Antler Growth?????

Califelkslayer

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Hasn't this been an ideal year for big game? Wet, mild winter following last years wet, mild winter. This last strom dropped hard rain for 3 hours and then 5" of snow in N. Kalif. Now its going to warm up. I can almost see the feed starting to grow. Its going to be neat to watch horn growth take off in another month or 6 weeks. What a year to hunt Nv, Ut, Co, Southern Id, and/or SW Ore. If this keeps up, we should have the best antler growth of my hunting career. This is an exciting time of the year. applications due soon, great weather, what more could you ask for? Maybe a tag or three. Good luck in the draws.
 
That is great for regions you speak of. In Arizona we are experiencing one of the driest winters on record. Many of the hunting organizations and clubs in our state are already planning and budgeting for water hauling this summer. We have another front coming through this Wednesday and we are all getting our rain dance attire ready. As of right now I'm not too optimistic about horn growth in our state.
 
Wyoming is in pretty good shape as well. But it still depends upon the moisture we get in the next few months. We've got a good start, but we need moisture for the through May or June to assure good forage. It also helps the does milk well and have good cover for fawning, which is good in the long run.
 
Agreed.. It that type of year though. It usually doesn't just stop. I started this post 3 days ago and since we got a mini system that rained and snowed all day and we are forecast for more tommorrow night. I'm confident it'll continue through Memorial Day.
 
So far so good here in Southern Idaho. I think the SE corner may have gotten hit a little hard w/ some winter kill and I know that the Salmon area experienced severe cold for several weeks and lost the majority of their fawns/calves. However, from my view the foothills are bare and from mid mountain up it is really snowpacked. I think we have enough moisture here to carry us....although no one will complain about timely rains this summer.

On a side note a couple of deer were poached here 2 days ago and of the two does, one was carrying twins and the other triplets! The fact that they were poached sucks but the does must be in great shape to still be carrying twins/triplets.

Last fall my buddies and I saw more bucks and more 20-23" 4 points than in the last 9 or 10 years. I think most of them made it. We are really looking forward to this fall!
 
Most of you know this, but I thought I would let the few who don't in on the new theory about antler growth. About ten or so years ago when the whitetail food plot craze really took off. A scientist from Georga did a study that really caught my eye. He observed the life cycle of an antler and what chemicals and hormones had to do with it. We know that antlers are bone mostly calcium. But how on earth do deer grow them the way they do. I'm going to use Elk as an example. When elk shed there antlers they immediatly start growing new ones. From the first part of April to Aug a 380" bull elk has fully grown antlers. Roughly about 130 days. Divide that from 340 (subtracted width) it totals 2.6" a day of horn growth. These animals can't eat enough grass to produce almost 3" inches of calcium a day during the sping and summer. The scientist found a hormone that stores calium in the blood (I think) or some other place, from the time the rutt is over, to the time the hormone is released exactly when the antlers fall. This helps dramatically in antler growth. So here is an Opinion the most crucial time for antler growth is during the winter! A good wet and not so cold winter with good grazing ground is what you want. A.K.A New Mexico, Arizona. Go figure!
 
I think the winter part does play a big part but my theory is a little different. If an animal suffers thru a tuff winter, they lose considerable body weight. When things get good again, the first priority of the body is to replenish the body weight, not grow horns. I've bowhunted an area of E. Montana where the average body weight of the mature bucks is over 220 lbs. Most years these mature bucks have 22'-24' thin horned racks. The occasional mild, wet winter and wet spring produces bucks that are 26'+ with alot more mass. A real bad winter cuts the entire herd drastically. Just a thoery.
 

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