As many deer hunters know, deer lose their antlers each year in late winter or early spring, and are replaced by a completely new set. The new ones begin growing in about a month after the loss of the old ones. The first couple of months the rack takes shape, but the majority of growth occurs during the months of June, July, and August.
Many 18-month bucks can be found with extremely small and sometimes malformed antlers. However, not all 18-month bucks have spikes as their first set of antlers. What causes a buck to to have spikes at 18 months? It has been demonstrated by extensive research that almost all buck deer that have been on nutritionally good diets of 12-18% protein from birth will not have spikes at 18 months, but will have three to ten points on their first set of antlers.
Trophy-type antlers are generally grown between the fourth and seventh year. Each year, the rack will have the same inherited configuration, but will be larger than before if calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins are ingested along with the natural foods.
Research done by Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agriculture suggests that we may be able to turn the impossible dream into reality. The key is phosphorus, since it plays a vital role in the metabolism of deer. While it is the important mineral to grow antlers, it is also a constituent of bones and teeth. But more importantly it is necessary for calcium utilization.
Calcium can only be transformed into bone and antler to the extent that the necessary proportion of phosphorus is ingested by the animal, provided that calcium is also taken in.
More recent experiments by the university support the theory that if phosphorus, along with calcium, is added to the diet of deer, where it is naturally deficient, larger antlers and healthier animals will develop.
It is clearly evident now that sportsmen can contribute to better deer hunting in ways other than simply buying a hunting license.
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