How do whitetail deer develop trophy deer antlers?
All deer bucks need a few good conditions to grow a set of trophy antlers. They need good nutrition, genetic potential and time to develop. A buck’s prime is usually reached at about 4.5 years of age. If the buck does not get sick or injured he will maintain this prime condition for about 3-4 seasons. After that the deer’s overall condition and antler growth usually declines. Some deer grow trophy racks at 2.5 and 3.5 years of age, but that’s due to excellent genetics. There are about 20 million deer in the United States. States with a high-density deer population is less likely to have record large deer. Areas with fewer deer tend to produce larger deer. Even perfect habitat and feeding areas can only support a certain number of deer before the quality of deer decreases. Heavily hunted areas may not produce monster bucks because they don’t live long enough to reach their prime. Many trophy whitetails are taken from areas that have a low deer density population and food availability is
