Mass...how do you get it if you don't have it??

[KactusKiller]

Go buy you about 50 northern bred does and it will fix your mass problem!

[Abcdj]

Go buy you about 50 northern bred does and it will fix your mass problem!

How much would a doe breed by a northern buck in the 180-200 class cost?

[Ironman]

Double Down protein. Everyone knows it will make a normal 120" deer into a monster 180" deer in just one year.

[KactusKiller]

Ahh the magical deer cure all!

[Hawkpuppy 1]

Genetics is the main reason for antler characteristics. Nutrition is right there with it though as well as age. It's the old "3-legged stool" analogy. You take one away, the stool falls over. Good quality feed(natural or supplemented) is never a bad thing. Let your deer get to at least 4 before any "major" culling

[PondPopper]

Genetics is the main reason for antler characteristics. Nutrition is right there with it though as well as age. It's the old "3-legged stool" analogy. You take one away, the stool falls over. Good quality feed(natural or supplemented) is never a bad thing. Let your deer get to at least 4 before any "major" culling

This^^is correct.
McCulloch county, as a whole, has awesome genetics.. The birthdays are few and the nutrition can be scarce at best sometimes.

[Encinal]

Go buy you about 50 northern bred does and it will fix your mass problem!

Depends on if you want to improve your apples or just buy oranges.

[boy wonder]

Go buy you about 50 northern bred does and it will fix your mass problem!

Be sure and buy some step stools for the bucks !

[bulltx50]

As a biologist I laugh at these threads.

[Saltyag15]

As a biologist I laugh at these threads.

As a non-biologist, an educated answer from a biologist would be welcome, rather than laughter. Teach us somethin!

[bulltx50]

Typically no one wants to hear from a biologist, but glad to add my two cents. I manage several ranches in the Brady area, all free range ranches and mass production typically occurs at 5.5 plus years of age. With that said, if mother nature does not lend support through sufficient rainfall/moisture all is a mute point. No ones pockets are deep enough to feed supplements and make a difference; we need rain. We are in our second year of good rains that have fallen throughout the two year period. This leads to deer being able to maintain body weights and have additional nutrients to carry into horn production. If you are supplemental feeding you should see a huge difference in bucks mass even on free ranging whitetails. Feeding corn only as you know does little to no good at helping whitetail deer outside of a stomach filler when hungry. Even during the hunting season your feeders should a be a 50/50 mix of protein supplement and corn. Trending toward protein only from late January on. Age is the biggest factor when all other parts of the equation are in place. Let them grow up. This is nothing that most of you don't already know, its hard to change a proven formula. Of course other factors do exist in free ranging environments, such as what your neighbors have as rules, droughts, size of property, agriculture practices and of course domestic stock grazing practices. Good luck and good hunting. Rest assured this year sets up as a great year for big whitetail bucks.

[Saltyag15]

Thanks for the response. All seem like good points to me!

[topshot]

Typically no one wants to hear from a biologist, but glad to add my two cents. I manage several ranches in the Brady area, all free range ranches and mass production typically occurs at 5.5 plus years of age. With that said, if mother nature does not lend support through sufficient rainfall/moisture all is a mute point. No ones pockets are deep enough to feed supplements and make a difference; we need rain. We are in our second year of good rains that have fallen throughout the two year period. This leads to deer being able to maintain body weights and have additional nutrients to carry into horn production. If you are supplemental feeding you should see a huge difference in bucks mass even on free ranging whitetails. Feeding corn only as you know does little to no good at helping whitetail deer outside of a stomach filler when hungry. Even during the hunting season your feeders should a be a 50/50 mix of protein supplement and corn. Trending toward protein only from late January on. Age is the biggest factor when all other parts of the equation are in place. Let them grow up. This is nothing that most of you don't already know, its hard to change a proven formula. Of course other factors do exist in free ranging environments, such as what your neighbors have as rules, droughts, size of property, agriculture practices and of course domestic stock grazing practices. Good luck and good hunting. Rest assured this year sets up as a great year for big whitetail bucks.

Biologist credibility level reduced

[longstride]

Age

[Ironman]

Biologist credibility level reduced

Lol! Whoops!