I know there are a few larger, but the majority of "good deer" in my county would probably be classified as 125-150". I have a few "good deer" which I know made it through the season on various properties I hunt. Let's hope the moisture continues through the antler growing season. Let's hope some of those deer which might have been borderline 140 or 150" get the push they need this year to take it to the next level. Let's hope this year's fawns are given the optimal nutrition they need to make it through the first year. While it slows down my productivity and income to a point, I won't complain about the effects of the April showers on our local wildlife! Have a great season guys! Hopefully my talk of antler growth and newborn fawns will motivate you a little or at least give us something to chat about in the slow-season. I say slow because to me, there is no such thing as an "off-season"!
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
I can't see that the increase in rain and the boost it has had on the foliage growth would hurt anything. I can see where it would help a ton in antler growth as well as overall body health and herd health. Should be a good year :D

145 days and counting them down on the desktop lol. Just like you said Phil..it never ends lol.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
And don't forget that last year was a wet spring as well, so the deer benefitted last year as well. This fall should be stellar!!!
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Great points there, Phil. When it comes to growing big bucks, I'm a firm believer that the first season of a fawn's life is the most critical. Those pedicles are the foundation for racks of the future, and there's a strong correlation between nutrition and pedicle size. I generated a few graphs a long while back that showed a potential relationship between rainfall and monster bucks. I'll have to try to dig them up... but basically, the last couple of years Ohio has been seemingly 'covered up' with 200-inchers... if you look back to when those 200-inchers were fawns (roughly 4-7 years ago), you'll see that we had above-average rainfall totals in the spring and early summers. The weather we've been having lately is a double-edged sword, man... it sucks for finding morels and turkeys, but we should have a buffer crop of nice bucks in a few years!
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
Can we have a little bit of a summer before you guys wish it away?....dang

Heck with summer. It's hot and humid way too many bugs and gets to the point the heat is TOO much and you don't want to do anything but stay in the house for the AC. I don't have a pool or I would like summer a lot more.

I like spring and fall temps much more so, I vote for spring right into fall ;)

142 days and an early morning wake up now hahaha :D.