Editor’s Note: The late Charles J. Alsheimer was a longtime Deer & Deer Hunting field editor, writer, photographer and lifelong student of the white-tailed deer. His observations and photography helped generations of hunters better understand whitetail behavior and biology. In this classic piece from the DDH archives, Alsheimer explains the four ingredients necessary for a buck to reach true top-end antler potential.

For whitetails to graduate to top-end status, which means they surpass the Boone & Crockett score of 170, four ingredients are required. The four are: genetics, nutrition, management (controlling the population) and age. If any of these keys are missing, it will be very difficult for bucks to reach the Boone & Crockett minimum.

Genetics

Much attention is given to the importance of genetics when it comes to big-antlered bucks. For the most part, North America has great genetics when it comes to whitetails. However, all white-tailed deer are not the same. Not all the recognized 30 subspecies can be expected to have the same top end.

Generally, the farther north one travels, the greater the antler potential. There are several exceptions to this, with the most notable being the South Texas brush country, where body size is smaller than in the northern reaches of the whitetail’s range, but antlers have the potential of rivaling whitetails found in the Canadian provinces.

Nutrition

One of the key ingredients to top-end antlers is health and nutrition. For optimum nutrition to exist, so that whitetails can grow strong, healthy bodies, soils need to have pH levels of 6.5 to 7.0.

In addition, the best possible forages and browse need to be present throughout the year, but particularly during the critical antler-growing months of April through August.

Management

This aspect of the whitetail antler equation is often overlooked. It shouldn’t be.

When deer populations are not kept in balance with the range’s carrying capacity, the health of the animal and antler growth will be affected in a negative way. Also, the stress of too many deer will cause bucks to grow smaller antlers.

Due to a multitude of variables, it’s tough to determine what the antler decline will be from too many deer, but it’s generally felt among those who raise whitetails that antler growth will be suppressed at least 20% when there are too many deer.

Age

This is the ace card in the deck when it comes to assessing top-end antler potential because if bucks are not allowed to survive to 6 to 8 years of age, there is little way of knowing what top-end can be.

It used to be thought that top-end antlers occurred between 4 and 5 years of age. This is no longer the case. Most successful deer breeders find that antler growth peaks at 6 to 8 years of age.

When All Four Come Together

Truly top-end antlers fall into the fairy-tale category for most regions of North America because one or more of the four ingredients for top-end is missing. However, when all are present, the results are most impressive.

Read More

• The Age When Bucks Grow Their Largest Antlers
  — Charles Alsheimer follows individual bucks through maturity to show when they reached their peak antler potential.
• Facts and Myths About Deer Antler Genetics
  — Take a deeper look at the complicated role genetics play in determining a buck’s antler potential.
• The Causes of Antler Asymmetry
  — See how age, genetics, nutrition, injury and environmental stress can influence antler development.
• The Facts and Truth About Culling Bucks
  — Learn why antler appearance in younger bucks does not necessarily reveal what those deer can become at maturity.